Transit of Mercury
May. 7th, 2003 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fluffymarkThis morning Mercury passed in front of the Sun, which doesn't happen very often.The astrologers usually come up with all sorts of waffle about mystical planetary fluxes being extra powerful, leading to prophetic announcements about silly floods and other freak weather, and probably some nonsense about planet energy and the like being strong and leading to 'significant personal events'. Which the more romantic side of me would love to believe was true, but I'm wanting to see a little bit of evidence first.
Carl set up a telescope this morning outside the department, and projected the shadow of Mercury onto a nice large bit of paper. Probably the most fascinating little black dot I've seen in a very long time. With a bit of imagination, I could envisage that teensy weensy dot really being a huge lump of rock moving through the vacuum, passing directly between the Sun and the Earth. The dot crawled along at a leisurely pace across the face of the Sun, looking much like a circular ant on its way to find some food. If I didn't know better, I'd start thinking Mercury was not a planet but a giant ant basking in the glare of the Sun. I think this says a lot about the state of my brain right now.
Anyone else see the Transit? *wonders*
Carl set up a telescope this morning outside the department, and projected the shadow of Mercury onto a nice large bit of paper. Probably the most fascinating little black dot I've seen in a very long time. With a bit of imagination, I could envisage that teensy weensy dot really being a huge lump of rock moving through the vacuum, passing directly between the Sun and the Earth. The dot crawled along at a leisurely pace across the face of the Sun, looking much like a circular ant on its way to find some food. If I didn't know better, I'd start thinking Mercury was not a planet but a giant ant basking in the glare of the Sun. I think this says a lot about the state of my brain right now.
Anyone else see the Transit? *wonders*
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no subject
Date: 2003-05-07 12:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-07 12:45 pm (UTC)A fellow astronomy geek! *wheeeeeee* You are aware I'm doing a PhD in Astronomy about Planets, aren't you?
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Date: 2003-05-07 01:24 pm (UTC)Then of course you know there's a 70% (or something) solar eclipse coming up May 31st? +dies in expectation+
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Date: 2003-05-07 01:52 pm (UTC)Yay the May 31st Solar Eclipse. With it being so far north, the magnitude of the eclipse depends critically on where you are - Greenland would be best, although Norway has it very good, the North of Norway should see 90+% partial eclipse, the South quite a bit less unfortunately. You'll have to be up early to catch it.
In the UK the main problem is the eclipse happens at dawn - the maximum eclipse occurs while the sun still hasn't risen. London will see the partial eclipse fading away just minutes after sunrise. Scotland would be nice - up there is a full annular eclipse - I'm at the wrong end of the country! Still, I'm excited *bounce*. You must go and watch it and tell me what you see from Norway!! :) :) :)
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Date: 2003-05-07 02:05 pm (UTC)I am also at the wrong end of the country :(
And I'm still completely stunned about... you know... your internationally recognised contributions (do you have some links or anything to it?).
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Date: 2003-05-07 02:44 pm (UTC)Boooo for it happening too far north. Grrrrrr. Still, I think theres a much better one in the next year or two coming up - can't remember off hand but maybe I should go and look it up. :)
London is, due to nasty light pollution, probably the worst place in europe to see anything in the heavens. But that won't put me off. If I manage to wake myself at that time - i may peer out of my east facing window and see if i see anything (that close to the horizon theres so much atmospheric absorption it's reasonable safe to attempt a quick direct observation with the naked eye).
It won't be as impressive as 1999. That was good. :)
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Date: 2003-05-09 12:14 pm (UTC)heh.. I can imagine London isn't the best place to be when it comes to that. Well, Oslo isn't perfect either.... +sigh+
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Date: 2003-05-10 03:09 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-05-07 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-07 02:53 pm (UTC)I hope you're not thinking of downloading my papers to read. That would be very scary.
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Date: 2003-05-09 12:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-10 03:11 am (UTC)If for soome inexplicable reason you're still interested in them, i'll have to point out hte files are *huge* and compressed, and so you'll need to find the right program (GZIP) to decompress them. And you'll need a PDF/Postscript reader once you've done that.
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Date: 2003-05-08 02:09 am (UTC)I always feel sorry for poor old Jeremiah Horrocks who proved that Kepler was wrong about the orbit of Venus and predicted that her transit would take place on a certain date in 1731 - but he was a curate and had to be taking a service at the time it was happening so he never got to see it.
Or is that just the history of science version of an urban myth?
*****
Hope life is treating you well - sorry for disappearing a bit - I was just feeling generally reclusive. Particularly sorry about you being mugged and for not saying I was feeling particularly sorry about it closer to the time.
Love,
C
no subject
Date: 2003-05-08 12:15 pm (UTC)Eeep. Sorry to hear you missed the transit :( :(
They're not too uncommon, are transits of Mercury - every few years or so, the next one is in 2006, so it's not a *huge* amount of time to wait. And you're right, theres on of Venus on June 8th 2004 which I'm certainly looking forward to, as its *extra* special, becasue the last one was way back in 1882, so no one currently living has seen a transit of Venus.
I've heard the Horrocks doing the service during the transit story too - but that doesn't make it any more true. It could be true, but I have to admit it sounds very much like an urban myth.
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Date: 2003-05-09 01:56 am (UTC)Like the new picture, by the way.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-10 03:08 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-05-12 01:46 am (UTC)How bizarre that our specialisms seem to converging.
Hurrah!
Date: 2003-05-08 10:15 am (UTC)Joe has kindly let me look at Livejournals today because I have done two exams and am doing lots of revision for my next exam on Tuesday. But he's going to take it away again when he gets home from unicycle hockey. He uses the computer to exert control over me becasue it's the only way he can. The rest of the time he's under the thumb. And standing behind me whilst I write this. Poking me.
Thank you for vanquishing our flying saucers and aliens.
Love
Penny
Re: Hurrah!
Date: 2003-05-08 12:07 pm (UTC)You're too late to catch my Purity test result, i'm afraid - i've ceased making that public. Ha! :)
Good luck with the rest of your exams :) :)