SPACE WATCH
Transiting the Sun
NASA – Earth’s planetary neighbor Venus passes across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012, seen here from the International Space Station. Expedition 31 crew members aboard the orbital outpost had cameras set up in several locations to record the rare event.
Dwarfed by the Sun
Earth’s planetary neighbor Venus passes across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012, seen here from the International Space Station. Expedition 31 crew members aboard the orbital outpost had cameras set up in several locations to record the rare event.
Venus Transit From the Space Station
This image of the 2012 Venus Transit was taken by NASA Astronaut Don Pettit from aboard the International Space Station on June 5, 2012. Pettit, who had the foresight to bring a solar filter for his camera, captured several images of the June 5 transit, downloading them in almost real-time. He photographed the image through the European Space Agency-built “cupola”, removing the scratch panes to get crisp, clear images.
SDO’s High Def View of 2012 Venus Transit
On June 5-6 2012, SDO is collecting images of one of the rarest predictable solar events: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. This event happens in pairs eight years apart that are separated from each other by 105 or 121 years. The last transit was in 2004 and the next will not happen until 2117.
This NASA image was captured on June 5, 2012. Image Credit: NASA/SDO, AIA
Path of the 2012 Venus Transit
On June 5-6 2012, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, collected images of one of the rarest predictable solar events: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. This event happens in pairs eight years apart that are separated from each other by 105 or 121 years. The last transit was in 2004 and the next will not happen until 2117. Image Credit: NASA/SDO, AIA
NASA’s SDO Captures 2012 Venus Transit Approach
This image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows Venus as it nears the disk of the sun on June 5, 2012. Venus’s 2012 transit will be the last such event until 2117. Credit: NASA/SDO, AIA
Coronal Hole on the Sun
This image of a coronal hole on the sun bears a remarkable resemblance to the ‘Sesame Street’ character Big Bird. Coronal holes are regions where the sun’s corona is dark. These features were discovered when X-ray telescopes were first flown above the Earth’s atmosphere to reveal the structure of the corona across the solar disc. Coronal holes are associated with ‘open’ magnetic field lines and are often found at the sun’s poles. The high-speed solar wind is known to originate in coronal holes. The solar wind escaping from this hole will reach Earth around June 5-7, 2012. Image Credit: NASA/AIA
