Transits of the inner planets across the face of the sun are
relatively rare compared to solar or lunar eclipses. If the orbits of
Mercury, Venus, and Earth were in the same plane, each time the inner
planets passed us, we would see a transit of the planet across the sun,
with Mercury transits seen more often than Venus transits because it
orbits the sun faster.
However, because the orbits of the inner planets
are tilted relative to ours, we see a transit only when the inner planets
are crossing our orbital plane. Transits
of Venus are especially rare, with pairs of them happening more
than a century apart, so they are worth making a special effort
to see.
Transits of Mercury
Transits of Venus
Recent and Upcoming Transits
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