Observatory Night

All are invited to drop by the Gould Observatory between 5:30 pm and sunset on Tuesday evening (June 5, 2012) to witness THIS CENTURY’S LAST transit of Venus across the Sun.

Venus will only be covering 1/32 of the Sun’s surface, so a telescope with a solar filter (like ours!) is the best way to view this extremely rare event.

How rare? There have been only six Venus transits since the invention of the telescope! Because Venus transits occur in 8, 105.5, 8, 121.5 year intervals, there was one in 2004, but the next opportunity to see Venus crossing the Sun won’t come until 2117!

NO ONE in the 20^th century witnessed a Venus transit!

So don’t miss this last chance in a lifetime! Even if you can’t make it to the observatory, check out numerous sites on the web to learn about other SAFE ways of viewing the Venus transit.

Let’s hope for clear skies and hope to see you on Tuesday.