Venus transit 6-8-2004 -- Image source: Wikipedia Commons via EarthSky.org
The last transit of Venus in this century will be visible in the U.S. today (June 5), with web coverage starting around 5 p.m. EDT. Online viewing options include:
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Spaceweather.com’s realtime gallery will offer constantly updated images of the transit. Another photo-stream of interest comes from the International Space Station where Don Pettit will be the first man in history to photograph a Venus transit from space. There are also many live webcasts of the transit from locations around the world: #1, #2, #3, #4.
- Slooh.com will broadcast 10 free, real-time feeds of the Venus transit live from solar telescopes in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, Norway, Arizona, and New Mexico.
- The Exploratorium in San Francisco will show the transit on large screens during museum hours, and others worldwide can watch it via their live feed.
- Bareket Observatory in Israel will offer a Live Venus transit page. They say you’ll be automatically transferred to the live images, during the event.
- Astronomers Without Borders will stream the event live to a worldwide audience from historic Mount Wilson Observatory in Southern California.
A chart with local times for the transit across the globe are available at Astronomy.com.
EarthSky.org has a great explanation of why a Venus transit is so rare, including illustrations (at the bottom of the article).
