The 2004 transit of Venus across the face of the Sun was the first such transit since 1882. Because it occurred near the minimum of the 11 year solar cycle, the surface of the Sun was almost featureless except for a few small sunspots near the center and bright plages on the lower right.

From my location in northern New Jersey, the Sun rose midway through the transit. This image was taken near the end of the transit as Venus neared third contact, moving to the right and slightly down. North is up.

Compare the size of Venus to that of Mercury in 2016.

Astro-Physics 155mm (6.1 inch) refractor through Baader AstroSolar solar filter material. Four stacked exposures on Kodak Royal PJ-400 color negative film. Photographed from northern New Jersey on June 8, 2004. © 2004