Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Solar Orbiter, a specially launched space probe to monitor the Sun, captures an unusual phenomenon. Mercury appears to pass in front of the Sun, illustrating how big the star is that is the axis of the Solar System.
Mercury will be at its closest point to the Sun on January 3, 2023. Solar Orbiter successfully recorded the event and sent the images to the European Space Agency (ESA).
Mysterious recorded by instruments named Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE).
In the PHI image, Mercury appears as a black spot on the lower right of the Sun. The EUI instrument captured moving images of Mercury as the smallest planet in the Solar System moves in front of the giant Sun.
For Solar Orbiter, Mercury’s passing in front of the Sun provides an opportunity for instrument calibration.
Astronomers have actually used moments like this for a long time to estimate the size of the Solar System.
Astronomers in several regions monitor Mercury’s transit moment. They then compared the times they recorded and used the time difference to determine the distance between the Earth and the Sun using trigonometry.
Planetary transits are now also used to identify planets outside the Solar System, which are referred to as exoplanets. Astronomers look for the moment when the star’s light dims for a moment as a sign of a planet passing by.
Then, by repeatedly recording this dim moment, the planet’s orbital circumference and size can be calculated.
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