These breathtaking photos capture Mercury's rare transit across the sun

Mercury started its transit in front of the sun shortly after 7 a.m. ET Monday morning, in a trip that happens just 13 times a century. The event will last for at least seven hours and will be visible in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and large parts of Asia. NASA advises against staring at the sun, but you can check out photos and a video of the event below:

Still haven't seen enough? Check out NASA's livestream of the event here.

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