Transcript day of flier

Transit of Mercury
November 8, 2006
Transit start: 2:12pm
Sunset:
5:00pm
Transit end: 5:10pm
Last transit on May 7, 2003
Mercury will look
perfectly round and
about the same size as a
small sunspot.
Mercury will appear to
be 1/194 of the Sun’s
diameter. YOU CANNOT
SEE IT WITH YOUR
NAKED EYE! True ratio
of Mercury’s and Sun’s
diameter: 1/286.
path
today
Image copyright Dominique Dierick
Distance from Us
Sun
Close-up of 2003 transit
1 AU
(93,000,000 mi)
Diameter
1.4 x 109 m
(860,000 mi)
Mercury 0.69 AU (today)
(64,000,000 mi)
4.9 x 106 m
(3000 mi)
Earth
1.3 x 107 m
(8000 mi)
You’re standing
on it!
Websites of interest
Image by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

www.transitofvenus.org/mercury.htm

www.exploratorium.edu/transit/

sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
Mercury Facts
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
Rotation period:
Atmosphere:
Average day temp:
Average night temp:
59 d
none
710 K (820o F)
80 K (-320o F)
Orbital period:
88 days
Ave. dist. from Sun: 0.39 AU
(36,000,000 mi)
Image by Mariner 10, NASA
Mercury’s orbit is the most elliptical of all the planets. Today,
Mercury is near perihelion, which means it is closest to the Sun. But,
that makes it farther from us!
Close-up of Mercury’s surface, seen
by Mariner 10. It is completely
covered by craters.
Transit Facts
Transits of Mercury only occur
when the Sun, Mercury, and the
Earth are precisely lined up. Since
Mercury’s orbit is tilted slightly,
these alignments happen rarely.
Transits of Mercury occur
approximately 13 times per century.
Next transit: May 9, 2016.
Last transit:
May 7, 2003.
Image by NASA/JPL/Northwestern U.
www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse