Where to watch the 2012 Transit of Venus in Canada

Global News and The Associated Press Tuesday, June 05, 2012 1:30 PM

FILE - The planet Venus, black spot, crossing the sun is photographed through a telescope at Planetarium Urania in Hove, Belgium, in this June 8, 2004 file photo. On June 5, 2012, Venus will pass across the face of the sun, producing a silhouette that no one alive today will likely see again. Transits of Venus are very rare, coming in pairs separated by more than a hundred years. This June's transit, the bookend of a 2004-2012 pair, won't be repeated until the year 2117. Fortunately, the event is widely visible.

, AP Photo

TORONTO - Stargazers around the world are setting up special telescopes and passing out cardboard eclipse glasses to view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial cameo of Venus passing in front of the sun.

The Transit of Venus—a planetary spectacle that won't occur again until 2117—won't be enough to significantly block the sun's light but it will give Earth's closest star a moving beauty mark.

The transit is happening during a 6-hour and 40-minute span starting just after 6 p.m. EDT in Canada and the United States. Those in most areas of North and Central America will see the start of the transit until the sun sets, while those in Western Asia, the eastern half of Africa and most of Europe will catch the transit's end once the sun comes up.

Weather permitting, be ready to start watching the transit on June 5 at the following locations and times across Canada below. All times are local.

• Newfoundland (St. John’s): 7:33 pm
• Atlantic (Halifax): 7:03 pm
• Eastern (Toronto): 6:04 pm
• Central (Winnipeg): 5:05 pm
• Mountain (Edmonton): 4:05 pm
• Pacific (Vancouver): 3:06 pm

Global News has mapped out some of the Transit of Venus viewing locations across Canada. All times are local.

View Transit of Venus 2012: Viewing locations in Canada in a larger map

Can’t attend the Transit of Venus in person? NASA will provide live coverage of the Transit of Venus. You can watch the live stream below at 5:45 pm EDT.

LIVE STREAM: TRANSIT OF VENUS NASA COVERAGE

Live video for mobile from Ustream