Venus Transit Day: Don't Miss This Twice-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Get ready for a rare astronomical and skywatching event Tuesday— the passage of the planet Venus across the face of the sun. 

Locally, the 2012 transit will begin about 3:04 p.m. PDT. It will be visible in its entirety only from the western Pacific, eastern Asia and eastern Australia and at high northern latitudes.

f you can’t make it to Hawaii or the Exploration Center at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field in California to observe the LIVE broadcast you can watch the Live NASA EDGE broadcast from Mauna Kea, HI here.

Transits of Venus are rare, happening in pairs separated by more than a hundred years. This June's transit, the bookend of a 2004/2012 pair, won't be repeated until the year 2117, according to the NASA website.

They have been observed only eight times since the invention of the telescope (some accounts say the number is seven).

"The sun represents our ego and sense of self, and Venus represents what we want," said Laguna Niguel-based astrologer and author "When Venus crosses in front of the sun, what we want becomes more important than anything else. So our focus will be on what we want and it's up to us to make it happen." 

While some may think like this daily, this is an opportunity to really be clear on what you desire in life, Stellhorn said.

NASA will webcast the transit from the summit of Mauna Kea, HI.

Click here for Venus transit of 2012 tips on how to see Venus cross the face of the sun in this SPACE.com infographic.

So, what will you see? Over a seven-hour span, Venus will trek across the solar disk, appearing in silhouette as a slow-moving tiny black dot, weather permitting, according to the NASA website.

"Only six such events have occurred since the invention of the telescope," said astrophysicist Sten Odenwald, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in a statement.

The key to watching it is to find an unobstructed view of the horizon. It is recommended observors watch from the top of a high building. The transit will occur near the lower rim of the sun, according to NASA.

The transit will be visible to the

The transit will be shown on NASA TV, which is available on many cable and satellite transmission systems, and on NASA TV's website.

Local Astrologer Offers Venus Insights

Stellhorn said Venus, the "planet of love and money," has been retrograde since May 15 and will continue to be so through June 27. That brings "a whole set of challenges...and opportunities."

"Venus represents our desires, what we really want, especially in the area of physical comfort, possessions and in matters of the heart. The other planets rule things like thinking, action, learning and expertise, but Venus is the reason we feel motivated to get things done. Venus embodies our wishes and inspires us to take action to fulfill those desires," Stellhorn said.

Venus turns backward to give us an opportunity to see if what we want is truly what we want. This is a time to look at goals and dreams, and see if they're still valid, she said. It's a time to look at and and decide if it's still to your liking. That said, during this time it's not wise to purchase or furniture unless you know you can return it, she said.

Venus is also the planet of love and, when it's retrograde, can bring back lovers from the past. In this age of social media, it's easy for our past to find us. You can expect someone to surface who you haven't heard from in awhile, Stellhorn said. Venus retrograde can also cause us to question our current relationship, she added.

Be upfront about what you want from your partner and not be shy about asking for it, Stellhorn advised. If you're looking for love, then you're in luck because Venus retrograde can bring several choices. But be careful about jumping in too quickly. Take it slowly, at least until the end of June, she said.