Key Points
The event was a rare transit of Mercury acros the star in our Solar System...
The event was captured on May 9, 2016...
Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system and closest to the Sun, is seen in the image as a tiny, well-defined speck against the overwhelming brightness of the star at the center of our solar system...
This astronomical alignment allowed observers on Earth to witness the event with the aid of telescopes and proper solar filters to protect their eyes from the intense sunlight...
Such transits have been used by astronomers to measure the size of our solar system and refine the orbital mechanics of planets..
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