Venus in Transit Event

On Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 5:45 p.m., the Washington Twp. Public Library, 37 E. Springtown Rd., Long Valley, offers a last chance for anyone on Earth to observe a transit of Venus.  A transit of Venus will not be visible again for more than a century. Special eye protection is needed to safely view this event. Mr. John Andrews, and other members of the New Jersey Astronomical Association, will have their telescopes set up at the football fields in front of the Senior Center on June 5, equipped with safe sun filters, for our use in observing this once-in-a-lifetime event. Mr. Andrews will also discuss the history and significance of the transit of Venus.  In case of clouds, Mr. Andrews will have a 30 minute power point on the Venus transit phenomenon.. Stop by the Senior Center at (or after) 5:45 p.m. on June 5th for an opportunity to see Venus as it transits the Sun and learn more about it. (For example, the transit of Venus was of great importance to astronomers in the 18th century because it allowed them to determine the distance between the Earth and Sun; Mason and Dixon led an expedition to observe the transit in 1761, a few years before they established their famous boundary line in America.)

Call the Library at 908-876-3596 or go to www.wtpl.org to register for this event or just come by!