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Professor offers opportunity to view rare celestial event
LEWISTON, Idaho - A Lewis-Clark State College professor says Tuesday, June 5th offers an opportunity to view an astronomical event that will not occur again for over 100 years.
"An extraordinary astronomical alignment takes place this Tuesday, June 5th," said Dr. Victor Kriss, an astronomy professor at the college. "Venus will cross the Sun's face, an event that will not happen again for another 105 years!"
Kriss said Venus will be exactly between the Earth and the Sun, resulting in a view of the disk of Venus passing across the face of the Sun. The transit will start shortly after 3:00 PDT. For the next 6 hours, Venus will creep across the Sun's face.
If it is clear, the LC Division of Natural Science will hold a public viewing of the transit on the lawn next to the LCSC library. The viewing will start after 3:00 PDT.
Kriss said if you want to see the transit at home, you can use standard eclipse filters or number #14 welders glass, or you can project an image on a piece of paper using a small telescope or a pinhole. He cautions that you should not stare at the Sun, because looking at it directly, or through an unfiltered telescope or binoculars, will seriously damage your eyes.
According to Kriss, only six transits have ever been observed by people since the invention of the telescope, beginning in 1631. The next one won't take place until December 10th, 2117.
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