Venus (heart) Transits Sun on 5 June 2012
I recall when Venus transited the Sun in 2004. I happened to be with a friend who is a Scientist and went up to the observatory at La Trobe University. I was able to watch through the telescope the transit. I remember just being amazed at the perfect circle of Venus and how the Universe is intelligent. It was wonderful.
Apparently the next transit of Venus will not occur until 2114, so turn the television off and see the real thing but don’t stare at the Sun with the naked eye.
Here is some information. Note for those living in Australia the transit will happen on the 6 June 2012.
http://www.transitofvenus.org/june2012/where-to-be
Where to Be (and When)
Location, location, location.
Whether and when you can see the 2012 transit of Venus depends on your location. Key highlights include the four “contacts” near the beginning and end of the transit when Venus appears to touch the edge of the sun. Most of North America sees the beginning of the transit in the afternoon and evening (find a clear western horizon!) on June 5, whereas much of Eurasia sees the end of the transit in the morning (find a clear eastern horizon!) on June 6. 
The transit model shows the view of Venus and the sun from the perspective of your location.
Click to access and enlarge PDF version of map showing visibility of 2012 transit of Venus. Courtesy of Fred Espenak (NASA GSFC), who provides additional transit of Venus data from NASA.
To see an animation of how the sun appears at Region X, near Iceland, see http://youtu.be/3b7a_zXMnnU.
Time is of the Essence
The diagram (click for enlarged PDF version) shows the path of Venus across the sun and the contact times from an earth-centered perspective. However, from different locations on earth, the exact contact times vary by minutes or seconds. That slight difference in times is the essence of a transit’s value, for it allowed astronomers to calculate the size of the solar system. The entire event takes about 6 hours 40 minutes. The times in the diagram are in Universal Time, or essentially Greenwich Time.
For simplicity, visit http://www.transitofvenus.nl/details.html, or select a nearby city from one of the Links: Where to Be.
So, is the transit of Venus visible June 5 or June 6?
It depends on your time zone. Generally, for the Americas where it is visible (blue colors on map below) the 2012 transit occurs the evening of Tuesday, June 5, 2012. For Eurasia and Africa where it is visible (sage colors on map), the latter part of the transit is seen the morning of June 6, 2012. Map courtesy of Steven van Roode.
[Note: Some confusion may arise from published tables with a title stating the 2012 transit of Venus is on June 6. By default, these tables are titled by the mid-transit point in Universal Time. Because the middle of the transit occurs just after midnight on June 6 in Greenwich Time (even though it’s not visible then in Greenwich), the title nonetheless affirms June 6. ]
Links: Where to Be
Last Updated on Sun, 13 May 2012 17:59
http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/Excellent site automatically calculates your local circumstances (time of sunrise, time of sunset, times of all four contacts, altitude of the sun, etc.), based on your Internet connection. You can easily modify your location with a provided Google map. From Steven van Roode.
http://www.transitofvenus.nl/transit_venus_2012_ingress.jpg
World map of ingress times (contacts 1 & 2).
http://www.transitofvenus.nl/transit_venus_2012_egress.jpg
World map of egress times (contacts 3 & 4).
http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2012/about/event_locations.php
Interactive map shows NASA Sun-Earth Day Event Locations, keeping you up to date on what’s happening in your neighborhood. Upload your own events here, too.
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