On June 6, 2012 we will be able to experience a celestial event of historic and international proportions – the last transit of Venus for more than 100 years. The phenomenon will be described in literature and talked about for generations to come. It is probably the single most important celestial event on Earth in present time. Here you can find out more about this event and why it is so special.

On June 8, 2004 Venus was imaged when it entered the solar disk for the first time since 1882. The transits in 2004 and 2012 are the only that will take place in this century. The photo was taken with an H-alpha filter from Møvig Fort close to Kristiansand, Norway.
Photo: Trond Hugo Hermansen

Quicktime movie (27 MB) showing the transit as it will be seen from Tromsø in the early hours of June 6, 2012. Animation: Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard

On June 8, 2004 a historic transit of Venus occured. For more than 6 hours the planet slowly moved across the solar disk. The phenomenon was so unique that no good pictures existed and no one living in 2004 had seen a transit of Venus before. In the 18. century a transit of Venus for the first time allowed the scientists to measure the distances in space. That gave us invaluable knowledge about the physical properties of the celestial bodies. In 1769 scientists traveled around the globe to make the necessary measurements. In 2004 we could observe the same effect live by watching images taken from places thousands of miles apart.

In the early hours of June 6, 2012 we will experience the last transit of Venus that anyone living today can expect to see. The next one will not occur until December 2117!

Due to the time of the day when this phenomenon occurs the transit will only be partly visible. But in Norway the Sun rises very early and to the north of the Polar Circle the entire transit will be visible. In Oslo the Sun rises at 04.12 and the transit ends at 06.54.

In addition to Northern regions of Scandinavia, East-Asia including China can study the entire event.

A transit of Venus is both a historic, extremely rare and very accessible phenomenon. With eclipse shades everyone can watch Venus slowly transit the solar disk.

A more exotic, beautiful and rare event than a transit of Venus on a midnight Sun is hard to find!

Quicktime movie (27 MB) showing the transit as it will be seen from Tromsø in the early hours of June 6, 2012. Animation: Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard

The last transit of Venus for more than 100 years! Click on the map for better resolution.

Illustration: Fred Espenak, NASA

MORE INFORMATION

Major celestial events in Norway 2010-2015

Transit of Venus 2012