Star Gazer 2006 Oct 23-29

"The Biggest Planet Dazzles and the Smallest Planet Takes a Journey Across the Face of the Sun"

Scheduled air date: 2006 Oct 23-29

The giant planet Jupiter and tiny planet Mercury may be seen low in the western sky shortly after sunset this week.
(Shown about 30 minutes after sunset late this week for mid-northern latitudes.)

Sun Warning!

NEVER attempt to observe the Sun through your telescope! Without a specially designed solar filter, viewing the Sun – for even a fraction of a second – will cause instant, irreversible eye damage. When observing during the day, do not point the telescope near the Sun. Children should never use a telescope during the daytime without strict adult supervision.

In a couple of weeks, Mercury—the closest planet to the Sun—will present a rare sight as it passes in front of, or "transits," the Sun. Weather permitting, this event will be visible from all parts of the United States, though the Sun will set for some areas before the transit has finished.

The table below lists the approximate start and finish times of this event for various time zones in the United States and Canada. A time in parentheses indicates that the Sun sets before the transit has finished for some or all regions in that time zone.

	HST	AKST	PST	MST	CST	EST	AST
Start	9:20AM	10:20AM	11:20AM	12:20PM	1:20PM	2:20PM	3:20PM
Finish	2:04PM	3:04PM	4:04PM	(5:04PM)	(6:04PM)	(7:04PM)	(8:04PM)

If you wish to view illustrations for other episodes, please see our Star Gazer Illustrated directory.