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You are here: Home / Space / How Often Does Venus Transit the Sun and Why Doesn’t Venus Transit the Sun With Every Revolution?

How Often Does Venus Transit the Sun and Why Doesn’t Venus Transit the Sun With Every Revolution?

April 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

Venus transits the Sun, but not with every revolution.

The reason for this is that its orbital plane is at a 3 percent incline to the ecliptic, the Sun’s apparent path around Earth.

Only when Venus crosses the ecliptic at the time of its inferior conjunction will it transit the Sun.

It usually passes above or below the Sun from Earth’s point of view.

When it does cross the Sun’s surface, it appears as a small shadow.

The next time this is expected to happen is in 2012.

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  • What Effect Does the Atmosphere Have On the Planet Venus and Why Is Venus Hotter Than Mercury?
  • What Is the Surface of Planet Venus Like and Why Is Venus So Hot and Dry?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Long Is a Day and a Year On Venus and How Many Earth Days Is One Solar Day On the Planet Venus?
Next Post: Why Does the Planet Venus Have Phases Like Mercury and Why Does Venus Sometimes Appear As a Crescent? »

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