Embedded Files
You've Discovered the Bullis School Solar System! This website accompanies physical markers found on Bullis' campus. Click here to learn more!
Mercury's transit is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs on average about 13 times every 100 years, in May or early November. The phenomenon occurs when Mercury orbits between the Sun and the Earth, and if the three can form a straight line, the phenomenon is similar to a solar eclipse. Unlike solar eclipses, Mercury is farther away from the Earth than the Moon, and its diameter is only 1.9 millionth of the Sun. Therefore, the area of Mercury blocking the Sun is very small when the "Mercury over the Sun" occurs, which is not enough to make the Sun's brightness diminish.
Since the orbits of Mercury and Earth around the sun are not in the same plane, but have an inclination of 7 degrees. The two have only two nodes: the ascending node and the descending node. Therefore, only when Mercury is in the vicinity of these two nodes in its orbit, and the Sun, water, and Earth are exactly in a straight line, a small black spot on the Sun can be observed moving slowly on Earth, a phenomenon called Mercury's transit.
Observation History
Observation History
The first prediction of Mercury's transit in the history of mankind was made by the German astronomer Kepler (1571-1630), the discoverer of the "Three Laws of Planetary Motion". In 1629, he predicted that a rare celestial event, Mercury's transit, would occur on November 7, 1631. Before the invention of the telescope, Mercury's transit could not be viewed. The French astronomer Pierre Garsandi first discovered this phenomenon in 1631, and his observations were subsequently shown to be useful for measuring large distances between the solar systems, including solar-terrestrial distances. During Mercury's transit, we can see Mercury slowly crawling across the Sun's surface like a small black dot. To view Mercury's transit, care must be taken to install solar radiation protection goggles on the telescope or to transmit the observed image to a display, otherwise it can cause serious damage to the eyesight.
Page updated
Report abuse