Scores of people thronged the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium on Monday to witness the ‘Transit of Mercury’, a rare celestial spectacle when Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun.
The astronomical event began at 4.43 pm and was witnessed until sunset through several viewing facilities installed at the planetarium. Mercury was spotted as a small black dot with the Sun in the background.
Many were, however, confused as a spot on the Sun also appeared similar. This, however, was later clarified by the staff.
Many had to wait to witness the event as a building under construction near the planetarium blocked the view. The transit could be viewed with the help of telescopes and sunspotter.
Ahead of the Transit of Mercury, a series of workshops were also conducted. The last time Bengaluru witnessed the event was in 2003, according to the director of the planetarium, B S Shylaja.
Live telecast of the transit from four places – Pune, Mumbai, Srinagar and Udaipur – was displayed at the planetarium. These arrangements were made as the city had witnessed rains for the last few days.