You Can See Mercury Passing By the Sun in a Breathtaking Video

You Can See Mercury Passing By the Sun in a Breathtaking Video
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The Solar Orbiter is a spacecraft that was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in February 2020 with a mission to study the Sun from up close. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, it is capable of capturing highly detailed images of the Sun’s surface and atmosphere and measuring its magnetic fields and solar wind.

The Solar Orbiter has generated a lot of interest and anticipation among researchers worldwide. We can’t wait to see what kind of groundbreaking discoveries it will make as it ventures deeper into the fiery heart of our solar system.

The Solar Orbiter captures Mercury flying by the Sun

The Solar Orbiter has captured something truly out-of-this-world: Mercury, flying up close and personal with the Sun!

That’s right, folks, this little spacecraft has done it again. Not content with just capturing stunningly detailed images of the Sun’s surface and atmosphere, the Solar Orbiter has now caught the smallest planet in our solar system in action. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

As you’ve already guessed and as the video practically confirms, Mercury orbits the Sun much closer compared to Earth. The little space object is the planet closest to the Sun, and it orbits at a distance of approximately 36 million miles (58 million kilometers) from it. Because it’s so close, Mercury’s orbit is the fastest of any planet in our solar system, completing a full revolution around our star in just 88 Earth days.

This proximity to the Sun also means that temperatures on Mercury can reach scorching highs of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius) during the day, while plummeting to -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-180 degrees Celsius) at night due to the lack of an atmosphere to regulate temperatures.

You may have also guessed that spending a vacation on Mercury should definitely be out of your plans. Let’s just say that the weather on the planet is awful.


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Even since he was a child, Cristian was staring curiously at the stars, wondering about the Universe and our place in it. Today he's seeing his dream come true by writing about the latest news in astronomy. Cristian is also glad to be covering health and other science topics, having significant experience in writing about such fields.

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