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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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
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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.
Re:
Date: 2003-05-09 01:56 am (UTC)Like the new picture, by the way.
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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.