A transit is a little like an eclipse - in this case, Mercury passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, but because Mercury is so much farther away than the Moon, rather than blocking the Sun, it appears as a tiny dot.
These pictures are processed to sharpen and clarify them, as well as add color - the solar filter on my telescope actually makes the Sun appear a bluish-grey color.
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| Mercury, on the right, and some sunspots in the upper middle and to the left. |
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| Same as above, labeled. |
Below is a composite image showing Mercury moving across the Sun during the time I was observing. Its path looks a little bumpy due to the conditions I was photographing under - the seeing wasn't very good (lots of moving air currents) and wind kept shaking my telescope. Also, you can see that the intervals at which I took pictures were a little inconsistent.
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| A selection of different shots composited to show the path Mercury took. |
