Tonight is the last time until the year 2117 to see Venus move across the face of the sun. The event, called “the transit of Venus,” started at 3 p.m. for viewers in the Northwest, and will continue until sunset.
Jim Todd, planetarium manager for OMSI, said that a crowd of about 100 excited people had gathered outside the museum to watch the heavens together by about 4 p.m. Tuesday. He expects more people to turn up than viewed the recent partial solar eclipse.
Courtesy: NASA
"This is an extremely rare event," Todd said. "For Oregon itself, the last time this was visible was in 1882," Todd explained.
Todd said anyone planning on looking for the transit of Venus must use special glasses or a solar filter to protect the eyes. He says solar viewing glasses and non-direct viewing methods are safest. Read more about how to safely watch the transit of Venus.
NASA is broadcasting the transit live online from Hawaii. Click here to watch.
