I went with my wife and son to see Venus as it transits across the sun for the last time in our lifetime (at least from the perspective of our planet), at the Holcomb Observatory on the Butler University campus. We got there a little late, in terms of when first contact was, and those who came later still formed a long line which probably means that some will not get up to the telescope in time to see it.
The last time this occurred was in 2004, but the time before that was in 1882, and Mark Twain wrote about it. NASA has a live stream.
Even more than the round spot on the sun, I was excited to see such a large number of people turn out for an astronomical event. In an era when a new generation seems to be shifting towards accepting mainstream science even when their forebears did not, and yet it is still not a clear majority that understands how science works and when and why its conclusions are trustworthy, I am always delighted when I witness an outpouring of interest in something to do with science.
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