This coming Tuesday, 8 June 2012, the planet Venus will pass between the Earth and the Sun. It will appear as a little black dot moving horizontally across the lower portion of the sun for those in the northern hemisphere and moving horizontally across the top portion of the sun for those in the southern hemisphere.

For most of Europe and the UK the transit of Venus begins at sunrise. For North and Central America, it starts just before sunset. CDNSushi, Downunder Kilt and AKScott, you should be able to see the whole thing from your respective locations.

I know we are all adults here, but I must stress, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN! Use a solar view if you have one, or a welder's mask. If you can build an eclipse viewer with a large and crisp image, you should be able to discern a small shadow on the sun. Instructions are readily available on the internet.

Enjoy!