Transit Transit

OK, one more Mercury transit video. But trust me. You'll like this one.

Thierry Legault is a genius when it comes to solar and lunar transits. He's caught just about everything that orbits the Earth crossing the Sun, including the space station, Hubble, space shuttles, and more. So I knew he'd have something cool for the Mercury transit on Monday ... and he does. Watch:

So, so cool. He had to travel to Pennsylvania (he's from France) to get the geometry right; most places on Earth could see Mercury crossing the Sun but the International Space Station is only a few hundred kilometers above the Earth's surface, so he had to be in a very specific spot to catch it not just crossing the Sun, but doing so during the time window when Mercury was as well. And as a bonus he got the small airplane, too. Not a bad day's observing!

Linking to all the times I've talked about Legault's work would make this post very long, so instead just search my blog for his name, click the videos, sit back, and enjoy. Or go to his site and spend a little time there. Your brain will thank you.