In Photos: Venus Transit 2012

Venus Transit

The transit of Venus on June 5, 2012, as seen from Langdon, N.D. — (Image credit: KJS, Used with Permission)

Spooky Trek

Flickr user KJS caught the very beginning of Venus' transit across the sun's disk from Langdon, N.D., before clouds swept in about an hour into the transit.

Mt. Wilson Transit

Transit of Venus from Los Angeles — (Image credit: Astronomers Without Borders)

The transit of Venus as seen at about 6 p.m. EDT from the Mt. Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles.

Venus' First Contact

First contact in the transit of Venus 2012. — (Image credit: NASA/SDO, HMI, and AIA science teams.)

A still from a NASA video of Venus' ingress over the sun's disk captures what astronomers call "first contact."

Traversing the Sun

Transit of Venus across the sun. — (Image credit: NASA/SDO, HMI and AIA)

An early image of the transit of Venus from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Half Time

Venus transit 2012 at hour four, seen from North Dakota. — (Image credit: KJS, Used with Permission)

Venus' orb at hour 4 of the transit, which lasted nearly 7 hours. Image shot from Langdon, N.D.

Transit at Sunset

Venus transit as seen from Langdon, N.D., during sunset. "It made it out from the clouds to hit the horizon," KJS wrote on his &lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolf911/"&gt;Flickr site&lt;/a&gt;. "Officially the last shot." — (Image credit: KJS, Used with Permission)

Venus transit as seen from Langdon, N.D., during sunset. "It made it out from the clouds to hit the horizon," KJS wrote on his Flickr site. "Officially the last shot."

Fiery Approach

Transit of Venus 2012 — (Image credit: NASA/SDO, AIA)

Venus (upper left) approaches the sun before its transit in this stunning satellite image.

Venus Arrives

Venus begins its journey across the sun's face in this view from Svalbard, Norway.

Transit of Venus

The transit of Venus as seen at about 6:40 p.m. EDT from Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

Transit of Venus

The transit of Venus as seen at about 6:40 p.m. EDT from Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

For the science geek in everyone, Live Science offers a fascinating window into the natural and technological world, delivering comprehensive and compelling news and analysis on everything from dinosaur discoveries, archaeological finds and amazing animals to health, innovation and wearable technology. We aim to empower and inspire our readers with the tools needed to understand the world and appreciate its everyday awe.