Was this transit visible in Columbus?
Where the Transit Was Seen
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Where the 2003 Mercury Transit Was Seen
Regions seeing at least some parts of the transit: Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, Much of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic, Antarctica.
Was this transit visible in Columbus?
Who Could See the Transit
Shades of darkness
Night
Astronomical Twilight (Sun was 12 - 18 degrees below the horizon)
Nautical Twilight (Sun was 6 - 12 degrees below the horizon)
Civil Twilight (Sun was 0 - 6 degrees below the horizon)
Day
Entire transit visible
Parts of transit visible (Sun rose or set during transit)
Transit not visible
When the 2003 Mercury Transit Happened Worldwide — Timeline
Planet transits are normally visible from all locations where the Sun is up. However, because of different viewing angles, the start and end times can vary by a few minutes. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the transit is visible.
| Eclipse Stages Worldwide | UTC Time | Local Time in Columbus* |
|---|---|---|
| First location that saw the partial transit begin | May 7 at 05:10:12 | May 7 at 1:10:12 am |
| Geocentric** partial transit began (ingress, exterior contact) | May 7 at 05:12:46 | May 7 at 1:12:46 am |
| First location that saw the full transit begin | May 7 at 05:14:37 | May 7 at 1:14:37 am |
| Geocentric** full transit began (ingress, interior contact) | May 7 at 05:17:14 | May 7 at 1:17:14 am |
| Mercury was closest to the Sun's center | May 7 at 07:52:24 | May 7 at 3:52:24 am |
| Geocentric** full transit ended (egress, interior contact) | May 7 at 10:27:30 | May 7 at 6:27:30 am |
| Last location that saw full transit end | May 7 at 10:30:07 | May 7 at 6:30:07 am |
| Geocentric** transit ended (egress, exterior contact) | May 7 at 10:31:58 | May 7 at 6:31:58 am |
| Last location that saw partial transit end | May 7 at 10:34:32 | May 7 at 6:34:32 am |
* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. Please note that the local times for Columbus are meant as a guideline in case you want to view the transit via a live webcam. See the actual times the transit is visible in Columbus.
** The geocentric times refer to a theoretical situation where the transit is viewed from the Earth's center. They are used to provide an approximately average time schedule for astronomical events. Because of varying perspectives, observers on the Earth's surface will experience the transit at slightly different times depending on their location.
Geocentric duration of this Mercury Transit is 5 hours, 19 minutes, 12 seconds.
Transits and eclipses visible in Columbus
Previous Mercury Transit was on Nov 15, 1999.