NASA Hosts Global Viewing Events for Rare Astronomical Reunion

May 23, 2012

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-095

NASA HOSTS GLOBAL VIEWING EVENTS FOR RARE ASTRONOMICAL REUNION

WASHINGTON -- NASA Television will air a live program starting at 5:30
p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 5, showcasing the celestial phenomenon of the
planet Venus trekking across the face of the sun. The rare event,
known as the Venus Transit, will not occur again until 2117.

The transit occurs when Venus passes directly between Earth and the
sun. Viewers will see Venus as a small dot gliding slowly across our
nearest star. Historically, viewed by luminaries like Galileo
Galilei, Captain James Cook and even Benjamin Franklin, this rare
alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system.

There have been 53 transits since 2000 B.C. The last time the event
occurred was on June 8, 2004, watched by millions worldwide. This
year, observers on seven continents and a small portion of Antarctica
will be in position to see it.

NASA TV coverage will include updates from NASA centers across the
country and locations from some of the 148 countries hosting viewing
activities. Images taken of the transit from the International Space
Station and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Solar Dynamics
Observatory also will be aired with scientists sharing their
perspectives and the historical significance of the event.

NASA EDGE, a behind-the-scenes, informative webcast, will air the
transit live from Mauna Kea, Hawaii. This location offers the best
viewing position of the entire transit.

For more information about the worldwide events, safety precautions
for viewing, educational content and social media activities, visit:

http://venustransit.nasa.gov

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The public can follow the event on Twitter on #venustransit and
download a free phone App at:

http://venustransit.nasa.gov/2012/multimedia/apps.php


-end-



To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov