6/5: See the Transit of Venus

And there is cheap fun through Monday on the calendar.

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TUES 6/5

6pm to Sunset
The Transit of Venus
at the Surface of the Sun
FREE

It all depends on how interested you are about the machinations of our solar system, but this is a cool moment that won't happen again in your lifetime*.

As planetary orbits go Earthlings saw Venus pass across the Sun in 2004, and we are going to wait 105 years before it will happen again.

It should be visible from 6pm until the sun sets. If you go to the Transit of Venus site, there are various safe viewing ideas to general information as well as a free smartphone app.

Please don't stare at the sun! If it's cloudy BU and Harvard below offer a video feed of the event. (From a satellite?)

There are a few options to see it with some professional assistance:

- #1 -

Rooftop Viewing
at Phillips Auditorium, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St, Cambridge (between Porter Sq and Fresh Pond)

They say:

Attendees don't need to bring anything. We will offer filtered telescopes, solar projection, and a limited number of eclipse viewer glasses.
Parking is available at 60 Garden Street, 160 Concord Avenue, and the lot on Bond Street between Garden Street and Concord Avenue.

From personal experience, there's a lot of room on the roof even if a big crowd shows up.

- #2 -

Boston University Viewing Options
at Coit Observatory, rooftop of 725 Comm Ave, Boston
at 3 locations along Comm Ave, Boston

They say:

To enable the most people to view the transit safely, BU astronomers will staff telescopes across BU’s campus.

Underneath the observatory in Room 522, there will be astronomical smarty-pants to chat about the planets, stars, dark matter, and whatever else you like. (And this is where the video feed will be shown.)

- #3 -

Museum of Science Viewing (RSVP Required)
on the Garage Roof, 1 Science Park, Boston

Registration is FULL.

They say:

A number of telescopes will be set up[...] equipped with solar filters for safe viewing.

There are very few spots left, so hurry and RSVP!

* With advancements in science, some of us could be alive in 2117 -- if some other cataclysmic event doesn't occur first.