A planet transit at Seychelles |15 November 2019

Mercury appears in silhouette against the bright surface of the Sun (Photo source: bbc.com)

• “It’s exciting to see these rare phenomena, to realise how out of our control everything really is; it makes our day to day worries seem less relevant”

While many of us were unaware, a unique occurrence took place on Monday evening – a rare, astronomical phenomenon which was visible from Seychelles, and which will not be seen for at least another 13 years.

A very knowledgeable, dedicated and experienced local astronomer, along with a fellow enthusiast waited patiently on a beach at Glacis on this day, to witness this event.

Below are their accounts of this phenomenon, respectively:

“There are two planets between the Earth and the Sun; Venus closest to us and Mercury near the Sun. The orbit of the planets is not quite flat, so mostly Venus and Mercury pass above or below the Sun –from our viewpoint – and we don’t see them against the bright Sun when they pass between us and our Star”.

“Occasionally though, one does pass or ‘transit’ the Sun; Venus twice a century (next one in 2100 plus! and Mercury on November 11 this year and then in 2032. However, Mercury is too small to see without a telescope and as it is dangerous to look directly at the Sun, this article was delayed”.

“What was seen from North Mahé was as follows: at 4.35pm a tiny, sharp black dot started across the Sun at the “8” o’clock position to exit the “2” o’clock position at 10pm. Of course we lost the Sun at sunset, but West Africa saw it all. It is exciting to see these rare phenomena and to realise how out of our control everything really is. It makes our day to day worries seem less relevant”.

“Some 200 years ago, the Mercury transit was very important because no one knew how far the Earth was from the Sun, and so how big our Solar system was. A clever man thought that if someone in Norway and someone in South Africa could note the relative position of Mercury on the Sun (there is a VERY small difference) at the exact same time, then some simple maths (P5 please note) could calculate the Earth to Mercury, and Sun to Mercury distances very well…it worked!”

“I shared this experience with a very dedicated and experienced astronomer; it made it much more enjoyable for me because he shared his vast knowledge about the transition.”

“As it is a rare occurrence, it was nice to be able to share it with anyone, but let alone someone who has the same passion and enthusiasm for science and astronomy. With us, we had our solar eclipse sunglasses, a pair of binoculars, and a cold beer each!”

“We even observed another rare phenomena called the ‘Green Flash’ right at the moment of the Sun disappearing behind the horizon. We enjoyed this as well because it is also a rare sight and we might not see it again for a long time, since the Sun might not be visible at the moment that it disappears behind the horizon because often there are clouds.”

“The Green Flash is an optical phenomena that sometimes happens for a few seconds just at sunrise or sunset; it happens as a result of refraction of light through the atmosphere. It is more likely to be seen when the weather conditions are right and so we were most fortunate for this.”

“I have never been able to directly observe these planets and now, because I know someone who is knowledgeable in this area and has all the necessary equipment, I am actually able to do this. It fulfills the desire I have had from a young age to be able to make direct observations with my own eyes.”

“I would like to encourage people in Seychelles to take more of an interest in astronomy. Due to relatively low levels of light and air pollution, I’ve been lucky to learn that you can enjoy star gazing, looking at the planets or even distant objects like the Andromeda galaxy, without even leaving the comfort of your own home.”

Compiled by F.P.