The Mercury Transit of 2019: The Best Photos from Twitter, Instagram and More

Hey, space fans! The Mercury transit of 2019 is finally upon us and after months of waiting, it's time for the skywatching event of the year. This rare event won't occur again until 2032!

Watch it LIVE on Space.com!

Today, for 5.5 hours, the planet Mercury will cross the face of the sun as seen from Earth in what scientists call a transit. The event begins at 7:34 a.m. EST (1534 GMT) and will end at 1:04 p.m. EDT (1804 GMT).

You can watch the entire event from start to finish at Space.com, courtesy of Slooh.com, and we'll be showcasing the best images from social media below. So scroll down and enjoy the amazing photos of the 2019 transit of Mercury. We'll be updating this throughout the transit, so check back for more!

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Transit of MercuryJust taken in CoventryUsing white light filter, with Canon 1DXii@VirtualAstro @peoplesastro @live_coventry @CanonUKandIE #MercuryTransit #Coventry #Astronomy pic.twitter.com/5cGro5MRC4November 11, 2019

The @mpicbg astro club set up some telescopes 🔭 for everyone to watch today’s #MercuryTransit from the roof. Exciting! ☀️ ✨ pic.twitter.com/X84G2LnmhcNovember 11, 2019

Look at little Mercury go! #MercuryTransit pic.twitter.com/GuV35X1NYHNovember 11, 2019

The #MercuryTransit has started #mercurytransit2019 #space pic.twitter.com/b88zqGYDV9November 11, 2019

Here's our culinary take on today's #MercuryTransit. To see the real thing (and the waffle version), come join us at #MPSGoettingen and at the North Campus of @UniGoettingen! #mercurytransit2019 pic.twitter.com/1Ceh9efUQwNovember 11, 2019

.Good Morning Everyone! The Mercury Transit is starting soon! Visit https://t.co/9BNXpUjUX5 to watch the event live streamed from @cerrotololo in Chile! Transit start: 7:35 am EST.#NSFfunded #NSFscience #MercuryTransit2019 #MercuryTransit pic.twitter.com/u5eBG1qGbkNovember 11, 2019

#mercurytransit2019 #MercuryTransit at the Open University today pic.twitter.com/zUJfFkTC71November 11, 2019

Editor's note: Visit Space.com on Monday to see live webcast views of the rare Mercury transit from Earth and space, and for complete coverage of the celestial event. If you SAFELY capture a photo of the transit of Mercury and would like to share it with Space.com and our news partners for a story or gallery, you can send images and comments in to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years' experience as a science journalist based in New York City. She joined Space.com in July 2018, with previous writing published in outlets including Newsweek and Audubon. Meghan earned an MA in science journalism from New York University and a BA in classics from Georgetown University, and in her free time she enjoys reading and visiting museums. Follow her on Twitter at @meghanbartels.