1 – 12 November  2019

This year almost exactly 250 years to the day after Charles Green, an astronomer who arrived in Aotearoa on Captain Cook’s first voyage pointed his telescope skywards to observe a rare transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun, the innermost planet in our solar system will once again cross the bright solar disk as seen from Aotearoa.

A partnership of cultural and scientific organisations across New Zealand are taking part in “Te Mahutatanga o Takero, Mercury rising” a week-long, nationally coordinated, programme of inspirational science activities which will utilise a rare transit of Mercury across the sun that fortuitously coincides with the timing of Cook’s observation of the very same phenomenon 250 years (& 2 days) earlier.

For more information visit the Mercury Rising website:

https://www.mercuryrisingproject.com/