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| At 9:30am Mercury can be seen in the upper right quadrant of the sun. There is an isolated sunspot towards the centre, with a group of two at the bottom right edge. | An hour later, the movement of the planet's tiny disc across the sun's face is very evident. |
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| Just past 11 o'clock, and the end of the transit is in sight. | A composite of six images shows Mercury's track as the transit proceeds. |
 | Close-ups show that Mercury's disc is truly black and circular: compare it with the grey'ish oval sunspot to the left. Also note how the edge of the sun is less bright than towards the centre - this is because we are looking through a smaller depth of glowing gas. | |
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| With just 10mins to go, the planet gets closer and closer to the sun's limb. | Approaching third contact - Mercury's disc is almost touching the edge of the sun. |
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| The sun's limb cuts the planet in two. | Only a minute left, and Mercury's shadow leaves just a notch in the sun's edge. |
 | That's all folks! Fourth contact, as Mercury leaves the face of the sun. Next opportunity is 9th May 2016 - don't miss it! |
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