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nus will seem to pause by the star Elnath for many days in a row around mid-May, as Venus stops going eastward through the constellation Taurus the Bull. On May 15, Venus will pause briefly in front of the stars before heading back westward again.
• Taurus? Here's your constellation
• Westward is in the direction of the setting sun. As Venus first pops out after sunset in the weeks ahead, it'll fall closer and closer to the sunset point on the horizon. On June 5-6, 2012, Venus will transit, or cross right in front of the solar disk. This will be the last transit of Venus in most of our lifetimes - the last transit of Venus in the 21st century. After June 2012, the next transit of Venus won't happen until December 11, 2117.
• Read more: Last transit of Venus in 21st century will happen in June 2012
• During a transit of Venus across the face of the sun, Venus appears as a small dark dot moving in front of the solar disk. Of course, proper eye protection is an absolute must when watching a transit of Venus.
• The whole transit, from start to finish, will last for nearly seven hours. From the mainland United States, however, we will only see the first few to several hours of the transit during afternoon hours on June 5. From Austin, Texas, for example, the transit will take place from 17:05:18 (5:05:18 p.m.) Central Daylight Time until sunset. Click here to find out the local transit times in your sky.
• Bottom line: In May 2012, Venus still shines brightly in the west after sunset. You can see it near a little star - actually the second-brightest star in the constellation Taurus - called Elnath. After mid-May 2012, watch as the planet Venus falls sunward and heads for its inevitable conjunction with the sun. How many days will pass before you can tell that Venus is no longer stationary in front of Taurus, but is actually dropping below the star Elnath in the western evening sky?
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