Download Transit of Venus

 Transit of Venus Transit of inferior planets Mercury and Venus are inferior planets in the Solar System as they are nearer to the Sun than the Earth. A transit of an inferior planet occurs when the inferior planet, the Sun and the Earth align in a straight line with the inferior planet in between. During the transit, the inferior planet appears as a dark dot across the Sun's disc. This phenomenon does not occur every year because of the inclination of the inferior planet's orbit to that of the Earth (Figure 1). Figure 1 The relative positions of the Sun, an inferior planet and the Earth during the transit of the inferior planet. Transit of Venus Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun in the Solar System. It is also closer to the Earth than any other planets. Besides the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky. Transit of Venus is a rare astronomical phenomenon. The next transit will occur on 6 June 2012. After which it will only recur in 2117. The different stages during the transit of Venus on 6 June 2012 Beginning of transit: Exterior contact: Venus begins to enter the Sun's disc Interior contact: Venus is just entirely inside the Sun's disc End of transit: Interior contact: Venus begins to leave the Sun's disc Exterior contact: Venus is just entirely outside the Sun's disc Transits of Venus from Year 2001 to Year 3000 21st Century (Year 2001­2100) 8 June 2004 6 June 2012 23rd Century (Year 2201­2300) 11 June 2247 9 June 2255 25th Century (Year 2401­2500) 12 June 2490 10 June 2498 27th Century (Year 2601­2700) 16 December 2603 13 December 2611 29th Century (Year 2801­2900) 16 December 2846 14 December 2854 22nd Century (Year 2101­2200) 11 December 2117 8 December 2125 24th Century (Year 2301­2400) 13 December 2360 10 December 2368 26th Century (Year 2501­2600) Nil Nil 28th Century (Year 2701­2800) 15 June 2733 13 June 2741 30th Century (Year 2901­3000) 16 June 2976 14 June 2984