Mercury Transit
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Uploaded by KurdstanPlanetarium on Dec 21, 2009
Transit of Planet Mercury across solar disc
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about the axis for every two orbits. The perihelion of Mercury's orbit precesses around the Sun at an excess of 43 arcseconds per century; a phenomenon that was explained in the 20th century by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Mercury is bright when viewed from Earth, ranging from −2.3 to 5.7 in apparent magnitude, but is not easily seen as its greatest angular separation from the Sun is only 28.3°. Since Mercury is normally lost in the glare of the Sun, unless there is a solar eclipse, Mercury can only be viewed in morning or evening twilight.
Orbital characteristics (Epoch J2000)
Aphelion 69,816,900 km (0.466 697 AU)
Perihelion 46,001,200 km (0.307 499 AU)
Semi-major axis 57,909,100 km (0.387 098 AU)
Eccentricity 0.205 630
Orbital period 87.969 1 d
(0.240 846 a)
0.5 Mercury solar day
Synodic period 115.88 d
Average orbital speed 47.87 km/s[3]
Mean anomaly 174.796°
Inclination 7.005° to Ecliptic
3.38° to Suns equator
6.34° to Invariable plane
Longitude of ascending node 48.331°
Argument of perihelion 29.124°
Satellites None
Physical characteristics
Mean radius 2,439.7 ± 1.0 km (0.3829 Earths0
Flattening 0
Surface area 7.48 × 107 km² (0.147 Earths)
Volume 6.083 × 1010 km³ (0.056 Earths)
Mass 3.3022 × 1023 kg (0.055 Earths)
Mean density 5.427 g/cm³
Equatorial surface gravity 3.7 m/s² (0.38 g)
Escape velocity 4.25 km/s
Sidereal rotation
period 58.646 day (1407.5 h)
Equatorial rotation velocity 10.892 km/h (3.026 m/s)
Axial tilt 2.11′ ± 0.1′
North pole right ascension 18 h 44 min 2 s
281.01°
North pole declination 61.45°
Albedo 0.119 (bond)
0.106 (geom.)
Surface temp.
0°N, 0°W
85°N, 0°W min mean max
100 K 340 K 700 K
80 K 200 K 380 K
Apparent magnitude −2.3 to 5.7
Angular diameter 4.5" 13"
Atmosphere
Surface pressure trace
Composition 42% Molecular oxygen
29.0% sodium
22.0% hydrogen
6.0% helium
0.5% potassium
Trace amounts of argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, xenon, krypton, & neon
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@abisspassenger Yeah, agreed.
MisterGurkinz 6 months ago
The one from Sunshine is better.
abisspassenger 6 months ago
What is the name of the music?
xmaribusx 10 months ago