NASA Hosts Global Viewing Events for Rare Astronomical Reunion

MEDIA ADVISORY : M12-095 NASA Hosts Global Viewing Events for Rare Astronomical Reunion WASHINGTON -- NASA Television will air a live program starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 5, showcasing the celestial phenomenon of the planet Venus trekking across the face of the sun. The rare event, known as the Venus Transit, will not occur again until 2117.

The transit occurs when Venus passes directly between Earth and the sun. Viewers will see Venus as a small dot gliding slowly across our nearest star. Historically, viewed by luminaries like Captain James Cook and even Benjamin Franklin, this rare alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system.

There have been 53 transits since 2000 B.C. The last time the event occurred was on June 8, 2004, watched by millions worldwide. This year, observers on all seven continents will be in position to see it.

NASA TV coverage will include updates from NASA centers across the country and locations from some of the 148 countries hosting viewing activities. Images taken of the transit from the International Space Station and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Solar Dynamics Observatory also will be aired with scientists sharing their perspectives and the historical significance of the event.

NASA EDGE, a behind-the-scenes, informative webcast, will air the transit live from Mauna Kea, Hawaii. This location offers the best viewing position of the entire transit.

For more information about the worldwide events, safety precautions for viewing, educational content and social media activities, visit:

http://venustransit.nasa.gov

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The public can follow the event on Twitter on #venustransit and download a free phone App at:

http://venustransit.nasa.gov/2012/multimedia/apps.php

- end -

text-only version of this release

NASA press releases and other information are available automatically by sending a blank e-mail message to hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov. To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a blank e-mail message to hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov.

Back to NASA Newsroom | Back to NASA Homepage

View the original article here