Venus transit photos 20120606

The "black drop" effect is seen as Venus (top) begins to cross the sun's face during the transit of Venus June 5, 2012 as seen from the west side of Manhattan in New York. The optical illusion makes Venus appear to be "stuck" to the edge of the sun at the beginning and end of the transit. Astronomers around the world are training their telescopes on the skies to watch Venus pass in front of the Sun, a once-in-a-lifetime event that will not be seen for another 105 years.