Turkish observatory live broadcasts Mercury's transit

By Bekir Bektas

ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) - The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) live broadcast on Monday the rare transit of the planet Mercury across the Sun.

The celestial event was observed by the public at TUBITAK National Observatory, located in Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, as well as through the live telescope broadcast of the council that started at around 3.30 p.m. local time (1230GMT) and ended when the Sun descended to horizon.

The planetary transit was watched at Akdeniz University campus in Antalya, where the observatory experts informed the participants about the scene.

The event was fully observable in North and South America, Antarctica, West Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean, while it was partially observable in Turkey.

Mercury -- the planet closest to the Sun -- was at a distance of 101 million kilometers (62.7 million miles) away from the Earth, which occurred for the last time this decade.

The previous transit of Mercury was observed in May 2016, and the space enthusiasts will be able to watch the next spectacular celestial event on Nov. 13, 2032.

On average, the transit of Mercury across the Sun happens 13 times in a century.

*Writing by Sena Guler