Mercury to pass in front of the sun
Wednesday, 08 Nov 2006 15:18
Mercury (tiny black spot in lower left section) will pass the sun today
Science In Focus
Click here to see how British small businesses are creating innovative, low carbon business ideas, on inthenews.co.uk. Full Story
Astronomers throughout the world are gearing up to watch the planet Mercury passing directly in front of the sun today.
Although it is dangerous to look directly at the sun as the planet will only cover a speck of it, those looking through a proper filter will see a tiny jet black disc slowly crossing the face of the sun.
Beginning at 14:12 EST (19:12 GMT), the transition will last for almost five hours. But European astronomers and space enthusiasts will not be able to see it as the best views will be had from the Americas, Hawaii, Australia and along the Pacific Rim.
The special kind of eclipse occurs 13 times each century and was first discovered by the Frenchman Pierre Gassendi on November 7th 1631. Mercury is next expected to pass between the Earth and the sun on May 9th 2016.
Mercury remains one of the most mysterious planets in our solar system; more than half of it remains unknown to scientists. When it was photographed by the Mariner Ten spacecraft during 1974 and 1975, 46 per cent of the planet's cratered surface was captured.
"The Mercury transit, I think, reminds us that we live in a family of planets that orbit our stars," said Jim Fanson, Kepler deputy project manager.
"This method of seeing a planet transit, that is, pass between us and the sun and cover part of the sun's disc, this is exactly the method that the Kepler mission is going to use to find planets around other stars."
The Kepler mission, scheduled for launch in 2008, will focus on one patch of sky to monitor the brightness of 100,000 stars. Stars dimming in brightness could be the result of planets passing between the Earth and the distant star, just as Mercury is doing this evening.