Venus Sun Transit

Tonight at 6:08pm EST Venus will punch a hole in the sun… or at least it will look that way.

Venus will be viewable as a black dot that traverses the sun for about 18 minutes.  We will all be dead (possibly) the next time this solar phenomenon happens in 2117, so don’t miss it.

Don’t stare directly at the sun.  Use a cardboard pinhole viewer or welder’s glass.

I am going to squint and look at the sun wearing sunglasses but this is generally a very bad idea.

You will be able to view the Venus transit as long as the clouds cooperate.  This could be a great experience for your entire family.  If you don’t know how to make a pinhole viewer, read the directions below.

To safely view a Solar Eclipse, prepare a box with a pinhole (perhaps in aluminum foil covering a larger hole in the box) at one end and a white sheet of paper at the other end, inside. Standing, with your back to the Sun and your head inside the box, allow the Sun’s light to shine through the pinhole and observe a small image of the Solar Eclipse on the white sheet of paper. NEVER look through the pinhole at the Sun or a Solar Eclipse; this could cause MAJOR EYE DAMAGE and POSSIBLE BLINDNESS!

If you cannot find a box, you can also use two pieces of cardboard. Place a pinhole in one piece of cardboard. Standing with your back to the Sun, allow the light from the eclipse to shine through the pinhole and project onto the second piece of cardboard, where you will see a small image of the solar eclipse. Again, NEVER look through the pinhole at the Sun or a Solar Eclipse; this could cause MAJOR EYE DAMAGE and POSSIBLE BLINDNESS!

Directions from http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/solflyer2.htm