Community Corner

Liked the Solar Eclipse? You'll Love the Venus Transit

On June 5, Venus will pass in front of the sun just as the moon did on May 20. Better watch. The next Transit of Venus won't be until December 11, 2117.

Skygazers who watched the recent solar eclipse should get their safety goggles ready for a celestial event that won't occur again for 105 years.

On June 5, the second planet in our solar system will crawl across the surface of the sun making an epic journey called the Transit of Venus.

If you miss this event, you'll never get a chance to see it. The next Venus Transit won't occur until December 11, 2117.

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So says NASA, which has calculated the next 2,000 years worth of transits for those who wish to put the events into their day planner.

Sky & Telescope Magazine says the Venus Transit will be visible on the East Coast from 6:04 to 6:21 pm on Tuesday, June 5.

Find out what's happening in Plymouth-Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Venus Transit is an odd duck, even by astronomical standards.

As NASA explains, the event follows a pattern: two transits occur within eight years of one another. Then there's a long break. This has to do with factors such as the length of a year on Venus (224.701 days) and Earth (365.256 days).

The most recent Venus Transit occurred on June 8, 2004. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat made a time-lapse video of that event and posted it on YouTube (attached to this Article).

What is the best place in town to go skygazing? Upload your pictures of the Venus Transit to our Pics & Clips gallery.


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