The Transit Of Venus
For those of you lucky enough not to be on the west coast of America, take a look up at the sun (with proper eye shields) on June 8, 2004. If you do, you will witness the transit of Venus, which is when Venus passes between the sun and Earth in such a way that it is silhouetted against the sun. This event is similar to a solar eclipse except Venus only blocks out 3 percent of the sun. What makes this event worth seeing is how rare it is. The last transit took place on December 6, 1882. So, if you happen to be someplace where you can see it, make sure to witness this astrological event or you will have to wait until 2012 to see the next one and 2117 to see the one after that. For more information and a colorful history of the transit of Venus see this month’s article in Scientific American. Anyone want to fly me to Europe to witness the whole transit?
