Who Wants To See Venus?

By: Nick B.

      On Tuesday, there is an event happening that you have probably never seen before. Do you want to guess what it is? It’s the transit of Venus! On Tuesday, June 5, you will be able to see Venus pass in front of the sun. It will appear as a little black dot moving across the sun. Transit means to move through or across. Are you excited to see it? Because, if you aren’t, this won’t happen for another 105 years!
    Venus is second in line from the sun, after Mercury. Hopefully you already know this, because if you don’t, are you practicing the play songs?
What is interesting about Venus is that it is the hottest planet in the solar system. Why not Mercury? The reason is that Mercury has no atmosphere, so there is nothing to keep the heat in. Venus has an atmosphere, and that keeps the heat in. Ooooh, she’s hot! Venus appears very bright in the night sky because  it’s clouds reflect a lot of light. Venus can only block out a little part of the sun, so even if you can’t see it, it’s still there!
    German astronomer Johannes Kepler first predicted the Venus transit in the 17th century. That was a long time ago. He found out that close to every century, the Earth’s and Venus’s orbit lined up perfectly with the sun. Only six transits have been observed in history. Only two people were said to have seen the transit of 1639. The 1882 transit was said to be more popular. Thousands of people jammed the streets of New York City to see it. What do you think is best and safest way to view Venus as it is crossing in front of the sun? Why?