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You are here: Home / Space / What Is Astronomical Transit and What Does Astronomical Transit Mean To Astronomers?

What Is Astronomical Transit and What Does Astronomical Transit Mean To Astronomers?

February 14, 2020 by Karen Hill

Astronomical transit occurs when a smaller celestial object passes in front of a larger one.

For instance, all inferior planets will cross the face of the Sun at some point in their orbits.

When Mercury transits the Sun, as seen from Earth, the planet may be seen as a dark spot traveling across the Sun’s surface.

In rare cases, one planet can transit in front of another.

The next time this will happen when observed from Earth will be on 22 November 2065 at 12:43 UTC, when Venus will transit in front of Jupiter.

The term star transit is used for the passage of a star through the eyepiece of a telescope.

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  • What Is an Astronomical Unit and How Is the Astronomical Unit Used To Measure Distances In Space?
  • How Do Astronomers Measure Really Big Distances and Why Were Astronomical Units Invented To Express Distance?
  • What Does Luminosity Mean In Astronomy and How Do Astronomers Measure the Luminosity of a Star?
  • Why Does The Strasbourg Cathedral Astronomical Clock have a Circus?
  • How Did Astronomical Telescopes Evolve To Become Bigger and More Powerful To See Deeper Into Space?

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: « Why Do the Planets Rotate Around the Sun and What Keeps the Planets In Orbit Around the Sun?
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