Scientists at Aberystwyth University are to set up telescopes on the promenade next week to give people a glimpse of a rare astral event.

The Department of Physics at Aberystwyth University is holding a public event to mark the rare transit of the planet Mercury across the front of the Sun on Monday, 11 November.

Such an alignment only happens around 13 times every century and it will be 2032 before the next occurrence takes place.

As Mercury is the smallest planet, the transit can only be viewed from Earth using special telescopes fitted with proper solar filters.

Staff and postgraduate students from the Department of Physics will be setting up four telescopes equipped with solar and hydrogen alpha filtering outside the Old College on the seafront at Aberystwyth.

The telescopes will allow observers not only to view the slow transit of Mercury across the solar disk but also to see the atmosphere of the Sun – as long as the weather is clear.

In case of cloud cover, screens will be set up inside the Old College showing a live stream from other countries of Mercury’s transit from 12.30pm until 4.30pm.

Solar researcher and PhD student Gabriel Muro said: “By organising this public event, we want to give students, school pupils and other members of the local community the opportunity to safely view this rare solar event for themselves, using the correct equipment."

During the event at the Old College, staff from the Department of Physics will also deliver a series of short talks relating to Mercury, the Sun, and planetary transits

Entry is free and all are welcome.

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition tomorrow