-
On June 5 and 6, 2012 the planet Venus will pass in front of the Sun for the last time this century. Millions around the world will witness this rare astronomical phenomenon.
This website is entirely devoted to the transit of Venus: its history, where and when you should watch it and what you can do to get involved in the observation. Learn more...
Download free phone app
New books to read
Contact
Author Archives: Steven van Roode
Ahead of the release of her new book Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens, Andrea Wulf wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal today, explaining the revolutionary effect of the transit of Venus enterprise on the development … Continue reading
Here is a new video by the Sun-Earth Day team about the transit of Venus, focussing this time on the nineteenth century transits of Venus. Special attention goes to the British expedition that observed the 1874 transit from Hawaii, but … Continue reading
In only seven weeks time the last transit of Venus of this century will be over. Are you still looking for a unique place to watch the transit? Here’s our top three! From each location you can see the entire … Continue reading
In 1882 a German expedition was stationed at Aiken, South Carolina, to observe the transit of Venus on December 6 of that year. Headed by Julius Franz, the team set up an observatory typical of the German transit of Venus … Continue reading
Here’s a great new video from Lab, Camera, Action! Written and presented by Andrew Steele, it delves into the mechanics of the transits of Venus on June 5 and 6.
After 370 years, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, says farewell to astronomy. In 1642 the first astronomical observations were made at the world’s second university observatory. As of March 2012, all astronomical activities have been transferred to other universities, leaving a … Continue reading
The transit of Venus is now only two months away, and the event is gaining momentum. More and more people are becoming aware of the privileged view they are offered on June 5 and 6: our last chance to see … Continue reading
Here’s a stargazing spectacle to look out for tonight: on its way towards the Sun, Venus will pass in front of the southern edge of the Pleiades. The picture below taken on April 1 by Monika Landy Gyebnar from Veszprem, … Continue reading
We published some earlier posts on this blog about stamps related to the transit of Venus. Chuck Bueter showed us a collection of stamps from all around the world, and we found stamps honouring the Germans and the French stationed … Continue reading
On the beach of Terror Cove, near the settlement of Port Ross on Auckland Island, there are three red brick pillars, overgrown with plants and weeds, as the 2007 image by Ian Armitage shows. These are the sole remains of … Continue reading
follow us on twitter