Venus viewing planned at Crescent Bay Lake

Local astronomers will gather at Crescent Bay Lake area beginning at 3 p.m. today to view an event that won’t happen again until 2117 as the planet Venus moves between Earth and the sun.

Provided there is any break in the clouds, you can join them to use solar viewing glasses and pin-hole cameras, and filtered telescopes to witness the transit of Venus. Trying to view the transit without such equipment would be impossible and is very dangerous.

Venus will begin to cross the sun at 3:06 p.m. and continue moving across the sun through sunset.

“We will spend as much time observing the event as possible,” said National Park Service Ranger Janice Elvidge. “Drop by at any time beginning at 3 p.m.”

Elvidge said the viewing will only be cancelled if “it is raining at 3 p.m, the sky is too cloudy and the clouds are too persistent to likely break in order for us to view any part of the transit.”

For more information contact Elvidge at 509-633-9188 xt. 12 or by email Janice_Elvidge@nps.gov.

Or see http://www.nature.nps.gov/features/eclipse/transitofvenus.cfm