2016 Mercury Transit in 4K
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- Visualizations by:
- Tom Bridgman
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- Edited by:
- Genna Duberstein
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- Produced by:
- Genna Duberstein
- View full credits
The 2016 Mercury transit occurred on May 9th, between about 7:12 a.m. and 2:42 p.m. EDT.
The images in this video are from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO.
Transits provide a great opportunity to study the way planets and stars move in space– information that has been used throughout the ages to better understand the solar system and which still helps scientists today calibrate their instruments.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Data visualizer
- Tom Bridgman (GST) [Lead]
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Editor
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET) [Lead]
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Producer
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET) [Lead]
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related pages
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ID: 13420 Produced Video
Watch Mercury Glide Across the Sun in Near Real Time
Read moreQuick link for B-ROLL for Mercury transit interviews.Quick link for AUDIO interview with Dr. Padi Boyd.Quick link for canned interview with Dr. Padi Boyd.Quick link for canned interview with Dr. Alex Young looking off camera. Just in! Mercury begins it's TRANSIT here on Monday, Nov. 11!! Quick link to canned interview in Spanish with NASA Scientst Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla.Click here to watch the Solar Dynamics Observatory's view of the transit. || Watch Mercury Glide Across the Sun on Nov. 11Talk Live with a NASA Scientist During Rare Astronomical Event: Want to catch a glimpse of Mercury? Don’t look too close, but on November 11, our solar system's smallest planet will appear as a small black dot gliding across the face of the Sun. During this rare astronomical event, called a transit, Mercury’s orbit passes directly between Earth and the Sun, similar to a solar eclipse. These events only occur about 13 times per century! In fact, the next transit won’t take place until 2032. Chat with a NASA scientist between 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 11 to learn more about the safest ways to view Mercury’s journey across the Sun, and how events like this help scientists search for planets orbiting around distant stars. It’s never safe to look directly at the Sun, whether with the naked eye or with a telescope, but NASA will offer stunning, high-definition views of the Mercury transit in near real time, courtesy of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Mercury will begin crossing onto the Sun at around 7:36 a.m. EST before exiting the solar disk at around 1:04 p.m. EST. suggested questions1. An amazing phenomenon is happening today that won’t happen for another 13 years — Mercury is passing in front of the Sun! What exactly is going on? 2. NASA uses events like this one to find planets around other stars. How does that work?3. We’ve always been told not to look directly at the sun. So how can our viewers see today’s event? 4. What do transits and eclipses teach us about our own solar system? 5. Will humans ever get to see the Earth transit across the sun? 6. Where can we learn more about stars and planets? satellite coordinatesInterview Location: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD HD Satellite Coordinates for G17-K17/Upper:Galaxy 17 Ku-band Xp 17 Slot Upper | 91.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12049.0 MHz | Horizontal Polarity | QPSK/DVB-S | FEC 3/4 | SR 13.235 Mbps | DR 18.2954 MHz | HD 720p | Format MPEG2 | Chroma Level 4:2:0 | Audio Embedded ** Contact michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov or 301-286-0918 if you have any questions. ||
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ID: 12235 Produced Video
2016 Mercury Transit Timelapse
Read moreComplete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Music: Encompass by Mark Petrie || Around 13 times per century, Mercury passes between Earth and the sun in a rare astronomical event known as a planetary transit. Mercury orbits in a plane that is tilted from Earth’s orbit, moving above or below our line of sight to the sun.The 2016 Mercury transit occurred on May 9th, between about 7:12 a.m. and 2:42 p.m. EDT. The images in this video are from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO. Transits provide a great opportunity to study the way planets and stars move in space– information that has been used throughout the ages to better understand the solar system and which still helps scientists today calibrate their instruments. ||
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ID: 12232 Produced Video
Mercury Transit Live Shots May 9, 2016
Read moreNASA will broadcast a stunning view of Mercury on May 9 as it journeys across the sun. The event, known as a transit, occurs when Mercury passes directly between Earth and the sun. This rare phenomenon will cause Mercury to look like a black dot gliding across the sun’s face. Mercury’s last transit was in 2006, and it won’t happen again until 2019!Starting at 7:12 a.m. EDT, Mercury will spend more than seven hours travelling across the sun. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory will take the first near real time, ultra-high definition images ever for this event. This is also an opportunity for NASA scientists to fine tune the spacecraft’s cameras, using a method that can only be done during a transit. NASA scientists are available Monday, May 9 from 6:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EDT to show your viewers amazing images of this event as it unfolds. Scientists will also share why transits are important, and how they’re being used to learn more about planets in our solar system—and beyond. Scientists have been using transits for hundreds of years to study the planets in our solar system. When a planet crosses in front of the sun, it causes the sun’s brightness to dim. Scientists can measure similar brightness dips from other stars to find planets orbiting them, and can calculate their sizes, how far away the planets are from their stars, and even get hints of what they’re made of. Upcoming NASA missions will watch for transits outside our solar system in order to find new planets, including some that could resemble Earth.****To book a window***Contact Claire Saravia – claire.g.desaravia@nasa.govSuggested questions: 1.Mercury is trekking across the sun today for the first time in 10 years. How can we see this transit?2.Why are transits so important to astronomers? 3.Why does NASA watch the sun?4.NASA is using the transit method to study planets beyond our solar system. What do we expect to learn from future missions doing this? 5.Where can we learn more? HD Satellite Coordinates for AMC9-K17: AMC-9 Ku-band Xp 17 Slot AB| 83.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12045.8 MHz | Horizontal Polarity | QPSK/DVB-S | FEC 3/4 | SR 13.235 Mbps | DR 18.2954 MHz | HD 720p | Format MPEG2 | Chroma Level 4:2:0 | Audio EmbeddedMercury Transit Gallery Page ||
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ID: 4461 Visualization
Mercury Transit 2016 from SDO/HMI
Read moreFull-Disk imagery sampled at 3 second cadence. || Mercury transit, from May 9, 2016, as seen by the HMI telescope on Solar Dynamics Observatory. ||
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ID: 4462 Visualization
Mercury Transit 2016 from SDO/AIA at 171 Ångstroms
Read moreComposited full-disk imagery sampled at 12 second intervals. || Mercury transit, from May 9, 2016, as seen by the AIA telescope with 171 Ångstrom filter on Solar Dynamics Observatory.This is a composited product, producing a full disk 4Kx4K view by combining the image subsets taken at 12 second cadence with full-disk images taken about every 90 seconds. It is generated for esthetics use and it not suitable for scientific analysis. ||
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ID: 4463 Visualization
Mercury Transit 2016 from SDO/AIA at 304 Ångstroms
Read moreComposited full-disk imagery sampled at 12 second intervals. || Mercury transit, from May 9, 2016, as seen by the AIA telescope with 304 Ångstrom filter on Solar Dynamics Observatory.This is a composited product, producing a full disk 4Kx4K view by combining the image subsets taken at 12 second cadence with full-disk images taken about every 90 seconds. It is generated for esthetics use and it not suitable for scientific analysis. ||
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