Clips
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How to view the transit of Venus
From pinhole cameras to image projection, there are a number of ways to view the transit of Venus. But remember, the Sun can cause serious damage to your eyes and you must never look directly at it with the naked eye, through binoculars, or through a telescope. Follow the clip above to find out more. If you can't view the transit from your location, you can watch the live webcast from the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii!
2012 transit of Venus: live webcast -
Why is the transit of Venus so rare?
Only two transits separated by eight years happen every hundred years or so. This is because of the relative positions of Earth, Venus and the Sun and because Earth and Venus travel around the Sun at different speeds.
Why is the transit so rare? -
Venus: an extreme environment
Although Venus is a similar size to earth, it couldn't be more different. Its surface is an extreme environment; its enormous surface pressure and planet-warming runaway greenhouse effect have turned Venus into a hellish place.
Find out more about Venus from the BBC's space site
Credits
- Series Editor
- Aidan Laverty
- Researcher
- Tomasz Cebula
- Presenter
- Liz Bonnin
- Presenter
- Helen Czerski
- Presenter
- Lucie Green
- Director
- Naomi Austin
