At the end of the day, we're all looking up at the same sky.

That probably rings true for Mike Simmons more than most people. The 62-year-old founder of Astronomers Without Borders has been connecting with folks from all over the world over a shared passion for astronomy, and today's Transit of Venus is no exception.

SCROLL DOWN FOR DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO SEE THE TRANSIT OF VENUS IN LA

The Huffington Post caught up with Simmons, a Southern California native (he moved here when he was three) to chat about this afternoon's celestial display. Luckily for us, we caught him just as he was rushing out to the Mount Wilson Observatory, where he's hosting a webcast of the event.

"The night sky doesn't have any borders or political issues," explained Simmons to The Huffington Post over the phone. "It brings people together in a way that other interests and activities don't."

Simmons has criss-crossed the planet chasing astronomical phenomena, and it was a visit to Iran in 1999 for a total solar eclipse that made him realize that the skies could be a unifying force. He found that when he shared his experiences in Iran with astronomy-lovers in the United States, he could unify two different groups of people over more than just the "political issues" between the two countries.

Later experiences in Iraq and elsewhere led him to found Astronomers Without Borders, based out of Calabasas, Calif., in 2006. On the site, Simmons explains that the organization is "people meeting among the heavens. It is only natural to do so. After all, we all share the same sky."

Simmons has seen the Transit of Venus before; in 2004, he traveled to southern Iran, directly under the sun, to take in the twice-in-a-lifetime cosmic show. He described how he was overcome with a "strong sense of connection" during the 2004 event with the astronomers of 1882, when the Transit of Venus last occurred.

"They talked about what it would be like in the future, and we were the future," said Simmons. "Now we're doing the same thing -- essentially passing this chain of Venus transits onto our descendants in the 22nd century. It's a real strong feeling, and we hope to get that across during the webcast as well."

Check out Simmons' webcast from the Mount Wilson Observatory at 2:45 p.m. He's co-hosting the show with Dr. Ian O'Neill, Space Producer for Discovery News, and together they'll be explaining the Transit of Venus, the history of viewings and then broadcasting the actual crossing when it starts at around 3:00 p.m. (You can also catch the show on your phone).

For Los Angeles-area folks who want to catch a live viewing of the Transit of Venus, go to the Griffith Observatory. There, the grounds will be open from noon to 10 p.m. for the phenomenon, which is expected to last from 3:06 - 8:02 p.m. The observatory will be selling solar glasses so that viewers can see the transit safely.

See people from all over the world watch the Transit of Venus from 2004. Photos by Associated Press.

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  • U.A.E. - 2004

    Nazar Sallam, a technician from the Emirates Astronomical Society, prepares a telescope to view the Venus transit across the sun at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

  • Egypt - 2004

    Egyptians and tourists hold special dark glasses observe the transit of Venus across the sun, at the historical site of Giza Pyramids, Egypt, Tuesday June 8, 2004. All over the world scientists and entusiasts were monitoring the event which last occured in 1882. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

  • U.S. - 2004

    The Buffalo Astrological Association provided telescopes for spectators to view the transit of Venus from the roof of the Buffalo Museum of Science in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, June 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

  • Kenya - 2004

    A Kenyan holds special dark glass to observe the transit of Venus across the sun, in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, June 8, 2004. All over the world scientists and enthusiasts were monitoring the event which last occurred in 1882. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

  • Hong Kong - 2004

    A woman looks through a telescope at a small dark disc creeping across the face of the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, a transit of Venus, at Hong Kong's Space Museum Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

  • Indonesia - 2004

    Bani, 10, of Bogor, looks through a camera mounted on a telescome at the Jakarta Planetarium, Tuesday, June 8, 2004, during the transit of Venus, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Unfortuantely the skies were too cloudy in Jakarta for a clear view of the transit. Stargazers in Jakarta and around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes Tuesday to watch a small dark disc creep across the face of the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles a transit of Venus. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)

  • Austria - 2004

    Children with special glasses watch the transit of planet Venus through the disk of the sun, on Tuesday, June 8, 2004 in dowtown Vienna. The previous transit occured on Dec. 6, 1882 and the next one will be in 2012. (AP Photo/Hans Punz)

  • Germany - 2004

    Two women are watching the Venus transit through special protective foil goggles in Munich on Tuesday, June 8, 2004. The previous visible transit of planet Venus occured on Dec. 6, 1882 and the next one will be in 2012.(AP Photo/Jan Pitman)

  • Japan - 2004

    Wearing eye-protective filters, a group of Japanese look at a small dark disc creeping across the face of the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, a transit of Venus, at Yokohama Science Center in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

  • Hong Kong - 2004

    Using eye-protective filters, a group of people look at a small dark disc creeping across the face of the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, a transit of Venus, at Hong Kong's Space Museum Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

  • Germany - 2004

    Two spectators watching trough specially protected glasses the venus transit at the castle of Schwetzingen, near Heidelberg, southern Germany on Tuesday, June 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Daniel Maurer)

  • France - 2004

    School children, using eye-protective filters, look at the planet Venus transiting across the face of the sun, in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, outside the Paris observatory, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

  • Malaysia - 2004

    Visitors line up to watch a small dark disc passing across the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, a transit of Venus, through a telescope at the Malaysia National Planetarium in Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. More than 400 people, mostly students, gathered to peek through two telescopes fitted with solar filters to watch the event at the planetarium, undeterred by overhead clouds which intermittently obscured the view. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

