24. His Orbit is inclined seven degrees to the Ecliptic; and _that_ Node § 20, from which he ascends northward above the Ecliptic is in the 14th degree of Taurus; the opposite, in the 14th degree of Scorpio. The Earth is in these points on the 5th of _November_ and 4th of _May_, new style; and when Mercury comes to either of his Nodes at his[5] inferior Conjunction about these times, he will appear to pass over the disc or face of the Sun, like a dark round spot. But in all other parts of his Orbit his Conjunctions are invisible, because he either goes above or below the Sun. [Sidenote: When he will be seen as if upon the Sun.] 25. Mr. WHISTON has given us an account of several periods at which Mercury may be seen on the Sun’s disc, _viz._ In the year 1782, _Nov._ 12th, at 3 h. 44 m. in the afternoon: 1786, _May_ 4th, at 6 h. 57 m. in the forenoon: 1789, _Dec._ 6th, at 3 h. 55 m. in the afternoon; and 1799, _May_ 7th, at 2 h. 34 m. in the afternoon. There will be several intermediate Transits, but none of them visible at _London_. [Sidenote: Fig. I. Venus.] 26. VENUS, the next Planet in order, is computed to be 59 millions of miles from the Sun; and by moving at the rate of 69 thousand miles every hour in her Orbit (as in the circle marked ♀), she goes round the Sun in 224 days 17 hours of our time nearly; in which, though it be the full length of her year, she has only 9-1/4 days, according to BIANCHINI’s observations; so that in her, every day and night together is as long as 24-1/3 days and nights with us. This odd quarter of a day in every year makes every fourth year a leap-year to Venus; as the like does to our Earth. Her diameter is 7906 miles; and by her diurnal motion the inhabitants about her Equator are carried 43 miles every hour: besides the 69,000 above-mentioned. [Sidenote: Her Orbit lies between the Earth and Mercury.] 27. Her Orbit includes that of Mercury within it; for at her greatest Elongation, or apparent distance from the Sun, she is 96 times his breadth from his centre; which is almost double of Mercury’s. Her Orbit is included by the Earth’s; for if it were not, she might be seen as often in Opposition to the Sun as in Conjunction with him; but she was never seen 90 degrees, or a fourth part of a Circle, from the Sun. [Sidenote: She is our morning and evening Star by turns.]