Planetary transits and occultations
Hi there! Do you know how sometimes you see the moon covering the sun or how sometimes you see the planet Venus in front of the sun? Well, that's called a planetary transit or occultation.
So basically, planets like Earth, Venus, and Mars revolve around the sun, right? Sometimes when they move in their orbits, they come in between the sun and another planet or the earth or the moon. So, when this happens, we can see the planet traveling across the face of the sun, similar to how a person might walk across the stage during a performance. This is called a planetary transit.
On the other hand, if a planet or the moon comes in front of a star or the sun, and we cannot see the star or the sun for some time, it is called an occultation. It is like when a cloud covers the sun and you can't see the sun anymore.
Transits and occultations are pretty cool, don't you think? They help astronomers learn more about planets' orbits and atmospheres, which is pretty important for understanding our solar system.
So basically, planets like Earth, Venus, and Mars revolve around the sun, right? Sometimes when they move in their orbits, they come in between the sun and another planet or the earth or the moon. So, when this happens, we can see the planet traveling across the face of the sun, similar to how a person might walk across the stage during a performance. This is called a planetary transit.
On the other hand, if a planet or the moon comes in front of a star or the sun, and we cannot see the star or the sun for some time, it is called an occultation. It is like when a cloud covers the sun and you can't see the sun anymore.
Transits and occultations are pretty cool, don't you think? They help astronomers learn more about planets' orbits and atmospheres, which is pretty important for understanding our solar system.