Watch the Sun "devour" Mercury

[Superflyer]

Mercury is passing in front of the sun. This only happens a few times a century and it is happening now. You can watch it on the discovery channel web site - Link

The next time that this will happen is in 2016

[troutman]

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).

[CubicleGeek]

So if you lived on Mercury, you would get about 2 birthdays every day?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

So if you lived on Mercury, you would get about 2 birthdays every day?

No, every 88 earth days.

[CubicleGeek]

But you'd be living on Mercury, so a day would be the equivalent of 176 Earth days. With a Mercury year being only 88 Earth days, you'd get 2 birthdays per day on Mercury.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

But you'd be living on Mercury, so a day would be the equivalent of 176 Earth days. With a Mercury year being only 88 Earth days, you'd get 2 birthdays per day on Mercury.

Cool.