--- title: Transit of Mercury: See a Haunting Photo description: For the first time in 10 years, almost anyone on Earth could see Mercury transit across the Sun. canonical: https://time.com/4323236/mercury-transit-sun-photo/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-09T18:25:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:07:03.377Z article:section: Science og:title: This Photo of Mercury in Transit Across the Sun Is Haunting og:description: The rare event occurs only about 13 times each century og:url: https://time.com/4323236/mercury-transit-sun-photo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8398d46cadb059c9/69889275428a9e3a12cd28db/mercury-in-transit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Mercury Solar Transit og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Photo of Mercury in Transit Across the Sun Is Haunting twitter:description: The rare event occurs only about 13 times each century twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8398d46cadb059c9/69889275428a9e3a12cd28db/mercury-in-transit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Photo of Mercury in Transit Across the Sun Is Haunting > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) and [Olivier Laurent](https://time.com/author/olivier-laurent/) May 9, 2016 6:25 PM UTC  The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, lower left, as it transits across the face of the sun in this photo taken from NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC., May 9, 2016. The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, lower left, as it transits across the face of the sun in this photo taken from NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC., May 9, 2016. Joel Kowsky—NASA by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) and [Olivier Laurent](https://time.com/author/olivier-laurent/) May 9, 2016 6:25 PM UTC It’s the smallest planet in our Solar System, [but also the fastest](http://time.com/4322641/mercury-transit-sun/), with an orbit of just 88 Earth days. And while 48 million miles separates us from Mercury, on Monday, for the first time in 10 years, anyone on Earth (apart from the unlucky ones in Australia and New Zealand) could see the planet [transit](http://time.com/4315228/mercury-transit-sun-watch-live-stream-online) across the Sun. The rare cosmic event has captivated many, including photographers who looked for ways to capture the tiny black spot as it made its way across the Sun. Joel Kowsky of NASA was one of them. 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