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troutman · 11-08-2006, 02:43 PM

Don't stare at the sun!

http://www.planetary.org/news/2006/1...vember_8_.html

The best way to observe this transit on your own is with a telescope and a solar filter.

http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/mercury/

Mercury Numbers
Size: 8th largest planet - 4,879 kilometers - 0.3825 Earths across
Calendar: 1 Mercury year = 0.241 Earth years; 1 Mercury day = 175.9 Earth days
Orbit: 57,910,000 kilometers - 0.387 Earth orbits
Axial tilt: 0.01 degrees
Number of moons: none

The slow rotation gives Mercury the largest diurnal (daily) temperature variation of any known planet -- from nighttime lows of minus 180 degrees Celsius to daytime highs of plus 430 degrees (that's minus 300 to plus 860 Fahrenheit).

11-08-2006, 02:43 PM	#2
troutman Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Crowsnest Pass Exp:	Don't stare at the sun! http://www.planetary.org/news/2006/1...vember_8_.html The best way to observe this transit on your own is with a telescope and a solar filter. http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/mercury/ Mercury Numbers Size: 8th largest planet - 4,879 kilometers - 0.3825 Earths across Calendar: 1 Mercury year = 0.241 Earth years; 1 Mercury day = 175.9 Earth days Orbit: 57,910,000 kilometers - 0.387 Earth orbits Axial tilt: 0.01 degrees Number of moons: none The slow rotation gives Mercury the largest diurnal (daily) temperature variation of any known planet -- from nighttime lows of minus 180 degrees Celsius to daytime highs of plus 430 degrees (that's minus 300 to plus 860 Fahrenheit). Last edited by troutman; 11-08-2006 at 02:51 PM.