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General Introduction To the Year 2006

2006 is granting us with a transit of Mercury. Such an event is rare. There are about 13 Mercury transits each century only, as the next one will occur in 10 years only. It's unluckily centered on the Pacific Ocean and most lands, either side, will have the show partially only. A fine total solar eclipse is running through Africa, Turkey and Kazakstan in March, as two interesting lunar eclipses are occurring in 2006. Venus is mostly a morning star, as Mars is reaching its conjunction on October 23rd, and as Saturn is providing fine vistas by hovering about M44, Praesepe, the Beehive until the first weeks of July. It might that 2006, on another hand, be the year of 11-year solar cycle's minimum or it might occur in 2007 (more at our page "Last Sun"). 2006, at last, is seeing New Horizons, the NASA's mission to Pluto, launching as soon as in January, as the MRO is reaching Mars by March, performing aerobraking maneuvers until November