Post a Comment Print Share on Facebook

Today, the mercury moves past the sun

astronomy fans can look forward to a rare celestial spectacle: Whoever looks on Monday through a telescope with special equipment to the sun, you will see a tin

- 80 reads.

Today, the mercury moves past the sun

astronomy fans can look forward to a rare celestial spectacle: Whoever looks on Monday through a telescope with special equipment to the sun, you will see a tiny black dot on the disc of the sun wander: The sun's closest Planet mercury is exactly between the earth and the sun.

the smallest and most agile Planet in the solar system from the point of view of the earthly observer is passing exactly in front of the big globe of the sun. This sky phenomenon that astronomers mercury passage or the transit of Mercury, was last seen in may 2016. After the upcoming Transit of mercury will be Hiking again in the year 2032, about the huge disk of the sun.

In the case of the observation of this mini-Eclipse of the sun in the biggest caution: the small mercury disc in front of the gleissend bright disk of the sun to see, is a specially equipped telescope is needed. An Eclipse of the sun glasses is not sufficient, because the black Mercury is too tiny.

Never without a special filter

In any case, astronomy fans, and should expire on the thoughts, such as through a binoculars without a special filter to look at the sun – instant blindness could result. Astronomers therefore advise you to follow the event under the guidance of experts.

opportunity to do so, it should wait at one of the numerous star in the Switzerland type: Many show the event with the supervision of experts such as the Swiss astronomical society announced in advance.

Free views of the sun provided, it will be seen, therefore, in our Latitudes, the first half of the mercury passage from early afternoon until sunset. With small deviations depending on the observation location he starts at 13.35 PM Central European time, when mercury reaches almost to the left edge of the sun.

Barely two minutes later, mercury will have the sun to the edge of happens, and then as a small black circle in front of the bright solar disc. In the time that the Planet moves almost exactly on the center of the sun. However, even though mercury is the fastest Planet in the sky, it takes its journey from the Sun to the sun in the middle of nearly three hours: First, at 16.20, mercury has crossed the sun for half.

at this time, the sun tends, however, to the skies over Switzerland to their demise. Against 16:37 it drops below the horizon.

Depending on the location is likely to be watching the spectacle in Switzerland difficult. According to the forecasts of Meteoswiss is on Monday morning, over the flat country of fog or high fog. And in the remaining regions, it is Sunny. In the course of the Afternoon, it is cloudy from the South, increasingly.

rare spectacle

as seen From earth is only a planet can pass in front of the sun, orbiting within the orbit of the sun. And these are only two of the innermost Planet, mercury and Venus, which we know as a bright Morning or evening star.

While Venus transits through the gears considerably less than Mercury. The last passage of Venus in front of the sun was visible in front of just around seven and a half years – the next time it will be again until the year 2117. Mercury passes are 13 to 14 Times per century.

dotted with craters mercury is known, significantly less than, for example, of the Mars. That could change, if the 2018 launched a European-Japanese research mission BepiColombo to reach the sun's nearest planet in 2025.

One of the instruments on Board are a Laser altimeter called the Bela (BepiColombo Laser Altimeter), to create a 3D Image of the surface of mercury. And built, the Instrument was designed under the direction of Nicolas Thomas of the University of Bern. (chk/sda)

Created: 11.11.2019, 02:58 PM

Avatar
Your Name
Post a Comment
Characters Left:
Your comment has been forwarded to the administrator for approval.×
Warning! Will constitute a criminal offense, illegal, threatening, offensive, insulting and swearing, derogatory, defamatory, vulgar, pornographic, indecent, personality rights, damaging or similar nature in the nature of all kinds of financial content, legal, criminal and administrative responsibility for the content of the sender member / members are belong.