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Transit of Venus Vocabulary

Fill in the blank with the correct word.   Choose from the following list.  Your score appears at the bottom.
The planet Earth is our home but many people have always been facinated by the happenings of the Sun, the stars, and the other planets in our .   Our solar system is in shape.  That means it is shaped like an egg.

The Sun is in the center and the solar system is always in motion. In June of 2004 a of Venus will take place when that planet passes directly between the Earth and the Sun. This is a that is very rare as its occurence has only been observed six times before now. When this happens, Venus appears as a small black dot on the surface of our Sun.

Many whose jobs are to observe and document what happens in space will be using and cameras to capture this unusual event.  Unfortunately for people in the United States, most of this , that is, the meeting of the Sun and Venus will not be seen.  The reason that it won't be seen is that at the time that Venus passes between the Sun and Earth it will still be night time in the western half or of the earth.

Here are some interesting facts about Venus. Venus and Earth are similar in size.  They differ in that Venus does not have ocenas or human life, and its temperature during the day reaches 484 degrees Celsius.  That temperature is high enough to melt lead.  Venus spins very slowly as it revolves around the sun in a circular .   It rotates slowly on its in a clockwise direction.   That is the opposite direction from any other of the planets.  Its rotation takes 243 Earth days, so a Venusian day is longer than a Venusian year!