'The heavens in motion': astronomers and public marvel at Mercury transit

As the solar system's smallest planet passes the face of the sun, thousands from across the world gather to gaze at the skies

For once the weather forecasters were wrong about bad news.

The entire staff of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, all the passionate amateur astronomers of the Flamsteed Society, and many anxious members of the public, spent the weekend obsessively refreshing the Met Office weather forecast app - but the threat never changed, the skies over London would have 100% cloud cover, and the best chance of observing the transit of Mercury before 2049 would be lost.