Watch the transit of Mercury across the sun at Batavia library May 9

The planet Mercury is expected to transit the Sun between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, May 9. Batavia resident Tim Renaud is offering local residents the opportunity to witness this rare event.

At 7:30 a.m., Renaud plans to set up his 8-inch reflector telescope on the sidewalk in front of the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

He expects to see Mercury appear as a perfectly round black dot moving from left to right in a descending line across the sun - which will appear as a white disk through his telescope.

Anyone stopping by between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. can use Renaud's telescope to witness the celestial event.

"People can expect to see a few dark sun spots as they look for Mercury. The spots will not be moving and will not be round like Mercury," explained Renaud. "And of course, witnessing the transit depends on the weather. If it's raining or cloudy, then we won't see Mercury or the Sun."

Renaud is a retired civil engineer who grew up in Batavia and returned in 1995 after a long career in Baltimore.

He has taken a number of continuing education classes at Waubonsee Community College, including several astronomy classes, which motivated him to purchase his telescope. He's had fun watching the sky for 10 years.

Children, teens, and adults are welcome to stop by the library parking lot to view Mercury's 2016 transit across the Sun. The next two Mercury transits will take place Nov. 11, 2019, and Nov. 13, 2032.