Transit of Venus, 2012

We’re taking Tuesday afternoon off. Here’s why…

Venus has been a bright evening star for several months now. Have you seen the dazzling “star” after sunset this spring? Well it’s gliding along its orbit and soon it’ll pass between us and the sun, and then it’ll be a morning star for many months… But the cool part is the “pass between us and the sun” part.

Something is about to happen this week that won’t happen again for over a hundred years!

There will be a DOT moving across the face of the sun, starting just after 5pm Central time.

That is, Venus is about to pass directly between Earth and the Sun. Now, it’s no big deal for Venus to “pass” Earth every so many months, but usually Venus is a bit north (or, Earth is a bit south) or vice-versa, to prevent a perfect line-up. But this time, on June 5, 2012*, Venus is going to “transit” directly in front of the sun.

Venus is just about the size of the Earth. What a great way to get a sense of size and scale of how significant, or insignificant, we are!

The Evansville Museum is hosting a “Transit of Venus” event starting at 4pm, and at a bit after 5pm is when Venus and the Sun start to do their dance! That’s where we’ll be for the afternoon and well into the evening.

If you have an iPhone, you can install the (free) “VenusTransit” app to keep up to date on the happenings.

Hope for clear skies!

*For North America, the Transit of Venus #tov2012 will start just after 5pm Central Time in the evening of Tuesday, June 5, passing in front of our setting sun. For India, on the other hand, it’ll already be June 6, so watch for the Venus-dot in front of the RISING sun.