NASA's SDO Captures Mercury Transit Time-lapse

Around 13 times per century, Mercury passes between Earth and the sun in a rare astronomical event known as a planetary transit. The 2016 Mercury transit occurred on May 9, between roughly 7:12 a.m. and 2:42 p.m. EDT.

The images in this video are from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO.

Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Genna Duberstein

Music: Encompass by Mark Petrie

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[Goldsilver]

Who needs science fiction when science fact is so mind blowing? Lol

[evilcam]

I really liked that seamless transit through 3 filters shot. Never seen anything like that before.

[MrDeadInMyPocket]

If NASA had the same budget as the military I'd probably be booking a flight to go see this in person right now.

[glennrager]

Watching that "tiny" planet move across the huge "master of the solar system" sure puts things in perspective!

[thetruesora]

Damn, and the sun is just a medium sized star....way to make every single viewer feel insignificant. Imagine the sheer, incomprehensible mass of a hyper giant

[ipvxyz]

The music totally completes everything. Yes yes yes

[sassycat]

This music makes me hyped. It's like you wanna cheer Mercury on like " Go, little buddy!!!

[johncanfield]

Music is 'Encompass' by Mark Petrie? How appropriate! How uplifting!

[ianfreeman]

The adventures of our brave hero, Mercury!

[ajtronic]

Wow. The size of the Sun is nearly incomprehensible.

[avasinnx]

Videos like this make me appreciate the universe more and more. So beautiful, there are no words.

[FTBLETSAS]

Hey Nasa, Mercury is very dark on the video. You should point some light to it so that we could see it better.

[billykelly]

It's still amazing that we have the ability to actually film something like this.

[CallsignJoNay]

A naturally occurring nuclear fusion reactor, more beautiful, perfect, and simple than anything we could ever create, existing in the only environment capable of giving birth to it, put into scale and perspective by our brother world, a tiny (by comparison) ball of rock gracefully orbiting close enough to give us this awe-inspiring eclipse. Man, I love space.

[zysis]

It's amazing how your brain tends to think "you go, little guy" when it's just circling the sun and not really 'going' anywhere. Ah, perspective, you evil monster and how I love thee.

[Wolfykins]

Thank you for the time lapse. Somehow it completely slipped my mind that this was happening. At least the next one will be in 2019 and my kids and I didn't miss the transit of Venus! Breathtaking

[ACPC]

The most epic of little black specks moving left to right.
[space music intensifies]

[iTzBruceyW]

Legend has it that Riddick visit there once a while.

[Aquaflame]

If math wasn't so hard I would so work for you guys

[hawk]

That's my home-star everybody! Check it out, that's my star right there.