Eclipse: Once in a lifetime sight

Dayton, OHIO (WDTN) - Update:  Some Miami Valley residents are spotting Venus from our area.  Two photos here are from reportit@wdtn.com .

Tonight astronomers and stargazers will get a last chance to glimpse a rare astronomical event known as the transit of Venus . 

PHOTO GALLERY Transit of Venus

Unlike a solar eclipse, in which the moon temporarily blocks the sun, Venus will appear as a small black dot passing across the sun in the daytime sky.

But you have to wear special solar eyeglasses, or dark, polarized lenses such as welder's glasses, to prevent eye damage.

You can pick-up a pair of safe solar viewing glasses, which you can buy for a buck at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Viewers on the East Coast of the U.S. can watch the transit of Venus with their protective glasses from 6 tonight until sunset.

Now even with your protective glasses you can only view the sun for 1 to 2 minutes at the most.

Take advantage of this rare event because it won't happen again until the year 2117.

Transit of Venus website   

Live space event camera from SLOOH

FUN FACTS ABOUT TRANSIT OF VENUS

The first transit of Venus was viewed with a solar telescope in 1639.

In the early 17 hundreds fleets of ships were sent around the planet to measure the transit.  This allowed early astronomers to measure the size of our solar system.  They ended up figuring out that Earth is 93 million miles from the sun. 

Next transit of Venus will be in December of 2117.

If you were on Venus and look up the sky would appear yellow and because of it's dense atmosphere you would not be able to see any starts or other planets.

The Soviet Venera 9 and 10 space crafts landed on Venus and were able to send back fantastic images of the planets surface.  There were only a few photos taken because the craft melted and cracked under the intense heat and pressure from the surface of Venus.