ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Transit of Mercury

Okay kiddo, let me explain what the transit of mercury means. So, you know how we have the planets in our solar system like Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter? Well, we also have a small planet called Mercury, which is the closest planet to the sun.

Now, sometimes, when Mercury moves around the sun, it comes between the sun and the Earth. This means that from the Earth, we can see Mercury as a small black dot moving across the sun. This is called the transit of Mercury.

It's like when you try to look at something through a window, and sometimes, you can see people or things passing by on the other side. It's the same with the transit of Mercury. We can see Mercury as it passes by the sun from our vantage point here on Earth.

This is a rare event that only happens every few years or decades, and it's an exciting thing for astronomers and space enthusiasts because it lets them study Mercury and the sun better. So, when this happens, we can all get excited and watch the transit of Mercury together!