Venus Takes Center Stage In Rare Sky Show Today
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Venus is about to crawl across the face of the sun.
If you miss it, the next time this will happen will be 105 years from now — in 2117.
It's called a "transit of Venus" and it occurs today in the Western Hemisphere and Wednesday in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Venus will appear as a black spot gliding across the disk of the sun. Don't stare directly at the sun or you may damage your eyes.
The entire transit will be visible from the western Pacific, eastern Asia and eastern Australia.
You can see it in California at about 3:00 p.m.
There are a few local places where you can watch the transit of Venus across the sun. Sac City College will have viewing party at 2:45 p.m. in the quad in front of the library. And UC Davis has an event as well beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the west end of parking lot 2.
People in Central America and part of South America will see some of it before sunset. Europe, western and central Asia, eastern Africa and western Australia will catch the tail end after sunrise.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
