On May 9th, 2016 the planet Mercury will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun. Because of the inclined orbits of Mercury and Earth, this event does not happen very often. The transit is in progress at sunrise (about 5:30 AM) and is over at 11:42AM MST.
The Patterson Observatory will be open at 7AM to allow members of the Huachuca Astronomy Club and visitors to view the transit safely through specially designed solar telescopes.
The event is weather dependent, but is free and open to the public.
The Patterson Observatory is located on the University of Arizona South campus, 1140 N. Colombo Ave., Sierra Vista, AZ. Signs will be placed at the intersection of Charleston Rd and Colombo Ave., and along the route, to direct visitors to the observatory.