DEC 19, 2005 - 2006 Transit of Mercury is NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak (aka Mr. Eclipse) at his tyically indispensable best, analyzing astronomical phenomena thoroughly and clearly. Don't let the astrophysicist thing fool you: Espenak writes for us lay folk, clearly and plainly. In this case, he gives us the specifics on the forthcoming November 8, 2006 transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun; the first Mercury transit since 2003, and the last until 2016. Along the way, you'll learn things like the fact that these transits in our time occur only in May and November; and why the ones in May last longer than those in November. Espenak also does a Saros-style take on the cycles of Mercury transits, in his catalog of all such events from 1601 to 2300 CE. Fred Espenak: planetary treasure! Trying to do astrology without getting a handle on Espenak's work on eclipses and transits is, well, silly.
