All eyes on Venus: How to view the June 6 Transit safely

On June 6, starting at about 6:12 a.m. in the Philippines, the planet Venus will pass directly in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. It will appear as a black disk, a silhouette moving against the bright Sun. This event is called a "transit": It is practically the same thing as an eclipse (when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth) except that the Sun does not vanish from view because the object covering it —Venus, in this case— is so small. 

 

Mercury, the planet between the Sun and Venus, also makes its own transits. But astronomers are more excited about the transits of Venus because they are more dramatic and much rarer. The next one will occur in 2117, one hundred five years from now. Fortunately for us Filipinos, the country is one of the best places in the world to view the Venus Transit: most of America will only be able to catch the beginning of the transit; Europe, Africa, and parts of west Asia will only be able to catch the tail end of the event.

 

For comic book geeks out there, you can actually download a neat little comic about the Venus transit by clicking here.

 

Will you be able to observe the transit? With good weather, yes! But you cannot look at the Sun directly or you will harm your eyes. Experts recommend the use of solar filters, but I doubt if they sell those in the country. They also suggest buying welder’s glasses, #14, from a hardware store... but what will you do with it when the transit is over? Safety tips and reminders

 

Just remember to never ever use sunglasses, negatives, x-ray film, camera filters, and CDs to observe the Sun! While these things will lessen the brightness of the Sun, a lot of harmful radiation will still pass through and damage your eyes. You can click here for more information about safely viewing the transit.

 

The best thing to do is to go to your nearest PAGASA Observatory. During extraordinary astronomical events, the observatory is always open to the public. In Quezon City, the PAGASA Observatory is located in the U.P. Campus at Diliman, near the College of Home Economics. The PAGASA telescopes will be fitted with solar filters and you will be able to watch the transit safely.

 

But if you live far from any PAGASA station, you can use a pair of binoculars and a sheet of paper —again, don't look at the Sun through the binoculars! 

 

Hold the binoculars with the wide end toward the Sun and the eyepiece pointed at the paper. Move the paper back and forth from the binoculars until you see a focused  image of the Sun projected on the paper. Also adjust the focusing ring of the binoculars if you need to. This method will allow you to observe the event without the danger of hurting your eyes. 

 

After all, it makes sense that the safest way to view the Transit is to just not view it directly in the first place. Using the above "projection method" may be a bit finicky, but the result is rewarding —and safe. You can get more information on how to do it by clicking here.

Answers to scientists' questions  

Scientists everywhere are so keen about the June 6 Venus transit because it will help answer some very important questions. Such as: How can they find out if there are planets existing outside our solar system? Scientists already have in place very sensitive instruments that can detect and record the slight change in the Sun's brightness as Venus moves in front of it. These measurements will help scientists understand similar changes in the light from distant stars.

 

Someday, if scientists detect a star that becomes dim in a similar way, then maybe —just maybe— that star has a planet, too, that is making a similar transit. And, if so, there may be a chance that that planet harbors alien life.

 

Who knows? The answer is definitely out there. All we have to do is look up to the skies —with the right protection, of course. — TJD, GMA News

---

Jun Obille is a geologist who works as a Science Education Specialist at UP NISMED (National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development). He loves to read, climb volcanoes, photograph birds, and watch the night sky.