![May 24, 2012 - Transit of Venus, Join Us for A Public NRAO-Etscorn-MRO Event](https://www.mro.nmt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/images-150x150.jpg)
When Venus passes directly between earth and the sun, we see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun. Historically, this rare alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system. The next transit of Venus occurs June 5 or 6, 2012, depending on your location. Observers in North America see it the evening of June 5. This will be the last transit of Venus to occur in your lifetime. A transit of Venus occurs when Venus passes directly between the sun and earth. This alignment is rare, coming in pairs that are […]