Venus Transit 2012 at The Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory of Western University

The Venus Transit of June 5, 2012

Venus TransitVenus Transit

Warning: Looking directly at the Sun without proper eye protection can result in severe eye damage in seconds.

On June 5 2012, from about 6:00 p.m. onward until sunset, a truly rare event can be witnessed from many locations worldwide, including London, Ontario: the planet Venus will move in front of the Sun. Such an event is called a transit. Transits of Venus are truly rare events: the phenomenon has only been observed six times since Johannes Kepler first predicted a transit to occur in 1631, and the next one will happen only 105 years from now -- in 2117! It is one of the few events that give human beings a direct sense of the scale of the Solar System, and in fact, Venus transits have historically been used precisely to measure the distance scale of the Solar System.

The Department of Physics & Astronomy, the Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration (CPSX) and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) are working together to offer the public the best and safest observing experience. From about 5:30pm onward, we will open up the Cronyn observatory and use the main telescope to project images of the Sun on a screen. In addition, we will have an observation station in the southeast corner of the Springett parking lot where we will offer diverse views of the event, including through a state-of-the-art solar telescope. At both sites, we will be distributing eclipse glasses that allow you to see the transit with your own eyes. A "planet walk" between the two sites will show a scale model of the Solar System, and in the conference room of the Cronyn observatory, we will present a small exhibit about Venus and transits, as well as a live feed of the event as seen from different locations worldwide.

Many professional astronomers will be around to answer any question you may have. After sunset, we will keep the observatory open for stargazing, which will include telescopic views of Mars, Saturn, and many more wonders of the Universe. In case of bad weather, the exhibit at the observatory will be open, and astronomers will give presentations about related topics.

We will be delighted to greet you and your family at this event, and share this unique and historical moment!

If you can't make it to the Western campus, but you would still like to observe the transit yourself, you can find 6 safe ways of looking at the transit on this website, that contains many links to instructional videos and more resources.

Alternatively, you can follow the event online through various live feeds. For instance:

NASA Edge live from Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The site furthermore has a lot of links to other webcasts worldwide!
Also the Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea will be broadcasting.

ESA Venus transit monitor: Images in white light and through Hα filters from two locations.

The Exploratorium: This San Francisco museum for science, art and human perception will provide a live feed from from Mauna Loa Observatory, Maui and provide expert commentary as the event progresses.

Photostream from the International Space Station. Don Pettit & the other astronauts on the ISS will be the first persons to observe a Venus transit from space!

General information on the transit can be found at transitofvenus.org.