Transit of Mercury

Not a Number · 05-08-2016, 09:35 AM

Tomorrow 9 May 2016 the transit of the planet Mercury will be visible across the face of the Sun.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/06/mercur...src=nl_az_most

As usual do not look at the sun or point your camera directly at the sun without proper filters. If you don't know what are proper (safe filters) then don't do it. You should be able to watch the transit online or at a local observatory in the appropriate areas.

This web page has links to local times and a graphic of visible path of Mercury for many cities.

Mercury Transit

Looks like some of the best viewing will be in the Pacific Northwest of US and Canada

VoiceOfReason · 05-08-2016, 04:35 PM

I have the equipment to be able to view and photograph this (solar filters, Coronado telescope, K mount adapter to the telescope) and yet again it will be wet. Again. More rain. Again. More and more and more rain and storms. In fact, we don't have a dry day forecast for a week, and we only had a couple out of the last week and a half.

Not a Number · 05-08-2016, 04:48 PM

The past 6 years whenever there has been an astronomical event that would be visible to me it has usually been overcast or raining.

Keep your gear ready just in case

VoiceOfReason · 05-08-2016, 05:27 PM

Ohh I will. I plan on having it with me at work tomorrow.

**Ex Finn.** · 05-08-2016, 05:44 PM

Calling for cloudy, had planned to take a day off from work and do some imaging. We'll see what it actually is in the morning.

**Ex Finn.** · 05-08-2016, 07:29 PM

We might just be in the clear! Not counting on it though. Scroll down to sky cover forecast.
Mercury transit 2016: Facts about the smallest planet in the solar system | AL.com

Simen1 · 05-09-2016, 01:48 AM

Equipment ready: check
Me ready: check
Weather clear: no

**Ex Finn.** · 05-09-2016, 03:34 AM

Same here, looks like a no-go.

VoiceOfReason · 05-09-2016, 05:07 AM

Completely and utterly cloudy with lots of rain everywhere. I had my Coronado solar telescope, K mount adapters for both prime focus and eyepiece projection, my 86mm baader solar filter, the cameras, the lens I needed for good solar shots, and of course my cameras fully charged and ready to go. Mother nature says no.

Not a Number · 05-09-2016, 06:53 AM

Overcast here near the ocean in Los Angeles

Live feed from Slooh Observatories:

WATCH LIVE NOW: Rare Mercury Transit Views from Slooh Webcast

Stone G. · 05-09-2016, 01:33 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by VoiceOfReason

I have the equipment to be able to view and photograph this (solar filters, Coronado telescope, K mount adapter to the telescope) and yet again it will be wet. Again. More rain. Again.

Originally posted by Not a Number

The past 6 years whenever there has been an astronomical event that would be visible to me it has usually been overcast or raining.

Well, I have had more or less 6 months of constant overcast/rain, but the last 5 days have been fantastic. So, I sneaked my K-3 and Tamron Adaptall-2 300/5.6 lens with me to work and continued on my way to home and at home and I got some reasonable pictures every half hour or so. Here are just some preliminary results - mostly handheld JPEGs straight out of the camera, 100% crops:

UT = 11:28

UT= 12:37

UT = 18:19

Not exactly spectacular - and I am sure VoiceOfReason's Coronado could have done much better - but anyway nice to have proof that "I have been there". And there's fortunately a small sunspot that should allow me to align my handheld shots and thus, to construct Mercury's trajectory over the solar disk. Well, that will have to be some other, rainy day..........

**mattb123** · 05-09-2016, 01:46 PM

Nice! Cloudy here too. I did get the Venus Transit in 2012 but was hoping to do better. There were moments the sun peeked through the clouds but other stuff going on in my life was preventing me from being able to wait for those windows.

**Ex Finn.** · 05-09-2016, 06:27 PM

Seeing was really bad due to clouds, had couple moments of not so thick overcast before it started to rain.

gifthorse · 05-09-2016, 07:29 PM

After weeks of clouds and rain.....

Sigma 150-500 in a K5ii. (cross posted)

digital029art · 05-11-2016, 04:05 PM

Great shots!

Here's my shot from South Florida, just before it ended. It was a lil hazy so there were some clouds in the way.

This one is a single shot from the K-01 attached to the Pentax 1000/11 reflex lens. I used the built in 8x ND filter + an IR720 filter:

Mercury transits across the Sun May 9, 2016.

The little dot at bottom is the charred planet Mercury plus some sunspots above it!