  • Jordan - 2004

    Jordanian woman Basma Diab, and her 9 year old son Adham observe the reflection of the passage of Venus across the disk of sun on a white paper in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday, June 8, 2004.(AP Photo/Nader Daoud)

  • Pakistan - 2004

    Medical students watch a transit of Venus through dark part of X-ray sheets as one of the rarest of celestial spectacles is observed in Multan, Pakistan, on Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)

  • Belarus - 2004

    Belarusians watch a projection of transit of planet Venus, which happens when the Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun, is seen on Tuesday, June 8, 2004 in downtown Minsk, Belarus. ( AP Photo/ Sergei Grits)

  • South Africa - 2004

    Workers watch the sun through protective shades in Pretoria, South Africa, as Venus' silhouette slid across the face of the sun, a celestial spectacle last witnessed 122 years ago, Tuesday June 8 2004. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

  • Australia - 2004

    In this June 8, 2004 file photo, amateur astronomer Jody McGowen looks through a telescope to watch the transit of Venus from Sydney's Observatory Hill. Venus will again cross the face of the sun on Tuesday June 5, 2012, a sight that will be visible from parts of Earth. This is the last transit for more than 100 years. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

  • India - 2012

    Indian children use cardboard eclipse glasses as they prepare to watch the transit of Venus in Allahabad, India, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Stargazers around the world are setting up special telescopes and passing out cardboard eclipse glasses to view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial cameo of Venus passing in front of the sun. Venus is Earth's second-closest neighboring planet. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

  • Germany - 2004

    Two women are watching the Venus transit through special protective foil goggles in Munich on Tuesday, June 8, 2004. The previous visible transit of planet Venus occured on Dec. 6, 1882 and the next one will be in 2012.(AP Photo/Jan Pitman)

  • Germany - 2004

    A woman watches the transit of the Venus in front of the Sun through a telescope in front of the Einstein Tower with Europes oldest Solar telescope from 1924 at the Astrophysical Institute of Potsdam, eastern Germany, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. At the same time scientist analyzed into the tower the spectrum of the Venus athomsphere. The Venus moved in front of the sun during 6.20 and 12.22 GMT and was to be seen as a small black shadow. (AP Photo/Sven Kaestner)

  • India - 2004

    Indian youth watch the transit of Venus across the Sun through a projection at Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. People from across the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch this rare celestial event, last seen 122 years ago. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel)

  • Germany - 2004

    A man watches the Venus transit through binoculars covered with a special protective foil in Munich on Tuesday, June 8, 2004. The previous visible transit of planet Venus occurred on Dec. 6, 1882 and the next one will be in 2012. (AP Photo/Jan Pitman)

  • Japan - 2004

    Wearing eye-protective filters, a group of Japanese look at a small dark disc creeping across the face of the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, a transit of Venus, at Yokohama Science Center in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

  • Japan - 2004

    Wearing eye-protective filters, a group of Japanese look at a small dark disc creeping across the face of the sun in one of the rarest of celestial spectacles, a transit of Venus, at Yokohama Science Center in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Stargazers around the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch the show. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

  • India - 2004

    Young Indian girls watch the transit of Venus across the Sun through solar sunglasses in Ahmadabad, India, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. People from across the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch this rare celestial event, last seen 122 years ago. (AP Photo/Pankaj Nangia)

  • India - 2004

    A Hindu man watches the transit of Venus across the Sun through solar sunglasses in Madras, India, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. People from across the world gathered at observatories and huddled by telescopes to watch this rare celestial event, last seen 122 years ago. (AP Photo/M. Lakshman)

  • India - 2004

    A young girl points to the image of the Venus passing across the Sun projected through a binocular at the Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. The rare spectacle of tiny Venus passing across the face of the sun, last witnessed 122 years ago, drew sky gazers across a wide band from Australia to the edge of North America on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

  • India - 2004

    School children view the passing of the planet Venus across the sun through telescopes set up by the regional science center in Bhopal, India, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. The rare spectacle of tiny Venus passing across the face of the sun, last witnessed 122 years ago, drew sky gazers across a wide band from Australia to the edge of North America on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Prakash Hatvalne)

  • U.S. - 2004

    David Aguilar, director of public affairs at Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and astronomy, sets up a telescope with special solar filter on the roof of the center in Cambridge, Mass., Tuesday, June 8, 2004, to watch the planet Venus, passing between the Earth and the sun for the first time in 122 years. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

  • U.S. - 2004

    Nomi Burstein, left, of Brookline, Mass., her husband Michael, center, and their friend Julia Liberman, right, of Cambridge, Mass., wear special goggles, on the roof of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., Tuesday, June 8, 2004, to watch the planet Venus, passing between the Earth and the sun for the first time in 122 years. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

  • South Africa - 2004

    A shaman watches the sun through protective shades in Pretoria, South Africa, during a gathering held Tuesday June 8, 2004, as Venus' silhouette slid across the face of the sun, a celestial spectacle last witnessed in 1882. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

  • Pakistan - 2004

    Pakistani stargazers look at transit of Venus through custom- made filter, as one of the rarest of celestial spectacles is observed in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday, June 8, 2004. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

  • U.S. - 2004

    Angela Quick, left, looks through a telescope as Erik Iverson looks through binoculars at the sunrise with Venus in transit from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine, Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Amateur astonomers Quick and Iverson came from Knoxville, Tenn. to Maine just to view this rare celestial event. (AP Photo/Scott Perry)