HINODE - VENUS TRANSIT

On June 5, 2012, Hinode captured these stunning views of the transit of Venus — the last instance of this rare phenomenon until 2117. Hinode is a joint JAXA/NASA mission to study the connections of the sun’s surface magnetism, primarily in and around sunspots.

Image credit: JAXA/NASA/Lockheed Martin

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hinode/hinode_transit1.html