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Related: About this forumMercury rising: Astronomers gear up for planetary alignment
Mercury rising: Astronomers gear up for planetary alignment
Pascale Mollard, Mariëtte Le Roux
May 8, 2016
Paris (AFP) - Astronomers are preparing for one of the highlights of the skywatchers' year, when the Sun, Mercury and Earth all line up -- a phenomenon that happens just a dozen or so times per century.
Mercury will be seen through telescopes as a black dot inching over the face of our star, providing a celestial spectacle -- weather permitting -- that will last seven and a half hours.
"At the start, Mercury will look as if it is nibbling at the edge of the Sun, and then it will very slowly cross its surface and leave the other side," said Pascal Descamps of the Paris Observatory.
"It's something rare, because it requires the Sun, Mercury and Earth to be in almost perfect alignment."
The smallest recognised planet in the Solar System, Mercury completes an orbit every 88 days, and passes between the Earth and the Sun every 116 days.
More:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mercury-rising-astronomers-gear-planetary-alignment-032838938.html?nhp=1
shenmue
(38,506 posts)emsimon33
(3,128 posts)nitpicker
(7,153 posts)krispos42
(49,445 posts)Cool, but very small. Looked like a sunspot.
Finally had a sunny day here in Connecticut! It's been raining for about 2 weeks now.