Comments on: Mercury heading in! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:36:06 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ian Musgrave http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23364 Ian Musgrave Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:08:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23364 Blast, I missed the comet, and I was backing and forthing the image to deterimine if the dot that dissapeared really was Mercury (it was). I was a bit discombobulated, as previous times Mercury was in the LASCO C3 camera, it was bright. And then I realised that Mercury had its dark side facing us. DUH. Anyway, check out this sun diving comet. Sorry you couldn't image the transit BA. I managed to do so by shooting several differnt exposures at each time point, then picking out the <a href="http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2006/11/transit-of-mercury-pictures.html" rel="nofollow">ones that worked later</a>. It's wasteful of film, but at least I get something that works (even though I keep a log of my exposure setting from previous runs, on the day combinations of sun elevation and whatever the heck they have done to the film stock in the year between when I by lots seems to throw things up in the air again. Blast, I missed the comet, and I was backing and forthing the image to deterimine if the dot that dissapeared really was Mercury (it was). I was a bit discombobulated, as previous times Mercury was in the LASCO C3 camera, it was bright. And then I realised that Mercury had its dark side facing us. DUH. Anyway, check out this sun diving comet. Sorry you couldn’t image the transit BA. I managed to do so by shooting several differnt exposures at each time point, then picking out the ones that worked later. It’s wasteful of film, but at least I get something that works (even though I keep a log of my exposure setting from previous runs, on the day combinations of sun elevation and whatever the heck they have done to the film stock in the year between when I by lots seems to throw things up in the air again.

]]> By: The Bad Astronomer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23363 The Bad Astronomer Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:39:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23363 I can see it! But apparently I cannot photograph it. Grrr. :( I can't get the exposure right. Oh well, it's still cool. I can see it! But apparently I cannot photograph it. Grrr. :( I can’t get the exposure right. Oh well, it’s still cool.

]]> By: Grand Lunar http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23362 Grand Lunar Wed, 08 Nov 2006 21:04:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23362 Those links are just what I was looking for, Rob and Michelle. Thanks! Those links are just what I was looking for, Rob and Michelle.
Thanks!

]]> By: Absolute Zero http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23361 Absolute Zero Wed, 08 Nov 2006 20:34:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23361 Yech, New Zealand has the same weather as Sydney today, apparently. Good luck to everyone else. Yech, New Zealand has the same weather as Sydney today, apparently. Good luck to everyone else.

]]> By: Michelle Rochon http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23360 Michelle Rochon Wed, 08 Nov 2006 20:24:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23360 ...upon JUST looking back at the soho website... I see Mercury now! but it seems it's an hour late. …upon JUST looking back at the soho website… I see Mercury now! but it seems it’s an hour late.

]]> By: Michelle Rochon http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23359 Michelle Rochon Wed, 08 Nov 2006 20:22:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23359 Sweet, Rob! I was looking at it from SOHO.. http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/soc/transits/mercury/20061108/realtime.html But maybe they should notice that their time updates but the image stays the same. There's no mercury thus far. Sweet, Rob!

I was looking at it from SOHO..
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/soc/transits/mercury/20061108/realtime.html
But maybe they should notice that their time updates but the image stays the same. There’s no mercury thus far.

]]> By: Rob http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/comment-page-1/#comment-23358 Rob Wed, 08 Nov 2006 20:05:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/08/mercury-heading-in/#comment-23358 Unfortunately it is wall-to-wall gray clouds down here in Sydney with intermittent showers forecast all morning. Doesn't look like I'll get any images or even a view at present. It appears to be better west of Sydney over the mountains though. The CSU Remote Telescope webcast http://black-hole-net.mit.csu.edu.au/telescope/events/tom/live.html is updating images every 30 seconds. Hope your clouds clear Phil. Happy viewing on a fine day in the US. Unfortunately it is wall-to-wall gray clouds down here in Sydney with intermittent showers forecast all morning. Doesn’t look like I’ll get any images or even a view at present. It appears to be better west of Sydney over the mountains though. The CSU Remote Telescope webcast http://black-hole-net.mit.csu.edu.au/telescope/events/tom/live.html is updating images every 30 seconds.
Hope your clouds clear Phil. Happy viewing on a fine day in the US.

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