Arab world to witness rare astronomical event
On November 11, look to the skies through a telescope to witness the phenomenon
Abu Dhabi: The Arab world will witness a rare astronomical event on Monday (November 11) that won't happen again until 2032 when Mercury travels in front of the sun's disk.
Mohammad Shaukat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Center, said that this phenomenon is called astronomical transit. He warned, however, that looking directly at the sun may result in permanent loss of vision.
“The transit will start at 12:35 am (GMT), it will reach its peak at 3:30 pm GMT, and will end at 6:40 pm GMT,” said Odeh. “It will be five and a half hours [long]. The disk of Mercury in this transit needs a minute and 41 seconds to enter or come out of the full sun. "
Transit occurs only for Venus and Mercury. Transit occurs when the planet passes between the Earth and the Sun and is at the same level as Earth's orbit around the sun.
The transit of Mercury can only be seen using astronomical devices. Those wishing to see the event are advised to participate in a public observation organized by astronomical associations for the public in public.
Odeh pointed out that the transit starts gradually and ends in different countries in the world at the same time, as the time differences in this event between the Arab countries does not exceed one minute.
Mauritania will be the only Arab country that can see the entire crossing, as the sun will be absent in the rest of the Arab countries before the completion of the crossing.