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Credit & Copyright: Stefan Seip
(TWAN)
Explanation:
On May 9, innermost planet
Mercury crossed
IN FRONT of the Sun.
Though pictures project the event in only two dimensions, a
remarkable three dimensional perspective on the transit is possible
by free viewing
this stereo pair.
The images
were made 23 minutes apart and rotated so that
Mercury's position shifts horizontally between the two.
As a result, Mercury's orbital motion produced
an exaggerated parallax simulating binocular vision.
Between the two exposures, the appropriately named planet's
speedy
47.4 kilometer per second
orbital
velocity actually carried it over 65,000 kilometers.
Taken first, the left image is intended for the right eye, so a
cross-eyed view is needed to see
Mercury's tiny silhouette
suspended in the foreground.
Try it. Merging the text below the images helps.
Participate: Take an
Aesthetics &
Astronomy Survey
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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: Mercury - transit
Publications with words: Mercury - transit
See also: