Документ взят из кэша поисковой машины. Адрес оригинального документа : http://www.astrosociety.org/edu/activities/mercurytransitorbit.pdf Дата изменения: Tue Oct 2 11:10:07 2012 Дата индексирования: Sun Feb 3 05:02:24 2013 Кодировка: Поисковые слова: transit

The Tilt of Mercury's Orbit Teacher Fact Sheet
Below is a list of the upcoming Mercury transits.* Transits do not happen every time Mercury passes between the Earth and Sun because their orbits are not in exactly the same plane, as we will see in this activity. Nov May Nov Nov Nov May Nov May Nov Nov 8, 2006 9, 2016 11, 2019 13, 2032 7, 2039 7, 2049 9, 2052 10, 2062 11, 2065 14, 2078
* Let students discuss the questions on their worksheets before giving them these dates.

Extra Question for Students: How old will you be when you see Mercury transit on November 9, 2052?

Answers to Students' "To Think About" Questions: It takes the Earth 365.24 days, or one year, to orbit the Sun. If Mercury orbits the Sun every 88 days, it would go whizzing between the Sun and the Earth four times every Earth year. Transits of Mercury only occur in May and November because those are the places on Earth's orbit where Mercury can be directly between us and the Sun. For more information and activities on transits and eclipses see NASA's Sun-Earth Connection website http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Provided by: Astronomical Society of the Pacific www.astrosociety.org


Mercury Transit Questions Name ___________________ 1. Mercury takes 88 days, or a little less than 3 Earth months to orbit the Sun once. How long does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun once? ___________ months 2. How many times would Mercury pass the Earth each year? __________________________ 3. There is a 7 difference in their orbits, which you can show by tilting the smaller disk up just a tiny bit. Does Mercury's orbit line up with the Earth's orbit all the time now? ________________ 4. Transits of Mercury occur at only two times during the year (but not every year). Can you tell which two months the orbits of Earth and Mercury are in line with the Sun? ______________________ and _______________________

Mercury Transit Questions Name ___________________ 1. Mercury takes 88 days, or a little less than 3 Earth months to orbit the Sun once. How long does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun once? ___________ months 2. How many times would Mercury pass the Earth each year? __________________________ 3. There is a 7 difference in their orbits, which you can show by tilting the smaller disk up just a tiny bit. Does Mercury's orbit line up with the Earth's orbit all the time now? ________________ 4. Transits of Mercury occur at only two times during the year (but not every year). Can you tell which two months the orbits of Earth and Mercury are in line with the Sun? _____________________ and ________________________ Provided by: Astronomical Society of the Pacific www.astrosociety.org


Instructions: Cut these two disks out along the dotted lines. Then cut along the dotted lines into the middle of both circles. Slip the two orbits together so that the suns in the middle of each match up and you can still see the words "Mercury's Orbit" on top.

Instructions: Cut these two disks out along the dotted lines. Then cut along the dotted lines into the middle of both circles. Slip the two orbits together so that the suns in the middle of each match up and you can still see the words "Mercury's Orbit" on top.

Provided by: Astronomical Society of the Pacific www.astrosociety.org


Instructions: Cut these two disks out along the dotted lines. Then cut along the dotted lines into the middle of both circles. Slip the two orbits together so that the suns in the middle of each match up and you can still see the words "Mercury's Orbit" on top. To Think About: Mercury takes 88 days, or about 3 Earth months to orbit the Sun once. How long does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun once? How many times would Mercury pass the Earth each year? There is a 7 difference in their orbits, which you can show by tilting the smaller disk up just a tiny bit. Transits of Mercury occur at only two times during the year (but not every year). Can you tell which two months the orbits of Earth and Mercury are in line with the Sun?

Instructions: Cut these two disks out along the dotted lines. Then cut along the dotted lines into the middle of both circles. Slip the two orbits together so that the suns in the middle of each match up and you can still see the words "Mercury's Orbit" on top. To Think About: Mercury takes 88 days, or about 3 Earth months to orbit the Sun once. How long does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun once? How many times would Mercury pass the Earth each year? There is a 7 difference in their orbits, which you can show by tilting the smaller disk up just a tiny bit. Transits of Mercury occur at only two times during the year (but not every year). Can you tell which two months the orbits of Earth and Mercury are in line with the Sun?

Provided by: Astronomical Society of the Pacific www.astrosociety.org