Mercury and Venus are the only sizable objects (other than our own Moon) that can transit the Sun. In order for a transit to occur, the planet must be near the ascending or descending node of its orbit, and must be at inferior conjunction. These two circumstances occur relatively infrequently. The table below gives the dates of recent and upcoming transits. Anyone interested in some world traveling?
Obviously, proper solar filters must be used to view the sun safely.
| Date | Time (UT) | Planet | Visible from U.S.A.? | Rise or Set from Pittsburgh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 May 7 | 5:14 - 10:32 | Mercury | extreme eastern | rise 10:11 UT (clouds) |
| 2004 Jun 8 | 5:13 - 11:26 | Venus | yes, eastern | rise 9:50 UT (beautiful!) |
| 2006 Nov 8-9 | 19:13 - 0:11 | Mercury | yes, best in west | set 22:06 UT |
| 2012 Jun 5-6 | 22:16 - 4:56 | Venus | yes, best in west | set 0:46 UT |
| 2016 May 9 | 11:15 - 18:45 | Mercury | yes | rise 10:11 UT, set 0:24 UT |
| 2019 Nov 11 | 12:38 - 18:06 | Mercury | yes | rise 12:03 UT, set 22:03 UT |
Occultations and Transits SIG pages
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