The Planetary Event of 2012: The Venus Transit

Everybody's talking about it: The 2012 Venus Transit.

For many, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event, but for sure, it's the last time Venus will pass between the Earth and Sun for more than a 100 years. According to NASA, the next transit of Venus will be on December 11, 2117.

The individual rotations of the Earth and Venus align with the sun to create this occurrence in an odd 243-year cycle. Only seven "transits" have been recorded since Galileo invented the telescope in 1610.

According to NASA, the first recorded date was in 1631, then in 1639; astronomers were then able to predict the recurring transits in 1761, 1769, 1874, 1882, 2004 and now, on June 5, 2012.

The significance of the transit, and the excitement that surrounds it, is more than just an extremely rare social event. These celestial occurrences have given scientists the means to calculate distances in our solar system. 

What are we going to see when using our telescopes or binoculars that are outfitted with solar filters?

This is not a solar eclipse. Venus will pass directly between earth and the sun and we will see it as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun. Weather permitting, it should be visible locally beginning at 6:01 p.m.

Though many of us were around and aware of the 2004 Transit, in the Atlanta area, a heavy cloudcover prevented clear viewing.

Astronomers throughout the area are putting together viewing parties for the curious, as well as enthusiasts. Locally, here's a few opportunities to see this event through the lens of a properly equipped telescope: 

• Stone Mountain Park:  Atlanta Astronomy Club members will bring their solar filtered telescopes to share with the public on Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. Meet them at the top of the mountain for a spectacular viewing. Enthusiasts are predicting that with clear skies, at that height above the tree line, viewers will get as much as 30 or 40 more minutes of viewing time. Standard $10 vehicle entrance fee applies and you can either walk up the mountain or pay the fee to ride the cable car. U.S. 78 E., Exit 8, Stone Mountain. 770-498-5690.
•  Fernbank Science Center: Atlanta Astronomy Club members offer telescope viewings 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. 156 Heaton Park Drive N.E., Atlanta.
• Loganville/Grayson: The Charlie Elliott Chapter of the Atlanta Astronomy Club offers telescope viewings at Bay Creek Park. Volunteers will have specially equipped telescopes set up near the soccer field at 5:30 p.m. The transit begins at 6:01 and they expect to observe the transit until the sun is obscured by the trees on the horizon at around 7:00 p.m.  Bay Creek Park is at  175 Ozora Road in Loganville.

For those who can't make it out to a viewing party, you can see the event online: 

• The Slooh Space Camera will offer an eight-hour webcast of the transit that includes real-time video feeds from 10 telescopes around the world.
• Astronomers Without Borders will carry a video stream of the transit from the Mount Wilson Observatory in California.
• NASA will offer a live video feed from Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii with expert commentary.

If you can't make it out to one of the viewing parties, and are still intent on sharing this with your families, please make sure you do so safely. You may check out which options are safe, and which options are not, in our article about viewing safety, or at the NASA site.