Transit of Venus Party at Grant Park

Meet up by the ball fields near the Grant Park Recreation Center. This is, understandably, a fair-weather event.

This event is hosted by the Grant Park Conservancy (http://www.gpconservancy.org/).

Remember, eye safety (http://www.transitofvenus.org/june2012/eye-safety) is a must wherever you view the transit.

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/b/4/6/event_118446982.jpegDon't miss this chance to observe this last transit of Venus for another 105 years!

A transit of Venus occurs when that planet passes directly between earth and the sun, we see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun. Historically, this rare alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system.

This Transit of Venus Party (http://www.gpconservancy.org/node/620), organized by the Grant Park Conservancy, kicks off at 5:30, with the transit itself beginning shorty after 6:00. The Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project (http://www.charliebates.org/) will be providing viewing instruments along solar glasses for us to use to view the transit safely .

So, pack yourself a picnic and join friends from the Atlanta Science Tavern and other astronomy lovers from around time for this fun family activity.

You can find out more about the transit of Venus here (http://www.transitofvenus.org/) and on this detailed blog post (http://brightstartutors.com/blog/2012/04/26/the-transit-of-venus/) by Science Tavern member Larry Phillips. Here's a useful reference, Six Ways to See the Transit of Venus (http://www.transitofvenus.org/june2012/48-safety/281-six-ways-to-see-the-transit-of-venus), that lists a variety of safe viewing options.

photo: Transit of Venus (Jan Herold)