Eisenhower Observatory Opens for Transit of Venus

Eisenhower Observatory is inviting residents to celebrate an astronomical phenomenon that won’t happen again in our lifetimes.

The observatory, located in the Eisenhower Community Center, will host festivities Tuesday night to mark the transit of Venus.

A "transit" of Venus occurs when Venus passes between the Earth and the sun in such a way that observers can see Venus’ silhouette backlit by the sun. It last happened in 2004 but won't happen again until 2117.

(To see exactly what’s happening, watch the video above created by Perkiomen Valley Patch columnist David Powell.)

In honor of the occasion, Eisenhower Observatory will have ExploraDome journeys, hands-on activities, telescopes to observe the sky and simulcast coverage of the transit from Hawaii.

The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The transit will begin at 5:04 p.m. CDT. Those who want to observe it on their own should remember to never look directly at the sun with the naked eye. Viewing the sun with binoculars or a telescope can direct the sun's magnified rays directly into the eyeball and cause serious injury.

Sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection either. The transit can be viewed safely through No. 14 welder’s glass, looking directly into the sun without risking injury.

You can also use binoculars to project an image of the Sun onto a white piece of paper. But remember not to look through the binoculars at the sun!.

There also several places to watch the transit of Venus online:

• The Slooh Space Camera will offer an 8-hour webcast of the transit that includes real-time video feeds from 10 telescopes around the world.
• Astronomers Without Borders will carry a video stream of the transit from the Mount Wilson Observatory in California.
• NASA will offer a live video feed from the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii with expert commentary.
• The San Francisco Exploratorium will host an online video stream from the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory in Hawaii.

Lastly, there's Don Pettit, an astronaut currently aboard the International Space Station. Pettit's not doing a video feed, but he will become the first person to ever photograph a transit of Venus from outer space. 

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