Bring the transit into your classroom!

Planets beyond our solar system, tales of adventure and expedition behind scientific discovery, the witnessing of an eclipse no living person has seen: The transit of Venus brings with it the opportunity for students to explore compelling topics like these.

Our activities, based on common questions about the transit, address a range of ages, themes, and levels of individual and group work. They offer points of discussion on understanding how the transit happens, why it happens so rarely, and how scientists are using transits to search for extrasolar planets.

We've included printable documents of each activity, in both Word and PDF formats. You can also print from the Web page.

Why can't everyone around the world see the transit?
Using discussion questions and a world map that shows where the transit is visible, students explore concepts of day and night, orbits, and the rotation of the Earth. For grades 5–12.

How much do you know about the transit of Venus?
This short set of questions leads Web site visitors looking for answers into the various resources on our site and other sites. Some of the answers may surprise you! For grades 5–12.

How does the transit happen? Why don't we see transits all the time?
To answer these questions, students work together to create a scale model of the transit so they can see for themselves how the transit occurs and why it's such an unusual event. For grades 8–12.

How can you watch the transit?
If the transit is visible from your city, follow our tips for safe viewing. If you can't see the transit from where you live, you can watch our Webcast. Look at NASA's map to see where the transit is visible.