Miss Mercury's Solar Transit Monday? Watch The Video

LOS ANGELES, CA — If you didn’t have a telescope and protective lenses designed for viewing solar events, you may have missed Monday’s rare Transit of Mercury. Fortunately, The Griffith Observatory recorded the little planet’s rare journey and posted it on line.

Mercury’s orbit doesn’t cross between the earth and the sun very often. It won’t happen again until 2032, and it won’t be visible in Los Angeles again until May 7, 2049., according to The Griffith Observatory. Our Solar system’s innermost planet as well as the smallest, it’s transit is a rare treat for star-gazers.

The planet came into view early Monday morning and began crossing in front of the sun just before 6:30 a.m. in Los Angeles. By 10:04 a.m., Mercury's show was over.

It looked very much live a small black speck on the surface of the sun.

According to a statement by The Griffith Observatory, “The silhouette of the planet is only 10 arc-seconds wide (1/194 the sun’s diameter), and therefore Mercury is too small to observe through non-magnifying “eclipse glasses” or via pinhole projection.”

Stargazers won’t have to wait long for another show to get excited about. The Leonid meteor shower will peak in the early morning hours of Monday Monday, Nov. 18.