Solar conjunction the line of sight to an interior planet (Mercury or Venus) being very close to the solar disk. If the planet passes directly in front of the sun, a solar transit occurs. Solar conjunction Solar conjunction occurs when a planet or other solar system object is on the opposite side of the sun from the Earth. From an Earth reference, the sun will pass between the Earth and the object. Communication with any spacecraft in solar conjunction will be severely limited due to the sun's interference on radio transmissions from the spacecraft. When in reference to Satellite Communications, solar conjunction
Solar System Solar System The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either directly or indirectly. Of the objects that orbit the Sun directly, the largest are the eight planets, with the remainder being smaller objects, such as the five dwarf planets and small Solar System bodies. Of the objects that orbit the Sun indirectly—the moons—two are larger than the smallest planet, Mercury. The Solar System formed 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar molecular cloud. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun, with