By — Lee Banville Lee Banville Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/viewing-the-venus-transit-whats-the-safest-way-to-stare-at-the-sun Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Viewing the Venus Transit: What’s the Safest Way to Stare at the Sun? Science Jun 1, 2012 4:30 PM EDT As the sun sets on June 5 in North America, a last-in-a-lifetime astronomical event will be visible to those who wish to look. Just don’t do it with your naked eye. A transit of Venus, wherein the planet Venus visibly crosses in front of the sun is extremely rare – so rare that it will not happen again until December 2117. Anybody can view the phenomenon, but safety is important, experts say. Luckily, there are a handful of ways to safely observe the phenomenon, including solar shades that allow direct viewing, a piece of paper and so-called “sunspotter,” an H-Alpha telescope, and even Welder’s glass. Edward Murphy, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia, gives us a how-to on these methods in the video above. But the best way to view Venus, he says, is to use a telescope equipped with a solar filter to block out infrared and ultraviolet rays. This allows a closer and safer view of the transit. And a word of caution, he says. You’ll be staring at the sun. Wear sunscreen, and a hat. EDITOR’S NOTE: This video has been modified to remove an image of a solar filter that may have misleading. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Lee Banville Lee Banville
As the sun sets on June 5 in North America, a last-in-a-lifetime astronomical event will be visible to those who wish to look. Just don’t do it with your naked eye. A transit of Venus, wherein the planet Venus visibly crosses in front of the sun is extremely rare – so rare that it will not happen again until December 2117. Anybody can view the phenomenon, but safety is important, experts say. Luckily, there are a handful of ways to safely observe the phenomenon, including solar shades that allow direct viewing, a piece of paper and so-called “sunspotter,” an H-Alpha telescope, and even Welder’s glass. Edward Murphy, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia, gives us a how-to on these methods in the video above. But the best way to view Venus, he says, is to use a telescope equipped with a solar filter to block out infrared and ultraviolet rays. This allows a closer and safer view of the transit. And a word of caution, he says. You’ll be staring at the sun. Wear sunscreen, and a hat. EDITOR’S NOTE: This video has been modified to remove an image of a solar filter that may have misleading. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now