The Solar Orbiter captured a video of the passage of Mercury across the solar disk
Scientists filmed the passage of Mercury across the solar disk. This is reported by the European Space Agency .
Solar Orbiter is a European robotic solar probe. It revolves around the star in an orbit with a lower exact one at a distance of 60 solar radii (closer than Mercury), while a large orbital inclination allows you to see the polar regions of the Sun inaccessible from Earth.
Now the probe has sent back a series of photographs combined into a video, showing the passage of Mercury across the solar disk. In the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Scanner (PHI) image, Mercury appears as a black circle in the lower right quarter of the image and is distinctly different from static sunspots. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Device (EUI) captured a video of the planet’s motion against a backdrop of rarefied gaseous structures. Such an observation made it possible to calibrate the instruments of the device, launched in 2020 and recently started work.
By a similar method, astronomers determine the presence of exoplanets in stars – they fix a temporary darkening of the star’s disk.
Earlier , NASA said that private stations do not require a gateway to enter space
