Oh Boy, Mercury Is Gonna Transit the Sun

#Mercury #NASA #Sun #Astronomy

Mercury will transit the Sun for the first time since 2016 this coming Monday. It won’t do so again until 2032.

The smallest planet’s eccentric orbit means it doesn’t often pass in front of the Sun from Earth’s vantage point. This year, part of the 5.5-hour transit will be visible to much of North America starting at 7:36 a.m. ET. The eastern half of North America and all of South America will see the whole show, which will last until 1:04 p.m. ET. Africa, Europe, and western Asia will be able to see it at Monday’s sunset.

How can you see it? Well, I’d advise against staring directly into the Sun and even more strongly against staring into the Sun through binoculars or a telescope. Instead, it’s best to use a telescope with a solar filter, through which the transit will look like a small black speck passing in front of the Sun, which will appear 194 times larger than the speck. If you don’t have those tools, check if a local astronomy club will be hosting a public viewing. The Virtual Telescope Project will have a viewing on its website.

Transits occur when planets come between us and the Sun, meaning that only two planets can transit: Venus and Mercury. Witnessing a transit is all a matter of timing. Transits of Venus occur in pairs separated by 121.5 or 105.5 years, with eight years separating each transit; the next transit of Venus will occur in the year 2117. Transits of Mercury are far more frequent, since the planet travels on a smaller orbit around the Sun.

Mercury transits have long been useful tools for scientists. Back in the 17th century, astronomers observed transits of Mercury to try to determine the distance between the Earth and Sun using parallax—observing the transit from two different places on Earth, as National Radio Astronomy Observatory astronomer Brian Koberlein wrote for Forbes. One team used the transits to indirectly calculate the effect of tidal forces of the Moon on Earth. More recently, one team of scientists used a transit to see whether it would produce a discernible decrease in the amount of sunlight (it did not). That knowledge is valuable to astronomers hoping to use the transit method to spot exoplanets around distant stars.

Hopefully, you’ll have an opportunity to watch the transit on Monday. But remember, don’t look directly at Mr. Sun

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Comments

4 Strategies for practicing Radical Self-Acceptance

Radical Self-Acceptance Painting by Jennifer Mazzucco #mindfulness #self-judgment #RadicalSelfAcceptance #negativethinkingpatterns #thoughts Radical acceptance involves acknowledging how life unfolds without resistance, even if we don't like things at any given moment. It can take effort to apply this principle. How can we begin to accept our situation and ourselves despite experiencing anxiety, uncertainty, and fear? Why self-acceptance is not the same as complacency. It is essential now, more than ever, to practice radical self-acceptance. This means training ourselves to find inner stability despite unpredictable external circumstances. Ultimately, we are responsible for acknowledging our hidden wounds, which can lead to personal and collective growth. Radical self-acceptance is the opposite of avoiding responsibility or giving up in self-defeat. It requires pushing against old ways of being to open the door to deep healing. Embracing radical self-acceptance allows us to int...

Coping With Moods: The Challenge of the Turbulent Mind

#Mood #Impulses #selfregulate #selfsoothe #Triple5LightTherapy #BlackMaleTherapist #Psychotherapy The power of moods and impulses can be overwhelming, but we can learn to self-regulate and self-soothe through awareness practices like meditation and mindfulness. By developing a healthy dialogue with our emotional nature, we can access deeper parts of ourselves and become more resilient in the face of stress and pressure. Rather than being swept away by our ever-shifting moods, we can learn to pause and reflect before acting. by Gillian McCann, Ph.D., and Gitte Bechsgaard, RP

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

#MLK #Assassination #MartinLutherKingJr #Memorial National Civil Rights Museum The Lorraine Motel where James Earl Ray assassinated King on April 4, 1968, is a complex of museums that trace the civil rights movement in the U.S. from the 17th century to the present. #MLK #MartinLutherKingJr #Memorial https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

The Wuhan coronavirus death toll in mainland China has overtaken SARS

#China #Coronavirus #Outbreak #Quarantine #Wuhan #SARS #Epidemic By James Griffiths, CNN The number of Wuhan coronavirus deaths in mainland China has overtaken the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in the country, as Beijing injected billions of dollars into an economy hit by weeks of effective shutdowns to major cities. More than 360 people have died of the disease in China, the country's health authorities said Monday. The total number of cases in mainland China stood at 17,205 as of Sunday evening, an increase of over 2,800 on the previous day, or almost 20%. The 2003 outbreak of SARS -- another coronavirus strand -- infected 5,327 people in mainland China, with 349 deaths. The first death from the virus outside China was confirmed over the weekend . Philippine health officials said that a 44-year-old Chinese man died Saturday after flying into the country from Wuhan. So far, mo...

Triple5Light Therapy

Search This Blog