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Transit of Mercury
http://livestream.com/SkyandTelescope/Mercury ^

Posted on 05/09/2016 6:54:12 AM PDT by Western Phil

If you enjoy watching paint dry, you may enjoy the Transit of Mercury taking place right now. It is cloudy here, so we can't see it directly.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: astronomy; mercury; mercuryintransit; science; transit
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1 posted on 05/09/2016 6:54:12 AM PDT by Western Phil
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To: Western Phil

Be careful with your eyes though!

It’s too small to be seen using a pinhole device.


2 posted on 05/09/2016 6:55:54 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: Western Phil

wheres here?


3 posted on 05/09/2016 6:55:56 AM PDT by CGASMIA68
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To: CGASMIA68

http://livestream.com/SkyandTelescope/Mercury

From 6 am to 2 pm central daylight time.


4 posted on 05/09/2016 6:59:24 AM PDT by Western Phil
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To: BenLurkin

Pictures or it didn’t happen...


5 posted on 05/09/2016 7:00:49 AM PDT by null and void ("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
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To: Western Phil

I’ve been hearing about this situation...any information on what it’s about?


6 posted on 05/09/2016 7:01:34 AM PDT by HarleyLady27 ('THE FORCE AWAKENS!!!' Trump; Trump; Trump; Trump; 100%)
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To: HarleyLady27

It’s a large shipment of mercury containing compact florescent light bulbs.


7 posted on 05/09/2016 7:05:39 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: Western Phil

When I go on this site it’s just a black square.?


8 posted on 05/09/2016 7:05:51 AM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: HarleyLady27

Mercury in now between the earth and the sun. It is so far away and the sun is so much larger so that Mercury appears as a round black dot in the face of the sun. It is sort of like an annular eclipse.


9 posted on 05/09/2016 7:06:11 AM PDT by Western Phil
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To: Western Phil

I thought it seemed a little dark today.


10 posted on 05/09/2016 7:08:05 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Western Phil

Watching paint dry is pretty neat.

Sixty Symbols Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW5wB8rJ8Zc


11 posted on 05/09/2016 7:08:14 AM PDT by ecomcon
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To: Beowulf9

Its not much different if you can get it to work. Its a white square with a black dot.


12 posted on 05/09/2016 7:12:18 AM PDT by Western Phil
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To: HarleyLady27

Basically, it means that Mercury is passing directly between the sun and the earth, so if one can safely look at the sun’s disk, one can see a tiny black dot (Mercury) passing across the sun. Transits of Mercury are rare, a dozen or so per century. Transits of Venus are much rarer, twice every 120 years or so. If you missed the last one you’ll have to wait another 100 years for the next one.


13 posted on 05/09/2016 7:12:28 AM PDT by hanamizu
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To: Western Phil
"There's a little black spot on the sun today..."

~Sting

14 posted on 05/09/2016 7:13:05 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.)
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To: hanamizu

It’s so cloudy here...so I guess I’ll have to rely on photos when they come out...amazing things are happening...


15 posted on 05/09/2016 7:17:14 AM PDT by HarleyLady27 ('THE FORCE AWAKENS!!!' Trump; Trump; Trump; Trump; 100%)
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To: Western Phil

And now everyone who dropped $400+ on a solar telescope finally feels validated ;)

(Jealous? Me? Nah, why would you think that?)


16 posted on 05/09/2016 7:18:02 AM PDT by Little Pig
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To: Western Phil

Lol.

I did go out and think I could look at the sun itself and see Mercury just fleetingly.

Well, the sun is a fiery ball and is so bright I could not see anything for a few minutes..

Pretty dumb of me.


17 posted on 05/09/2016 7:22:50 AM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: Western Phil

Here is another site via Space.com:

http://live.slooh.com/stadium/live/transit-of-mercury-2016


18 posted on 05/09/2016 7:27:01 AM PDT by Biggirl ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
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To: Little Pig

I remember getting up early for the one in May 1970 and dragging my regular telescope to a large open field to watch — I just projected the image from the eyepiece onto a a small but sturdy piece of white poster board, no special telescope required.


19 posted on 05/09/2016 7:44:06 AM PDT by King of Florida (A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them.)
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To: Western Phil

Meanwhile, astronomers on Mercury are watching their planet’s shadow as it races across the surface of the earth (whatever they call the third planet from the sun). Of course only visible with a telescope from Mercury.


20 posted on 05/09/2016 7:51:06 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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