Mercury transit 2019 – Planet passes in front of Sun in rare space event
MERCURY has transited across the Sun in an event that’s only visible from Earth about 13 times a century. The astronomy phenomenon was watched all over the world yesterday on live streams and with modified binoculars and telescopes. Mercury’s transit across the Sun on November 11 was the last time you’ll be able to watch […]
MERCURY has transited across the Sun in an event that’s only visible from Earth about 13 times a century.
The astronomy phenomenon was watched all over the world yesterday on live streams and with modified binoculars and telescopes.
Mercury’s transit across the Sun on November 11 was the last time you’ll be able to watch this happen until 2032.
The planet took around five hours to complete its journey.
Unfortunately, budding astronomers in Australia and eastern/central Asia weren’t able to witness it unless they watched a live stream.
South America and eastern North America got to see the transit entirely, Africa, Europe and the Middle East saw it towards sunset and western North America got a glimpse at sunrise.
In the UK Mercury could be spotted best just before sunset.
In London, the Sun set at around 16:17 GMT but Mercury began its transit at 12:35 and reached the Sun’s centre at around 15:19.
Watching the transit at sunrise or sunset gave photographers a better chance of capturing Mercury’s shadow.
Mercury is so small relative to the Sun so binoculars, a telescope or a long camera lens were needed to see it.
They had to have special solar filters attached because you should never look directly at the Sun.
If you do it can cause permanent eye damage and even instant blindness.
You can buy special solar filter sheets online which you can attach to telescopes, binoculars and cameras.
Always make sure that filters are well attached and will not fall off.
Lots of people also watched the event online via the Virtual Telescope Project and other live streams.
Nasa shared some near-real time images of the event on its social media.
On average, mercury transits the Sun once per decade although it did last transit in 2016.
Mercury facts
Here's what you need to know...
- Mercury is the smallest planet
- Mercury has been known to humanity since ancient times and it is not known who discovered it
- It has no moons or rings
- It is the closest planet to the Sun
- It is the second hottest planet after Venus despite being closer to the Sun
- Mercury has more craters than any other planet
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In other space news, astronomers have spotted a galaxy in the distant universe which appears duplicated on the night sky at least 12 times.
The spaceports for Musk’s Starship rockets that could take you to the Moon or Mars will likely float around 20 miles offshore.
And, the universe is not flat but an inflating ‘closed sphere’ that loops back on itself, according to scientists.
Did you spot Mercury on its transit? Let us know in the comments…
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