Mercury against the sun – a rare astronomical phenomenon. Transit of Mercury [LIVE, HOW TO WATCH] – Newspaper Wroclaw

Mercury przemknie the Sun 9 May 2016. It is today. “Przemknie” will take over 7 hours, and his observation just ordinary binoculars. The so-called. Transition of Mercury begins in the chair. 13.11. Within 3 minutes the entire planet Mercury will be in the background of the sun. It will be seen in this position for hours. 20.42.

– how does it work?

Between the Earth and the Sun are only two planets – Mercury and Venus. For this reason, they can only be found on the Earth-Sun line. Transit of Mercury is always present in the vicinity of 8-10 May and November 10-12. It happens once every few years, and it is not always visible in Poland. He was most recently seen in our country in 2003. Today, another opportunity and another in 2019 and 2032 years. In contrast, the next transit of Venus probably not live to see. It will take place only in 2117 years!

The planet Mercury will pass today on the background of the solar disk. Transit of Mercury will be seen in Poland for several hours.

transition Mercury will begin at. 13:11 Polish time. Then the planet “contacts” with the edge of the solar disk, and after a few minutes already in full will be on the background of the solar disk. Maximum transit will be in the chair. 16.56, and Mercury will leave the solar disc of 20.41. Same tip of transit can not be seen from the Polish, because the sun has time to become a little earlier.

The observation of Mercury and the Sun just ordinary binoculars. You have to Mercury – the smallest planet in the solar system – to spot on the big board of the sun. Warning – do not look through the binoculars directly at the sun. We direct the binoculars directly at the sun, and before the eyepiece give a plain white card. On a sheet we should see the Mercury. The same applies to the telescope.

The telescope or binoculars can be equipped with special filter and then look through the equipment to the sun. On the Internet, the transit of Mercury on board background Solar – a small solar eclipse – will be seen on the internet, among others, thanks to the Copernicus Science Centre on a special YouTube channel:



MERCURY ON THE BACKGROUND OF THE SUN 2016 – LIVE – SEE THE SUN MERCURY IN THE BACKGROUND