What: One of the rarest astronomical phenomena, a solar transit by the planet Venus, will occur on the evening of Tuesday, June 5. Similar to a solar eclipse, Venus will move across the face of the sun and block light from the sun to Earth. The planet’s transit across the face of the sun will take about six and a half hours. This is your last chance to see a Venus transit until 2117.
Who: Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will be available to answer questions from members of the media about the transit of Venus.
Where: Cirtain will take questions June 5 at 2:30 p.m. CDT at the National Space Science & Technology Center on Sparkman Drive.
To Attend: Media interested in interviewing Cirtain should contact Janet Anderson in the Marshall Center’s Public and Employee Communications Office at 256-544-0034 no later than 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5. Media must report to main lobby of the National Space Science & Technology Center for badging.
Additionally, Marshall Center scientists will host a live webchat about the transit and will answer questions beginning at 4:30 p.m. CDT on June 5. For more information, and to join the chat, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/venus_transit.html
NASA Television will showcase this celestial phenomenon starting at 5:30 p.m., CDT Tuesday, June 5. To watch live, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv
For comprehensive information about the transit: http://venustransit.nasa.gov
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