Politics & Government

Video: Astronomer's Guide to the 2012 Venus Transit

Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomer and Monrovia resident Jane Houston Jones explains what the June 5, 2012 Venus Transit is and how it differs from other astronomical events.

The much-ballyhooed Venus Transit in 2012 is the first time the planet will pass directly between the Earth and the sun since 2004, and astronomers are eager to explain the differences between a transit and something like a lunar or solar eclipse.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomer and Monrovia resident Jane Houston Jones prepared this helpful video explaining what the Venus Transit is and how rarely such an event occurs.

Here are the highlight's from Jones' explanatory video:

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  • What is a "transit?"

"A transit is when Venus passes directly between the Earth and the sun," Jones explains.

  • What will it look like?

"The side of Venus facing us will appear as a small, black dot," Jones said, noting that it takes nearly 7 hours for the transit to occur.

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  • How often does it happen?

"Only six Venus Transits have happened since the invention of the telescope." The transits occur in pairs with more than 100 years in between each transit pair.


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