Transit Of Venus

Cincinnati, OH - Transit of Venus. Venus, the second planet from the sun, orbits in almost the same plane Earth does -- almost but not exactly. Orbiting the sun once every 225 Earth-days, it often passes between us and the sun, but from our point of view, it usually appears to pass just above or below it.

Tonight, June 5th, at 6:09 p.m. Earth, Venus and the Sun will be in a straight line. For the next six hours and 40 minutes (times will vary slightly depending on your location), it will slowly move from one side of the sun's disc to the other -- appearing as a black dot about 1/32 as wide as the sun itself. 

Locally,  you can watch this "cosmic ballet" at the Cincinnati Observatory. Observatory members will set up safe solar telescopes and demonstrate other creative ways to view this event. Also, area high schools will set up viewing stations too. You can find out more from the Cincinnati Observatory.

Astronomers repeatedly warn how dangerous it is to look directly into the sun. It's better to look at an image projected through a telescope or pair of binoculars onto a flat surface. If you happen to be a welder, No. 14 welder's glass or darker is considered safe. NASA has compiled safe viewing tips here and will also have a webcast.

Because of the complexities of orbital mechanics, there are two Transit of Venus events in a period of eight years -- the last was in June, 2004- followed by a break of more than a century. Our viewing could very well be obscured by clouds this evening and that's a problem. The next Transit of Venus is December 10, 2117.