Mercury Transit - First and Second Contact Animation

[Stub Mandrel]

A mixture of good luck and bad preparation.

I set up taking images as 1 second intervals, by an amazing coincidence just 50 seconds before first contact - that was the good luck and bad preparation. I failed to get dust of y sensor and flats only reduced the effect, not got rid of it. More bad preparation.

I started with my barlow and the dust was far enough away from Mercury for a clone stamp to (almost) heal it. Good luck.

So, this is a close-up animation of first to second contact :-)

Edit - I think frames are at 3 second intervals, so speeded up six times

 

[Pete Presland]

Nicely done despite the problems.