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2003 Transit of Mercury

Posted by michael on from the transit-strike dept.

angkor writes "It is happening today (all day in Asia)! NASA's SOHO page, Fred Espenak's 'Transit of Mercury' site, and live webcasts of the transit. You'll want to use the webcast, in spite of advice from our hometown paper, the Bangkok Post, which reported 'those interested in viewing it directly were advised to watch through black tinted glasses.'"

11 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. If it's anything like my transit... by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 3, Funny

    It'll have to idle in traffic waiting for it's turn to merge onto the highway.

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  2. Re:Sunglasses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I also heard about a class, whos teach got it 'almost right'. She had the class poke holes in cardboard, but instead of projecting that onto paper, she had the stare at the sun threw the hole.

  3. Re:Already finished by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    No! The transit is not over. It is still ongoing. The media outlets of the infideals claim it is over, but it is not. Mercury is still fighting to stay in front of the sun. In fact, the Sun is losing the battle, and will soon leave the area. We will drive the infidels back and Mercury will once again regain its place in front of the Sun.

    Planetary Information Minister Mohammed al-Sahhaf

  4. black tinted glasses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    The reason you have to wear them, is that Mercury emits certain poisonous gases which traverse through the earth's atmosphere and might be dangerous. This can lead to loss of eyesight, decrease and breathing capacity and irritablity.

    Please do wear the glasses, mercury is cool, but so are your eyes!

  5. Not the end of world? by april10 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And no cult proclaiming the end of the world? How odd..

  6. Bangkok Post also says... by MongooseCN · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you ever need to enter a burning house, wrap yourself in newspaper.

    --


    Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
  7. Oh, that's easy... by jolshefsky · · Score: 4, Funny
    fredrik70 asked:
    Hopefully someone can answer this litle question of mine. Since Mercury orbits the sun in only 88 days, why can we see transists more often than about 13 times a century (according to space.com)?

    I'm no expert in these matters, but maybe the transits occur primarily at night when the sun is switched off. This would make sense because Mercury would probably catch on fire if it were to pass so close to the sun while it were hot.

    --
    --- Jason Olshefsky

    Karma: Poser (mostly affected by adding this line long after everyone else did)

  8. Re:Sunglasses by hplasm · · Score: 2, Funny

    So I should throw out my welding mask and use a couple of floppy disks whilst welding? What an idiot I am. Or is that you?

    --
    ...and he grinned, like a fox eating shit out of a wire brush.
  9. Re:Sunglasses by Destoo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can't wait 'till juppiter passes in front of us to block the sun. That'll be something!!!!

    Destoo..

    (these are not dots. It's my drool leaking on the keyboard and to the internet)

    --
    Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
  10. Bah by MiTEG · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don;t listen to thesr poeple, I spent hours as a kid starring at teh sun, adn my visoin is fine! ;]

    --
    The future isn't what it used to be.
  11. JUPITER ONLY HAS ONE MOON?!!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Wait a sec? Jupiter only has one moon?!? I guess it must've eaten the other 59 moons. Was it Io? Lousy fuck. Or maybe Ganymede? I bet it was Europa.. or maybe Callisto. I doubt it was Metis or Adrastea. Thebe's too weak to do anything like that. Maybe it was Themisto, I always knew he had it out for Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, and Elara. S/2000 is just strange. Iocaste might do something like that, if someone suicidal like Praxidike or Harpalke decided they were sick of looking at the likes of Ananke, Isonoe, Erinome, or Taygete. Wait.. no, I know, it was probably Chaldene, working together with Carme and Pasiphae. They've always hated the likes of Kalyke, Megaclite, Sinope, and Callirrhoe. Could it possibly have been those piece of shit S/2001's. Maybe they had a gang war with the S/2003's. NO! I'VE GOT IT! It was that worthless no good S/2002 asshole who dunnit. Those small fucks always have short fuses....

    What was I talking about?