The last Venus transit of the century

The planet Venus made a slow transit across the face of the sun on Tuesday, the last such passing that will be visible from Earth for 105 years.Transits of Venus happen in pairs, eight years apart, with more than a century between cycles. During Tuesday's pass, Venus took the form of a small black dot slowly shifting across the northern hemisphere of the sun.Armchair astronomers watched the six-hour and 40-minute transit on the Internet, with dozens of websites offering live video from around the world.Closeup views from the Prescott Observatory in Arizona, fed into Slooh.com's webcast, showed a small solar flaring in the making just beneath Venus' sphere.Tuesday's transit, completing a 2004-2012 pair, began at 6:09 p.m. EDT (2309 BST).(Reuters)

Handout image provided by NASA, the SDO satellite captures a ultra-high definition image of the Transit of Venus across the face of the sun at on June 5, 2012 from space. The last transit was in 2004 and the next pair of events will not happen again until the year 2117 and 2125. (Photo by SDO/NASA via Getty Images)

Handout image provided by NASA, the SDO satellite captures a ultra-high definition image of the Transit of Venus across the face of the sun at on June 5, 2012 from space. The last transit was in 2004 and the next pair of events will not happen again until the year 2117 and 2125. (Photo by SDO/NASA via Getty Images)

This still from a NASA video shows the positions of Venus on the face of the sun at various stages during the transit of Venus on June 5, 2012, as well as on June 4, 2004.

This still from a NASA video shows the positions of Venus on the face of the sun at various stages during the transit of Venus on June 5, 2012, as well as on June 4, 2004.

The planet Venus makes its transit across the Sun as seen from Kathmandu June 6, 2012. Venus made a slow transit across the face of the sun on Tuesday, the last such passing that will be visible from Earth for 105 years. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Planet Venus crosses the Sun's path - a once-in-a-lifetime event that will not be seen for another 105 years.

The planet Venus can be seen on its transit of the Sun, from New Delhi June 6, 2012. Venus last made a visible pass in front of the sun in 2004 but will not make another visible transit until 2117. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

South Korean middle school students using solar viewers watch Venus passing between the Sun and the Earth at the Gwacheon National Science Museum in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, June 6, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Handout image courtesy of NASA shows the planet Venus transiting the Sun, June 5, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117. REUTERS/NASA/AIA/Solar Dynamics Observatory/Handout

Handout image courtesy of NASA shows the planet Venus transiting the Sun, June 5, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117. REUTERS/NASA/AIA/Solar Dynamics Observatory/Handout

The planet Venus can be seen on its transit of the Sun, from New Delhi June 6, 2012. Venus last made a visible pass in front of the sun in 2004 but will not make another visible transit until 2117. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

The planet Venus makes a transit as a person watches the sun set over the Great Salt Lake outside Salt Lake City, Utah, June 5, 2012. The planet Venus made a slow transit across the face of the sun on Tuesday, the last such passing that will be visible from Earth for 105 years. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT)

Handout images courtesy of NASA show various views of the planet Venus transiting the Sun, June 5, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117. REUTERS/NASA/AIA/Solar Dynamics Observatory/Handout

On June 5, 2012 at sunset on the East Coast of North America and earlier for other parts of the U.S., the planet Venus will make its final trek across the face of the sun as seen from Earth until the year 2117. The last time this event occurred was on June 8, 2004 when it was watched by millions of people across the world. Get prepared for this once in a lifetime event!
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

A combination picture shows the planet Venus as it transits across the face of the sun as seen from the Greenwich Observatory on June 8, 2004 in London. The rare astronomical event last occurred in 1882, while the next transit is due in 2012. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images)