Once in a Long While | Space Wallaper

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Once in a Long While
Across a 100 year time frame, Mercury passes between Earth and our Sun only 13 or so times. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard)

About 13 times every 100 years, Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun. Planetary transits are rare events that offer a unique opportunity for astronomers to study how planets move in space. Here, Mercury is visible in the lower lefthand corner of the image. [More images of the Mercury Transit of 2016]

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.