Observers in North America see Venus on June 5 around 6:04 p.m. EDT until sunset. The entire transit lasts over six hours. This will be the last transit of Venus to occur in your lifetime. Next chance: December 2117.
Warning on today's transit of Venus: Do not look directly at the sun without special eye protections, wearing sunglasses will not protect your eyes if you look directly at the sun.
Acceptable filters for unaided visual solar observations include aluminized Mylar. Some astronomy dealers carry Mylar filter material specially designed for solar observing. Also acceptable is shade 14 arc-welder's glass, available for just a few of dollars at welding supply shops.
Unacceptable filters include sunglasses, old color film negatives, photographic neutral-density filters, and polarizing filters. Although these materials have very low visible-light transmittance levels, they transmit an unacceptably high level of near-infrared radiation that can cause a thermal retinal burn. The fact that the sun appears dim, or that you feel no discomfort when looking at the sun through the filter, is no guarantee that your eyes are safe.
Sites of interest on the Transit of Venus:
How to watch the Transit of Venus:
1. #14 Shade welding glass
2. Pinhole projectors - are a safe, indirect viewing technique for observing an image of the sun
3. You may project a magnified view of the sun through a reflector telescope or binoculars onto a white surface
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