A Superior Conjunction Of Mercury
Explanation:
In
astronomical parlance, an interior planet is at
superior conjunction
when it is located on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth.
Mercury, the solar system's innermost planet,
zips past this point in its orbit today.
In fact, this
recent picture from a solar coronagraph on board the
the space-based SOHO observatory shows
Mercury positioned
very close to the Sun as seen from a near Earth vantage point.
The coronagraph uses an internal occulting disk to block the intense
solar glare which otherwise hides this sight from ground-based observers.
The shadow of the occulting disk is at the center
with the Sun's size and position indicated by the white circle.
Mercury is the bright dot with a horizontal line (a digital artifact),
while faint dots scattered throughout the field
are stars.
Bright regions of the
sun's outer atmosphere are also visible.
As
Mercury continues in its orbit, on
November 15 it will actually appear to
cross the disk
of the Sun as viewed
from Earth.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
