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Credit: Mark Seibold
Explanation:
The sight of
Mercury's tiny round disk drifting slowly
across the face of the Sun
inspired
and
entertained
many
denizens
of planet Earth last week.
In fact, artist and astronomer Mark Seibold viewed both the
1999 and
2006 transits
of the solar system's innermost planet
through solar filtered
telescopes and composed this rendering
of Mercury "hovering in the
photosphere" near the edge of an enormous solar disk.
The original work is a 23 by 17 inch pastel sketch.
While the
artist's hand
is creatively superimposed, Seibold
concentrated on offering an impression of Mercury's silhouette,
surrounded by shadings reflecting his visual experience that
are not easily captured in photographic exposures.
Of course, before the age of cameras
drawings were more
widely used to record telescopic observations
of sunspots
and planetary transits.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: transit
Publications with words: transit
See also: