Hawaii: Transit of Venus

Join Astronomy magazine and MWT Associates, Inc., June 2–9, 2012, on an excursion to the Big Island of Hawaii to view the last transit of Venus until 2117.

Photo by George Whitney

Photo by Rick Peterson/W. M. Keck Observatory

The last transit of Venus in our lifetime will occur at sunset June 5, 2012. Hawaii is one of the best places in North America to view the entire event, which features the second planet's small black disk crossing the Sun's face. Editor David J. Eicher takes this journey to the Hawaiian islands with Astronomy readers this June 2. Joining him is Alex Filippenko of the University of California, Berkeley, and Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates for a great week of adventure and viewing of the last transit of Venus any of us will see in our lives. Activities planned include viewing the transit itself, talks by Eicher and by Filippenko, and adventuring in the Hawaiian wilderness and on its beaches.

The trip will accommodate two separate groups of readers, one traveling June 2–7 and the other June 4–9. Because of this, Eicher and Filippenko head up to the summit of Mauna Kea to lead visits through the Keck Telescopes twice during the week. They'll view the transit itself from a beach location on the Big Island.

Check out all of Eicher's blogs from the trip at www.Astronomy.com/davesuniverse.

Hawaii Venus Transit photo gallery, by David J. Eicher