Abstract
THREE hundred years ago, in November and December 1631, the first accurately predicted transits of both Mercury and Venus took place, but only the transit of Mercury was observed. Kepler many years before had stated that Mercury would cross the sun's disc on May 20, 1607, and carefully but vainly watched for it. With the completion of the Rudolphine Tables in 1627, he again took up the problem of determining the times of transit, and in a small tract published in 1629, entitled “Admonitio ad Astronomos rerumque celestium studiosos, de miris rarisque anni 1631 phaenomenis …”, announced that Mercury would pass over the sun's disc on Nov. 7, 1631, and Venus on Dec. 6, 1631. He announced at the same time that there would not be another transit of Venus before 1761, but in this he was in error.
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