The last chance for people to see Venus like a black dot in front of the sun is here. People can see this transit between Earth and Sun this Tuesday.
The planet Venus will cross the face of the sun on Tuesday afternoon. This event is known as the transit of Venus. This event is considered as one of the most anticipated scientific events of the century. This transit will be visible for a while across the United States before sunset. If anyone misses this rare astronomical event, he or she will have to wait till 2117 to see the next one.
The Venus would like a tiny, black spot during this transit event. This planet will commune with the sun for a very short amount time on the East Coast. But don't plan to watch this event with naked eyes as it might be dangerous for retinas. Some organizations and high-school science groups in different places are organizing events to let people witness the phenomenon safely. International Space Station is also planning to create an event to see this fleeting beauty mark.
Johannes Kepler, the mathematician and Astronomer was the first one who noticed this Venus transit. The first transit occurred in 1631 and it was not visible from Europe. This event was noticed only six other times in history. The most recent transit happened in 2004. After this Tuesday, the next transit is expected to occur in 2117.
"This is such a rare event and it's historic because it really does give us a greater understanding of the universe we live in," said Adam Block of the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. People can see this event live on NASA's website.
