Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

May 8, 2012

Rare Venus Transit of Sun in June to Amaze Skywatchers

Your last chance to watch Venus cross the face of the sun is less than a month away. This rare event, known as a transit of Venus, will take place on June 5 for Western Hemisphere observers, though it will be June 6 local time for skywatchers in the Eastern...

May 14, 2012

Scientists to Watch Historic Venus Transit of the Sun from Alaska

A NASA sun-watching spacecraft will have an unbeatable view of June's historic Venus transit, but some of the probe's scientists are taking measures to get a great look for themselves here on Earth, too. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite will watch from space as Venus crosses the sun's face...

May 16, 2012

How Venus Transit of Sun in June May Help Find Alien Planets

Observations of next month's historic Venus transit may eventually help astronomers spot and study alien planets circling faraway stars, one prominent researcher says. On June 5, Venus will cross the face of the sun from Earth's perspective — the last time it will do so for 105 years. But the...

May 21, 2012

After Solar Eclipse, June's Venus Transit of Sun Is Next Amazing Sky Sight

Sunday's ring of fire solar eclipse may be history, but skywatchers have another stunning event to look forward to — next month's historic Venus transit of the sun. On Sunday (May 20), the moon covered most of the sun's disk but left a ring of light blazing around its circumference....

May 30, 2012

How the Transit of Venus Across Sun Enthralled Stargazers Through History

On June 5, the planet Venus will appear to cross in front of the disk of the sun, appearing as a small black dot. The historic skywatching event, called a transit of Venus by astronomers, is among the rarest of predictable phenomena and one that has amazed scientists and observers...

May 30, 2012

Excitement Builds for Rare Transit of Venus on June 5

Scientists are gearing up for the upcoming transit of Venus, an extremely rare opportunity to watch the planet Venus pass in front of the sun as seen from Earth. Venus is due to make this cosmic crossing June 5-6 — the last time such an event will occur until 2117....

Jun 1, 2012

Rare Transit of Venus Puts Spotlight on Planetary Sun Crossings

A rare opportunity to see the planet Venus cross in front of the face of the sun is coming up next week. On June 5 to 6, Venus will transit the sun for the last time until 2117, joining the ranks of the handful of planetary transits that have occurred...

Jun 1, 2012

Gallery: Views of Venus

Golden Globe (Image credit: NASA/JPL)This look at Venus pastes mapping data from NASA's Magellan mission onto a computer-generated sphere. Transit of Venus (Image credit: NASA)In 2004, Venus passed across the face of the sun. June 5, 2012 is the last transit of Venus until 2117. One of the first photographs...

Jun 1, 2012

Transit of Venus Offers Last-Chance Views

Look skyward, space-lovers: Tuesday, June 5 is the last chance in your lifetime to see the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. Venus won't visibly pass between the Earth and the sun again until 2117, so get your special sun-viewing glasses now. In North America, the transit...

Jun 1, 2012

Astronaut to Take 1st Transit of Venus Pictures From Space

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will have a unique vantage point for next week's transit of Venus, a stunning and rare event when Venus will appear as a tiny black dot on the sun as it crosses in front of our nearest star. The transit will take place June...

Jun 1, 2012

Why Is it so Dangerous to Look at the Sun During the Venus Transit?

If you want to watch the transit of Venus on June 5 - 6, just make sure you heed the advice of eye experts – don’t stare directly at the sun. And definitely don’t watch it if you're on LSD. Anytime you look at the sun for longer than a...

Jun 4, 2012

How to Watch the Venus Transit with Binoculars

On June 5, Venus will cross the face of the sun. If you live in North America, Europe, Asia or eastern Africa, you'll be able to witness this historic celestial event, which won't happen again for more than a century. But considering how dangerous it is to look at the...

Jun 4, 2012

Transit of Venus: What Earth Looks Like From Venus During Rare Sky Show

There is no question that countless numbers of people will be watching the transit of Venus on Tuesday; a very striking celestial phenomenon that has been seen only once in the last 129 years and won't happen again until December in the year 2117. But as we prepare to watch...

Jun 4, 2012

How to Safely Watch the Transit of Venus on Tuesday

Many people are planning to watch the transit of Venus on Tuesday (June 5), but it's extremely important that prospective viewers be warned to take special precautions (as with a solar eclipse) to view the silhouette of Venus against the brilliant disk of the sun. For the United States and...

Jun 4, 2012

Watch Live! Transit of Venus Webcasts from Around the World

A once-in-lifetime celestial event will take place Tuesday (June 5) when Venus will cross the sun for the last time this century, and astronomers around the world are in position to catch the show. And now you can be, too. You don't have to go to the ends of the...