Mercury not travelling in a straight line?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the visual representation of Mercury's transit across the Sun as depicted in a NASA visualization tool. Users express confusion regarding the perceived vertical movement of Mercury during the transit. One participant attributes the jerky motion to inconsistent framerate and camera panning, while another questions the accuracy of the visual perception. The consensus indicates that the motion appears non-linear due to the limitations of the viewing medium rather than actual astronomical behavior.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of celestial mechanics and planetary motion
  • Familiarity with NASA's visualization tools
  • Basic knowledge of video frame rates and their impact on motion perception
  • Awareness of the concept of parallax in astronomy
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore NASA's visualization tools for astronomical events
  • Research the effects of framerate on motion perception in video
  • Learn about parallax and its effects on observing celestial bodies
  • Investigate the orbital mechanics of Mercury and its transit patterns
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the visual representation of planetary transits and motion perception in video formats.

seb7
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Take a look at this..

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/media_viewer/flash.html
Navigate > Visualizations > Mercury Transit of the Sun

Why is Mercury traveling up and down vertically?

I can understand on most given view points it would not be a straight line, but the line of movement in the video is just weird.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Astronomy news on Phys.org
I'm not seeing what you are seeing. I see it being a little jerky due to an inconsistent framerate, plus the "camera" pans right in steps, but I don't see much if any up and down motion.
 

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