2008-07-10, 04:01 PM
A transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun. On November 8, 2006, the planet Mercury could be last seen going across the sun. The best place to have observed the transit on that date was in Hawaii.
Transits of Mercury with respect to Earth are much more frequent than transits of Venus, with about 13 or 14 per century, in part because Mercury is closer to the Sun and orbits it more rapidly.
Transits of Mercury can happen in May or November. November transits occur at intervals of 7, 13, or 33 years ; May transits only occur at intervals of 13 or 33 years. The last three transits occurred in 1999, 2003 and 2006 ; the next will occur in 2016.
During a May transit, Mercury is near aphelion and has an angular diameter of 12" ; during a November transit, it is near perihelion and has an angular diameter of 10".
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Transits of Mercury with respect to Earth are much more frequent than transits of Venus, with about 13 or 14 per century, in part because Mercury is closer to the Sun and orbits it more rapidly.
Transits of Mercury can happen in May or November. November transits occur at intervals of 7, 13, or 33 years ; May transits only occur at intervals of 13 or 33 years. The last three transits occurred in 1999, 2003 and 2006 ; the next will occur in 2016.
During a May transit, Mercury is near aphelion and has an angular diameter of 12" ; during a November transit, it is near perihelion and has an angular diameter of 10".
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