May 9, 2016 – Today Mercury was in transit. That is when the planet passes between Earth and the sun. The silhouette of the little planet was seen crossing in front of the sun and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured the event from space. Our friends at NASA Goddard based locally here in Maryland combined the images together in this time lapse video. You will see multiple views from various spectrums of how NASA studies the sun. See more info below
Notes On Mercury Transit
- This began at 7:21 AM EDT when Mercury will be visible on the edge of the sun
- The midpoint was at 11:20 AM EDT.
- This ended at 2:50 PM EDT when Mercury touches the other edge of the sun.
- Mercury took 7.5 hours for the transit across 864,300 miles of the face of the sun.
- This occurs on average less than once per decade.
- The next Mercury transit will be on 11/11/19, then thirteen years later on 11/13/32.
Music: Encompass by Mark Petrie
For more info on the Mercury transit go to: http://www.nasa.gov/transit
This video is public domain and may be downloaded at:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12235
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Get the award winning Kid Weather App I made with my oldest son and support our love for science, weather, and technology. Our 3 year anniversary of the release and our contribution to STEM education is this November. It has been downloaded in 60 countries, and works in both temperature scales. With your support we can expand on the fun introduction to science and real weather.
Faith in the Flowers- For Save A Limb Fund
Help me support 16 year old Lexi Hack’s fundraiser to give back to the program that is helping fix her legs. See the display at Westminster’s Flower and Jazz Festival Saturday in the Bowman’s Booth. I plan to be there between 2 and 4 PM
These shirts (baseball T comes with red or black sleeves) and eco-friendly Tote Bag come with a bracelet to help raise money for Save A Limb Fund.
