Today at 6 p.m., stargazers will be able to watch a rare celestial event. And we strongly recommend you join in the fun, because the Transit of Venus won’t happen again for more than a century.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has had quite the year so far. Last month they were visited by astronaut heroes from the beginning of the space race all the way through the latest space shuttle missions; they’ve continued to build out Phase Two at the Udvar-Hazy location, on track to finish in 2011; and will soon announce the opening, expected later this month, of their new Public Observatory on the Mall. The Public…