Stay tuned in to our local news coverage: Listen to 90.7 WMFE on your FM or HD radio, the WMFE mobile app or your smart speaker — say “Alexa, play NPR” and you’ll be connected.

There’s a rare event happening in our solar system Monday, and residents of central Florida have the chance to observe it from here on Earth.

It’s called the Mercury Transit. That’s when Mercury crosses in front of the sun.

Celestial events like this only happen a dozen times a century and it’s not always visible during the day.

That’s why Seminole State College’s Planetarium Director Derek Demeter is hosting a viewing party at the college. Demeter says conditions are just right to catch a look at this transit.

“If you miss this one,” says Demeter, “you’re going to have to wait another ten years to see another.”

Anyone can view the Mercury transit from Seminole State College’s main campus Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.