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Lake Afton Public Observatory is offering three special events later this month, including a viewing of Mercury passing by the sun and an early morning meteor shower.

It will only take about an hour Monday, Nov. 15, for the small planet of Mercury to graze the sun’s disk.

"Mercury is small and the sun is pretty large, so you won’t notice anything unless you are looking for it," says LAPO staff member Scott Kardel. But remember staring into the sun is dangerous, he warns.

To see the rare event through a proper solar-filtered telescope, head to LAPO between 3-4:30 p.m. Mercury’s passing in front of the sun can be seen between 3:11-4:10 p.m. in the Wichita area.

Later that week is the expected peak of the Leonid meteor shower, which can be most impressive every 33 years or so. While experts are predicting the best show will be seen from Europe, meteor showers can be somewhat unpredictable. To catch the shower over the Wichita-area skies, visit the observatory far away from city lights from 1:30-3:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 18.

If you’d rather view astronomical events on your own but don’t have the right equipment, check out a special workshop on how to buy a telescope from 7:30-10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20.

Admission for each of the events is $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12 and free to kids ages 1-5.

The observatory is run by WSU’s Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education.