How (And Where) to Watch the Venus Transit in Davis

Solar Eclipse. Lunar Eclipse. Venus Transit!

It’s a trifecta for celestial viewing that has taken place all in less than a month’s time. You can check out the Transit of Venus with the the Davis Astronomy club at the Explorit Nature Center today at 3 p.m.

There will be telescopes set up outside of at 6 p.m. as well as at the (near Willet) at 3 p.m., according to the Explorit Facebook page. 

Learn more about the . 

The Transit of Venus may not be quite as impressive as the annular eclipse of the sun, the one that we just saw on May 20. It’s more like a dot, traveling along one side of the sun.

We will likely see the beginning of the transit -- the first 4-5 hours of it, according to Los Altos Patch. To see the end, look for the live webcast from the Big Island in Hawaii, at the observatory at Mauna Kea, at altitudes where the atmosphere is very clear and an array of giant telescopes are pointed toward the sky.

Here's how to sound like you know what you’re talking about while watching the Transit:

• Tell people you’re going to be there at the beginning, because that’s where the action’s at.
• Start tossing around terms, like “the Black Drop Effect” and impress your friends, or 
• Ask fellow viewers if they can discern the aureole at the beginning or the end of Venus’ trek

, be safe. Do not look at the sun without appropriate solar viewing lenses. Because the Transit of Venus appears as a dot, this is an occasion where going to an observatory could be a better experience than viewing it alone or via a .

Check out the Explorit Facebook page for details about today's viewing, which starts at 3 p.m.

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