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Transit of Venus

Presented by American Philosophical Society Museum at American Philosophical Society Museum

June 1-July 8, 2012

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On Tuesday, June 5th, the world will witness a rare astronomical event. It is called a Transit of Venus. The planet Venus will be visible moving across the disk of the sun, beginning at about 6 pm in Philadelphia. This won't happen again until 2117, so this is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

From June 1st-10th, the American Philosophical Society Museum will be presenting an exhibition of rare scientific instruments, including the telescope David Rittenhouse built to observe the 1769 transit. On June 1st, Andrea Wulf, author of the new book Chasing Venus, will give a public lecture. A new performance piece by Aaron Cromie will be presented. On June 2nd-3rd, there will be a weekend of family-friendly, hands-on activities with Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer of The Franklin Institute which will help visitors get ready to view the transit. A live video feed of the transit available from around in the world will be on view in the exhibition on June 5th.