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Transit of Venus

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Posted 5:59 PM 6/5/2012 : Hundreds gathered at the UA to watch the Transit of Venus

TUCSON - Many people flocked to the Flandrau Science Center today to buy their solar shades and watch the Transit of Venus. It's an event that happens every hundred or so years, and won't take place again until 2117.

Katie Krueger was one of the many who came to witness the event.

"I live in Forks, Washington where it rains all the time and I never see any astronomical phenomenon. I'm just flabbergasted I'm here for this now."

The transits happen in pairs 8 years apart from each other. Tuesday is the second half to the one that happened in 2004.

Michael Magee, from the Flandrau Science Center, says that while the view is beautiful, the transits played a big role in history.

"Early astronomers and scientists used the measurements of Venus transiting the sun to help calculate the distance of what was called the astronomical unit."

A unit that helped us measure the location of all the other planets in the galaxy.

Since the last complete transits were in the 1800's, Magee says this pair has helped scientists enormously, as our technology is so much better.

He hopes today's event will help teach us even more.

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