NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory filmed the last Venus transit for the next one hundred years from space on June 5th. The next time Venus transits the sun won’t be until 2117.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission to study the Earth-Sun connection as it relates to life and society on the Earth. It consists of a “3-axis stabilized spacecraft” that studies the solar atmosphere over small scales of time in many different wavelengths simultaneously, mainly to learn more about how stored magnetic energy is converted and released as solar wind, energetic particles, and solar flares.
The Venus transit appeared as a small black dot moving across the surface of the sun. Venus is actually nearly the same size as the Earth, just closer to the Sun than us.
The 2012 Venus transit began at 22:09 UTC on 5 June 2012 and finished at 04:49 UTC on 6 June. And it won’t be seen again on the Earth until 2117 and 2125.
Here’s the video:
Source: Wikipedia
Image Credits: NASA/SDO
For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity. - Ecclesiastes 3:19
