1. Transit of Mercury November 8, 2006 path today
Transit start: 2:12pm
Sunset: 5:00pm
Transit end: 5:10pm
Mercury will look perfectly round and about the same size as a small sunspot.
Last transit on May 7, 2003
end
Mercury will appear to be 1/194 of the Sun’s
diameter. YOU CANNOT
SEE IT WITH YOUR NAKED EYE! True ratio of Mercury’s and Sun’s diameter: 1/286.
path
today
start
Image copyright Dominique Dierick
Distance from Us Diameter
Sun 1 AU x 109 m
(93,000,000 mi) (860,000 mi)
Mercury 0.69 AU (today) 4.9 x 106 m
(64,000,000 mi) (3000 mi)
Earth You’re standing 1.3 x 107 m
on it! (8000 mi)
Close-up of 2003 transit
Websites of interest
sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
Image by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

2. Image by NASA/JPL/Northwestern U.
Mercury Facts
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
Rotation period: 59 d
Atmosphere: none
Average day temp: 710 K (820o F)
Average night temp: 80 K (-320o F)
Orbital period: 88 days
Ave. dist. from Sun: 0.39 AU
(36,000,000 mi)
Mercury’s orbit is the most elliptical of all the planets. Today, Mercury is near perihelion, which means it is closest to the Sun. But, that makes it farther from us!
Image by Mariner 10, NASA
Transit Facts
Close-up of Mercury’s surface, seen by Mariner 10. It is completely covered by craters.
Transits of Mercury only occur
when the Sun, Mercury, and the
Earth are precisely lined up. Since Mercury’s orbit is tilted slightly, these alignments happen rarely.
Transits of Mercury occur
approximately 13 times per century.
Next transit: May 9, 2016.
Last transit: May 7, 2003.
Image by NASA/JPL/Northwestern U.