{"id":801204,"date":"2019-11-10T13:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T20:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=374231"},"modified":"2019-11-10T13:00:26","modified_gmt":"2019-11-10T20:00:26","slug":"thinking-outside-the-classroom-the-transit-of-mercury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/thinking-outside-the-classroom-the-transit-of-mercury\/","title":{"rendered":"Thinking Outside the Classroom: The transit of Mercury"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Earth\u2019s orbit around the sun is what gives us our four seasons, some longer than others. It\u2019s also what gives us an ever-changing night- and daytime sky. At Keystone Science School, we often use the ever-changing night sky to teach about Earth and space science. We don\u2019t just teach facts about the night sky but encourage our students to be curious learners. We want each student to look up and wonder. The night sky can be enjoyed with high powered telescopes, simple tools such as a pair of binoculars or even the naked eye.<\/p>\n

Astronomical events are often thought to be enjoyed at night, but that\u2019s not always the case. The rising and setting sun is an awe inspiring astronomical event, but there are other events that are viewable during the day. One such event, the transit of Mercury, can be viewed from 6:43-11:02 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11.<\/p>\n

What is the transit of Mercury?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every so often, a planet (or a moon of a planet) lines up in a way that blocks out part of the sun\u2019s rays from reaching Earth. This is called a transit. A planetary transit happens when one planet crosses the face of its star and aligns with another planet as it passes through an orbital intersection. For us here on Earth, our solar system\u2019s two innermost planets \u2014 Mercury and Venus, which reside between us and the sun \u2014 are planets we can see transit the sun. If you lived on one of our outer planets, (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune), you could see a transit of Earth across the sun.<\/p>\n

Transits of Mercury happen at regular intervals about 13 times a century. Currently, those alignments occur only within a few days of May 8 and Nov. 10. The May transit is when Mercury is farthest from the sun, known as aphelion, and the November transit is when it is closest to the sun, known as perihelion. The transits of Mercury are gradually shifting to later in the year. Centuries ago, Mercury\u2019s transits were in April and October, but the opportunity to see a transit of Mercury will always be six months apart. The November transit is important and special as it is the last one visible from the Americas until 2032.<\/p>\n

How to view the transit of Mercury<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing to know is that you should never look directly at the sun with the naked eye. You should only attempt to view the transit using special solar filters on glasses, telescopes or binoculars. Attempting to view the transit without proper filters can cause permanent vision damage.<\/p>\n

If you still have the eclipse glasses you used in August 2017, give them a try. It\u2019s doable, but realize that without magnification, Mercury is going to be quite small and hard to see. A white light filter is the cheapest option to turn your existing telescope into a solar telescope. If you want to get more sophisticated, hydrogen-alpha telescopes are made for solar observing. Those telescopes excel at viewing the chromosphere, solar flares, prominences and transits.<\/p>\n