It is rare for Mercury to pass directly in front of the Sun when
viewed from Earth. This type of event is called a solar transit of
Mercury. One might think that a transit could be seen anytime that
Mercury and the Earth were on the same side of the Sun, but because
their orbits are at an angle, Mercury is often above or below the
Sun's visible disk. The only two locations in Mercury's orbit where
a transit can occur lie along or near a line called the line of
nodes. If Earth also lies along or near this line, then a transit
can occur. Created by Jeff Bryant (jeffb@wolfram.com)
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