What is the transit of Mercury? - Royal Museums Greenwich
Nov 11, 2019 · What is a transit of Mercury? A transit occurs when one object in the sky appears to cross the face of another. The transit of Mercury occurs when the planet Mercury crosses directly between the Sun and the Earth, blocking out a small part of the Sun's rays. During the transit, Mercury appears as a tiny black dot moving across the disc of the Sun.
Space & Astronomy Live Streams | Royal Observatory
Transit of Mercury Astronomer Emily Drabek-Maunder tracks the planet Mercury as it passes in front of the face of the Sun. This extremely rare astronomical event won't happen again until 2032.
Airy's Transit Circle and the dawn of the Universal Day
A transit circle is used to make two measurements - the time at which a star crosses the meridian, as it travels from East to West across the sky, and the angle of the star above the horizon. From these measurements an astronomer can calculate the celestial coordinates of the star - its precise position in the sky, relative to other stars.
Planets - Royal Museums Greenwich
The last transit of Mercury took place on 11 November 2019. Find out more about the science behind this extremely rare astronomical event What is a planet in opposition?
Airy Transit Circle Telescope - Royal Museums Greenwich
The transit circle still sits in its original mounting, in the Transit Circle Room at the Royal Observatory. The telescope was recognised by astronomers as an instrument of great accuracy in its day, but its true importance dates from a conference held in Washington DC in 1884 to establish an international time-zone system.
Airy's transit circle - Royal Museums Greenwich
Airy's transit circle Constructing Airy's huge transit circle was a major undertaking. The engineering was carried out by Ransomes & May of Ipswich and Troughton & Sims constructed both the optical parts (including the 206 mm object lens) and the main body, but the instrument was designed almost wholly by Airy himself.
Our Sun 2020 - Royal Museums Greenwich
145 Seconds of Darkness. by Filip Ogorzelski . Runner up "One thing you often notice during an eclipse is how quiet everything becomes.
Interesting facts about Venus - Royal Museums Greenwich
2. Venus is hotter than Mercury – despite being further away from the Sun. Its mean temperature is 462°C. This is because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide in Venus’ atmosphere, which works to produce an intense greenhouse effect.
Planet Venus - Royal Museums Greenwich
The transit of Venus. The transit of Venus is a rare astronomical event, when Venus passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, appearing as a small black dot against the Sun’s face. Transits come in pairs, eight years apart. The most recent were in 2004 and 2012 and the next will occur in 2117.
Planets, Comets and Asteroids 2024 - Royal Museums Greenwich
Jul 6, 2023 · On this rare and wonderful occasion, I was able to capture a dwarf planet, more than a billion times smaller than its galactic counterpart, transit beyond the galaxy’s spiralling arms," says Damon. "The planet Ceres shines brighter than the galaxy and zips across our night sky at an alarming pace.