The Post:

https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/the-2016-mercury-transit-and-a-su...he-everglades/

-- hide signature --

05-08-2016, 09:35 AM	#1
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,525	Transit of Mercury Tomorrow 9 May 2016 the transit of the planet Mercury will be visible across the face of the Sun. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/06/mercur...src=nl_az_most As usual do not look at the sun or point your camera directly at the sun without proper filters. If you don't know what are proper (safe filters) then don't do it. You should be able to watch the transit online or at a local observatory in the appropriate areas. This web page has links to local times and a graphic of visible path of Mercury for many cities. Mercury Transit Looks like some of the best viewing will be in the Pacific Northwest of US and Canada

05-09-2016, 05:07 AM	#9
VoiceOfReason Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Mishawaka IN area Photos: Albums Posts: 6,124	Completely and utterly cloudy with lots of rain everywhere. I had my Coronado solar telescope, K mount adapters for both prime focus and eyepiece projection, my 86mm baader solar filter, the cameras, the lens I needed for good solar shots, and of course my cameras fully charged and ready to go. Mother nature says no. Last edited by VoiceOfReason; 05-09-2016 at 06:53 AM.

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05-08-2016, 04:35 PM	#2
VoiceOfReason Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Mishawaka IN area Photos: Albums Posts: 6,124	I have the equipment to be able to view and photograph this (solar filters, Coronado telescope, K mount adapter to the telescope) and yet again it will be wet. Again. More rain. Again. More and more and more rain and storms. In fact, we don't have a dry day forecast for a week, and we only had a couple out of the last week and a half.

05-08-2016, 04:48 PM	#3
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,525 Original Poster	The past 6 years whenever there has been an astronomical event that would be visible to me it has usually been overcast or raining. Keep your gear ready just in case

05-08-2016, 05:27 PM	#4
VoiceOfReason Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Mishawaka IN area Photos: Albums Posts: 6,124	Ohh I will. I plan on having it with me at work tomorrow.

05-08-2016, 05:44 PM	#5
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Calling for cloudy, had planned to take a day off from work and do some imaging. We'll see what it actually is in the morning.

05-08-2016, 07:29 PM	#6
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	We might just be in the clear! Not counting on it though. Scroll down to sky cover forecast. Mercury transit 2016: Facts about the smallest planet in the solar system \| AL.com

05-09-2016, 01:48 AM	#7
Simen1 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tromsø, Norway Photos: Albums Posts: 1,031	Equipment ready: check Me ready: check Weather clear: no

05-09-2016, 03:34 AM	#8
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Same here, looks like a no-go.

05-09-2016, 06:53 AM	#10
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,525 Original Poster	Overcast here near the ocean in Los Angeles Live feed from Slooh Observatories: WATCH LIVE NOW: Rare Mercury Transit Views from Slooh Webcast

05-09-2016, 01:33 PM - 2 Likes	#11
Stone G. Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: North Zealand, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,516	Originally posted by VoiceOfReason I have the equipment to be able to view and photograph this (solar filters, Coronado telescope, K mount adapter to the telescope) and yet again it will be wet. Again. More rain. Again. Originally posted by Not a Number The past 6 years whenever there has been an astronomical event that would be visible to me it has usually been overcast or raining. Well, I have had more or less 6 months of constant overcast/rain, but the last 5 days have been fantastic. So, I sneaked my K-3 and Tamron Adaptall-2 300/5.6 lens with me to work and continued on my way to home and at home and I got some reasonable pictures every half hour or so. Here are just some preliminary results - mostly handheld JPEGs straight out of the camera, 100% crops: UT = 11:28 UT= 12:37 UT = 18:19 Not exactly spectacular - and I am sure VoiceOfReason's Coronado could have done much better - but anyway nice to have proof that "I have been there". And there's fortunately a small sunspot that should allow me to align my handheld shots and thus, to construct Mercury's trajectory over the solar disk. Well, that will have to be some other, rainy day..........

05-09-2016, 01:46 PM	#12
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	Nice! Cloudy here too. I did get the Venus Transit in 2012 but was hoping to do better. There were moments the sun peeked through the clouds but other stuff going on in my life was preventing me from being able to wait for those windows.

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05-09-2016, 07:29 PM	#14
gifthorse Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Nevada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,945	After weeks of clouds and rain..... Sigma 150-500 in a K5ii. (cross posted)

05-11-2016, 04:05 PM	#15
digital029art Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 440	Great shots! Here's my shot from South Florida, just before it ended. It was a lil hazy so there were some clouds in the way. This one is a single shot from the K-01 attached to the Pentax 1000/11 reflex lens. I used the built in 8x ND filter + an IR720 filter: Mercury transits across the Sun May 9, 2016. The little dot at bottom is the charred planet Mercury plus some sunspots above it! The Post: https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/the-2016-mercury-transit-and-a-su...he-everglades/ -- hide signature --