The UC Santa Cruz Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics will host a free public event this afternoon near Porter College. Astronomy enthusiasts and students will gather at the UC Santa Cruz campus from 2:30pm to 7:00pm to observe the Venus Transit. The planet Venus will cross in front of the sun this afternoon, and will appear as a small black spot traversing the surface. This kind of alignment is rare, coming in pairs that are eight years apart but separated by over a century.