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On the 7th of may 2003 Mercury will move between the Sun and the Earth. This phenomena
occurs about 14 times every century but is never visible everywhere on Earth. The transit
of May 7 2003 will be visible in most parts of Europe and Asia. In other parts of the
world only the beginning or end will be visible or not at all.
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| The transit of 1973 |
The transit of 2003 |
Observing
Observed from the Earth Mercury moves over the Sun as a small black dot. This is because the Earth,
the Sun and Mercury will be aligned. The diameter of Mercury will only be 1/194 of the diameter
from the Sun, so a binocular or small telescope will be required. Without a telescope and an appropriate
filter the projection method can be used.
Click here to see ananimation from what will happen (866 Kb).
In Belgium
In Belgium the begin of the transit is at 7h11m29s Local Time (4h11m29s UT) and end at 12h32m42s LT. These
times are measured at Ukkel (40,800 W 4,317 E) about 15 km from my location (Lembeek 50,717 W 4,217 E).
In other locations in Belgium these times will be only a few seconds different. The Sun will rise at
6h7m and will be 9 degrees above the horizon.
mercurytransit@hotmail.com
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