Tunisia will witness a rare celestial event today the transit of the planet Mercury in front of the Sun, the Tunisian Astronomical Society said in a statement.
In front of the blinding surface of the sun, the planet looks like a tiny jet-black dot. Mercury is 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) in diameter, compared with the sun’s 864,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers).
The entire 5-hour event is visible, weather permitting, in the eastern United States and Canada, and all of Central and South America. The rest of North America, Europe and Africa can catch part of the action, while Asia and Australia miss out.
To observe this phenomenon, the Tunisian Astronomical Society (French : S.A.T.) in collaboration with the National Institute of Meteorology, the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, the Ministry of Education and the Aero awfia kairouan Club offer the general public observation points spread throughout the country.
Observations will begin at noon until sunset and will take place at the Astronomy Club at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, the Abou Kacem Chebbi middle school in Al-Omrane in Tunis, the M’hamdiya 1 and M’hamdiya 3 High Schools in Ben Arous, the Sbiba High School in Kasserine, the Haci Omar High School in Medina and the regional district headquarters of the National Meteorological Institute in Jerba, Sfax and Kairouan (Martyrs Square).
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