On Tuesday, June 5, 2012, starting at just after 5 PM Winnipeg time, an astronomical event began that, at best, may be seen only twice in a lifetime. The transit of Venus, which last occurred in June of 2004 and will not happen again until December of 2117, was celebrated and observed by hundreds of people here at the University of Winnipeg. Highlights of the evening included viewing the transit directly (through special solar glasses of course!), observing the transit using a solar scope, seeing the shadow of Venus on the sun through a telescope (along with numerous sunspots), a presentation of the history and scientific importance of the transit of Venus (see: Transit of Venus Presentation for a pdf version of this presentation), and finally a reading of the play "Transit of Venus" by Winnipeg author Maureen Hunter. Unfortunately, if you missed seeing first-hand the transit on June 5, you're out of luck (unless you manage to hang around for another 105 years!). For more information, please see: Transit of Venus June 5 and 6 and UWinnipeg
Pictures from the Transit of Venus Activities, June 5, 2012, UWinnipeg
