Pending clear skies, the North Kitsap High School Astronomy Club invites the public to witness an astronomical event on Monday, Nov. 11, at the Tech building on Hostmark near Poulsbo Middle School.

Starting at 8:30 a.m. and going until 10 a.m., a transit of Mercury will begin, meaning the planet will appear as a small, black dot crossing the face of the sun as it rises.

The event will be viewable through two telescopes with solar filters. One of the telescopes was made by ninth-graders at Kingston Junior High School in 2003 as part of a class project.

John Goar teaches physical science to freshmen students at North Kitsap High School and also serves as an advisor for the Astronomy Club. According to Goar, Mercury — a relatively difficult celestial body to observe from Earth — will make its next transit in 2032.

In 2016 Goar was recognized by the National Park Service for his volunteer work at the Olympic National Park. Since 2010, on clear, summer nights, Goar has offered visitors the opportunity to gaze upon the clear night skies using tripod-mounted binoculars and telescopes.

Goar estimated that he has offered some 10,000 pairs of eyes the opportunity star gaze since he first began volunteering. For his efforts, Goar was given the George and Helen Hartzog Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.