The passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun is a rare astronomical phenomenon, which sometimes even not every generation can see. It was thanks to one of these passages that the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov discovered the presence of an atmosphere on this planet. You can try to make your discoveries in 2012, but you need to remember that in the 21st century, the inhabitants of the Earth will no longer have such an opportunity.
In 2012, the inhabitants of the Earth for the last time in the current century will be able to witness a rare astronomical phenomenon - the transit of Venus. The very word "transit" in astronomy means a moment in time during which one celestial body passes in front of another celestial body. Of course, transit is a relative concept and exists only for a conditional observer from a specific point. On June 6, 2012 (June 5 - in the Eastern Hemisphere), such observers, and far from conditional, will become a large part of the world's population.
In Russia, Venus against the background of the Sun can be seen by all residents of the western part of the country and even a little beyond the Urals - up to the Altai Republic. At sunrise, the planet will be seen moving along the solar disk from top to bottom and from left to right. Partial transit phenomena in the presence of optical devices can be seen in distant Siberia, however, the conditional curve of the motion of Venus for earthlings will shift further and further towards Australia. Detailed maps and graphs of the motion of Venus relative to the earth's surface can already be found on a number of resources. However, with a little knowledge of English, you can also use the primary source - the website of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa.gov)
The transit of Venus is not only an amazing and rare phenomenon, but also dangerous. It's all about the sun itself, a direct look at which can damage the lens of the eye. It is impossible to observe the transit of Venus with the naked eye, in the absence of telescopes and binoculars with a special light-protective filter, it is best to observe this astronomical phenomenon through the glass of the welder's shield, a floppy disk of a disassembled diskette, project the image of the Sun through a small hole onto the screen located behind it, and so on - the rules exactly the same as for a solar eclipse.
The last time the transit of Venus was observed by earthlings was only eight years ago, and at about the same time - on June 8th. But the living inhabitants of the planet, most likely, will not see the next passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun, because it will take place in 2117.
