Wow! Check out these space-based views of the Mercury transit from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) had a ringside seat on Monday, November 11, 2019, as Mercury crossed the face of the sun in the last transit of Mercury until the year 2032. The video above shows SDO’s views of the sun – during the hours of the transit – in a variety of wavelengths of light in the extreme ultraviolet.
Plus … hey, who knew NASA could be funny?
Q: What did Mercury say when it was asked to line up between Earth & the Sun?
A: I'll pass! ?We witnessed a rare treat during today's #MercuryTransit, which only happens ~13 times a century! Revel in the views captured our @NASASun-observing satellite: https://t.co/Wm7TYlNSeX pic.twitter.com/UqhYHTpAQm
— NASA (@NASA) November 12, 2019
Bottom line: Video of November 11, 2019, transit of Mercury, as seen by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
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Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.