THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
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Altitude: 10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian date: 2458788.16
2019 - 2020: XLIV
"Never never never never never give up."
-Winston Churchill
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, November 1, 2019
Quiz IX: Transit of Mercury 2019
Yes! This month we will, perpetually inclement weather permitting, watch
a transit of Mercury. We're all hoping for clear skies, as the November
__th event will be the last transit of Mercury we'll see until May 7,
_________. This week's quiz will hopefully serve as a primer for this
splendid, though not particularly spectacular, transit. The questions
will become increasingly more difficult as we proceed. Also, we'll include
a few transit questions that do not pertain to Mercury.
1. On what date will the transit of Mercury 2019 occur?
a. November 2
b. November 7
c. November 11
d. November 28
2. How long will the transit last?
a. 2 hours, 3 minutes
b. 3 hours, 20 minutes
c. 4 hours, 39 minutes
d. 5 hours, 28 minutes
3. When we will in the eastern United States next see a transit of Mercury?
a. May 7, 2029
b. May 7, 2039
c. May 7, 2049
d. May 7, 2059
4. Currently, transits of Mercury can happen in May and November and
a. January
b. February
c. July
d. none of the above
5. About how often do transits of Mercury occur each century?
a. once or twice
b. 5 - 8 times
c. 13 - 14 times
d. 26 - 31 times
6. What is the only other planet that can transit the Sun from the
perspective of Earth inhabitants?
a. Mars
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn
d. Venus
7. When will that other planet next transit the Sun?
a. tomorrow
b. December 11, 2117
c. December 8, 2025
d. January 4, 2209
8. When will Earth next transit the Sun from the Martian perspective?
a. 2084
b. 2456
c. 3489
d. Earth can never transit the Sun from the perspective of anyone on Mars.
9. In what year did someone first observe a transit of Mercury?
a. 1783
b. 1689
c. 1631
d. 1066
10. Mercury was the name of the Roman counterpart of which Greek god?
a. Ares
b. Hermes
c. Poseidon
d. Zeus
ANSWERS
1. c. November 11
We will see Mercury transit the Sun on November 11, 2019! The event will
begin at 7:36 a.m.
2. d. 5 hours, 28 minutes
Mercury will be moving along a long path that passes close to the Sun's
center. For this reason, Mercury will require almost five and a half
hours to cross the Sun from our perspective.
3. c. May 7, 2049
A transit of Mercury will occur in November 2032 and November 2039.
However. both transits will happen when the Sun is below our horizon.
We have to wait almost thirty years to see the next transit.
4. d. none of the above
Currently, Mercurian transits can only occur in May or November.
However, over time the dates of the transits will change so that transit
will also occur in December and June. The first December Mercurian
transit occurs in 3426 and the first June transit (one that occurs entirely
in the month of June) will happen n 3890.
5. c. 13 - 14 times
Transits of Mercury are not particularly common. Fourteen transits of
Mercury will occur in the 21st century. The first happened on May 7,
2003. The last will occur on November 10, 2098
6. d. Venus
Mercury and Venus are inferior planets, meaning they are closer to the Sun
than Earth. For this reason, we experience Mercurian and Venusian
transits. Mercurian transits are far more common, as they occur more
than a dozen times per century, whereas Venusian transits generally occur
in 8-year pairs separated by more than a century.
7. b. December 11, 2117
Venus transit watchers will have quite a wait. The next transit of Venus
will not occur for nearly 98 years! One will be further disheartened to
realize that we eastern US viewers will not even see that transit. We'll
have to wait until the next Venusian transit on December 8, 2125.
8 a. 2084
Yes, Earth can transit the Sun. The next Earth transit from Mars will
happen on November 10, 2084. Hey! The next simultaneous transit of Earth
and Venus from Mars will occur in the year 571, 471.
9. c. 1631
Pierre Gassendi was the first person to ever observe a transit. He
watched a transit of Mercury in 1631 at precisely the time that astronomer
Johannes Kepler predicted such a transit would occur. Unfortunately,
Kepler died in 1630 and was unable to observe this transit.
10. b. Hermes
Hermes was the messenger god who swiftly flew upon winged sandals. As
Mercury moves around the Sun once every 88 days, the name is apt.
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