Community Corner

St. Michael Middle School Students Set for Venus Show

The rare celestial event, the transit of Venus, occurs June 5, 2012. It last happened in 2004 and won't happen again until 2117. Middle School East students will get a look via welding masks, of all things.

A little after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, residents in and around St. Michael will have an opportunity to witness one of the rarest predictable celestial events: a transit of Venus.

Often referred to as the "Evening Star" or "Morning Star," Venus is the brightest natural object in our sky after the Sun and the Moon. As the second planet from the Sun, it's closer to the Sun than the Earth is. 

A "transit" of Venus occurs when Venus passes between us and the Sun in such a way that we can see Venus's silhouette backlit by the Sun's brilliant light. It last happened in 2004, but it won't happen again until 2117. Unless you plan to shatter some human longevity records, this is probably your last chance.

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Were Venus either large enough or close enough to block out the Sun's light as it passed, we would call this event an eclipse, as we do when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. Venus, however, is a little bit smaller than the Earth and about 27 million miles away. When its tiny silhouette is viewed against the Sun, which lies another 66 million miles beyond, it can offer viewers a dramatic sense of the solar's system's vast scale.

Students from will enjoy the show thanks to teacher Jenna Totz, who is a science teacher there. 

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"We're going to borrow some welding masks from the and meet in front of East until about 5 p.m. We'll stay on it until about 7 p.m., but you'll be able to see it until the sun sets," Totz said. 

Why the welding masks?

"They're coated for that bright light, and you'll be able to look at the sun. It's perfect!" she said. 

If you're looking for an opportunity to check out the down the road near Maple Grove, weather permitting and sufficiently clear skies, the Jackson Middle School Observatory in Champlin is having a public viewing Tuesday, June 5 from 5 p.m. until sunset, according to the Jackson Middle School website. The observatory, located about a mile from the Maple Grove border, is also scheduled to have a live NASA connection from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m Tuesday, according to the website. For details and directions, including parking, visit the Jackson Middle School Observatory website.

Another nearby free public viewing is 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. June 5 at Eisenhower Observatory at the Bell Museum of National History in Hopkins, according to the Bell Museum of National History website. Eisenhower Observatory will be hosting festivities including ExploraDome journeys, hands-on activities, telescopes to observe the sky and simulcast coverage of the transit from Hawaii, according to the website.

Those in the central and western U.S. will be able to enjoy it longer, while viewers in Alaska, Japan, and large sections of Australia, China, and Russia will be able to see it in its entirety. By the time the Sun rises on the East Coast on Wednesday, Venus will have completed the transit.

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How to watch

Never look directly at the sun with your naked eyes. You can damage your eyes. Likewise, viewing the sun with either binoculars or a telescope can direct the sun's magnified rays directly into your eyeball and cause serious injury―think about what happens to ants under a magnifying glass.

Sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. If you know someone who works in plumbing or construction, ask them if they have any No. 14 welder's glass. You can look directly at the sun through this material without risking injury.

If you have a tripod or a partner and a pair of steady hands, you can use binoculars to project an image of the Sun onto a white piece of paper. Remember, don't look through your binoculars at the sun!

Though it's not quite the same as viewing the phenomenon in person, there are several places to watch the transit of Venus online:

Lastly, there's Don Pettit, an astronaut currently aboard the International Space Station. Pettit's not doing a video feed, but he will become the first person to ever photograph a transit of Venus from outer space

Editor’s note: Will you be viewing the transit of Venus? Are you an amateur astronomer that wants to share your tips and experience? Tell us in comments!


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