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Science / Mercury / Transit / November 8, 2006

Time: 1PM to 7PM CST for viewing of Mercury’s silhouette as is it appears before the Sun.

NASA

View the animation for CST showing the projected path of the transit for Mercury.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/20oct_transitofmercury.htm

SOHO main page
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

SOHO hot shots – will broadcast live photos from SOHO
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/2006_11_06/
On Wednesday, we will broadcast real time images from SOHO.
The transit starts at 19:12 UT. Depending on the time zone, this corresponds to 2:12 pm EST, 1:12 pm CST, 12:12 pm MST and 11:12 am PST. Observers in the eastern U.S. will see the first 2 to 3 hours of the transit before the Sun sets. From the central U.S., about 4 hours of the transit will be visible before sunset. The complete transit will be seen from the western quarter of the country. The transit ends at 6:10 pm CST.

Nautical Almanac Office – world map showing path of transit over the continents.
http://www.nao.rl.ac.uk/nao/transit/M_2006/

Discovery channel

http://www.discoverychannel.ca/mercury  

DiscoveryChannel.ca offers LIVE webcast of the Nov. 8 transit of Mercury. We've all heard of a solar or lunar eclipse, but what about one involving another planet? These "mini-eclipses" - where a planet passes in front of the Sun - are called transits. Like solar eclipses, transits only come around every few years.

The November 8 passage of Mercury across the sun is the last such appearance until 2016! DiscoveryChannel.ca will show the transit LIVE online, from Discovery's Toronto studios, starting at 2 pm ET. Students, teachers, and other web visitors can access free-of-charge, for a safe way to witness the event as it happens.

Starting at 4 pm ET, Friday, Nov. 3: Background information on Mercury, planetary transits, safe solar viewing, and a roadmap to Mercury in our solar system.

TRANSIT DAY - LIVE VIDEO

2 - 6 pm ET, Nov. 8: live streaming video of Mercury transiting the sun. In case of inclement weather in Toronto, an alternative video presentation on planets and transits will be offered.

LIVE ONLINE FORM 2 - 4 pm ET, Nov. 8:  LIVE online forum where visitors can pose questions  and read comments from Daily Planet host Jay Ingram and DiscoveryChannel.ca producers.

REGISTRATION - To participate in the Forum, teachers are encouraged to register in Discovery Communities ahead of time:
http://community.discoverychannel.ca/eve  (click on Login/Join and follow the steps)

To see if you meet the system requirements to view our online video, check our FAQ at
http://www.discoverychannel.ca/mercury/faq

More Web based research sites

The Exploratorium’s Live@ crew will be at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, and, will Webcast the transit: a live five-hour telescope-only feed beginning at 11:00 am PST. 
http://www.exploratorium.edu/transit/

NASA Eclipse home page
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/transit06.html

North America map
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/tran/TM2006map.GIF
Look at the map showing the amount of time for viewing. Winnipeg will have 3 hours starting around 1:00 pm.

Index to Local Circumstances Tables, including Winnipeg
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/LC/Tran06LC2.html

NASA – exploring Mercury
http://www.discoverychannel.ca/mercury/exploremercury/index.shtml

The 2003 Mercury transit, as it appears in inexpensive Mylar telescope filters and "eclipse glasses"
http://discoverychannel.ca/mercury/gallery/11/

created on November 6, 2006, revised on May 30, 2007