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| What a Day it was yesterday and a big relief that now I don�t have
to stay around for another 105 years to see the next Venus Transit. The
weather gods were very kind to us in Victoria. The final numbers are
not in yet from all the observing sites, but from the preliminary
reports it seems that from the public participation point of view we
made up for the dismal Solar Eclipse we experienced on May 20.
In all respects yesterday�s event was worth putting in the memorable
folder; great weather, great public participation and out of this world
volunteers. Thanks to all the volunteers for making this ToV such a
memorable event for everyone involved. We could not have asked for a
better outcome.
Cheers,
Sid Sidhu, Public Viewing Event Organizer Thanks to Sid (forever
and always) for setting up all the volunteers at the various locations,
making sure we all had solar glasses to hand out and trying to keep
track of everyone. And may I add my thanks to all the volunteers and to
the RASC members who set up telescopes in many different community
places and showed the public one of the treats of the century. A great
day, indeed.
Lauri Roche, President, RASC Victoria Centre
Observing Highlights by
our members |
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Post-event coverage
 A
Transit of Venus (ToV) is one of the rarest astronomical events, where the
planet Venus moves between our perspective here on Earth and the Sun, and so
appears to "cross" the Sun. This event will be visible from here in
Victoria, BC, Canada from the start (3PM) to when the Sun sets (9PM) on June
5, 2012. Since the ToV ends after the Sun sets , we don't get to see
the whole event from Victoria. For those who wish to see the event from start to
finish, travelling to Yellowknife, North West Territories in Canada or to Hawaii
is suggested.
The last
Transit of Venus occurred in 2004, and was not visible from the western part
of North America. If you don't make an effort to see this ToV in 2012, you
will never see another one, since the next predicted ToV won't occur until a
century from now in 2117! Observers in Victoria have an opportunity to
join an august group of scientific observers from past Transits of Venus,
including: Jeremiah Horrocks and his friend William Crabtree, in England, who were
the first to see a ToV in 1639; the great explorer Sir James Cook who sailed
from England to Tahiti to observe the 1769 ToV; and Sir George Biddell's plans
for the Hydrographer of the British Navy to observe the 1874 and 1882 ToVs in
England.
| Even Edmund Halley urges us all to observe the Transit of Venus...an
event he was prevented from observing personally, since none occurred during
his lifetime. |
Of the visible Conjunction of Venus with the Sun - This
sight, which is by far the noblest astronomy affords...
- Edmund Halley (1691), on the transit of Venus |
Safety warning: do not look
directly at the sun without using proper filters, and do not allow children to
stare at the Sun.
How do we look at the Sun safely?
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2004 Transit of Venus |
How do I take photos of the Transit of Venus?
Using a point-and-shoot digital camera or even a fancy digital SLR camera
with a telephoto lens is not recommended. For starters, you probably don't
have a proper solar filter for your camera, and even if you did, the Sun would
appear pretty small, even if you could find it through your lens. Venus crossing the Sun would
appear even smaller!
The best idea is to come to Victoria Centre's public ToV observing event, and
ask one of our volunteers with a telescope if you can hold your camera up to the
eyepiece of their telescope. That way you have a pretty good chance of
taking a photo of the ToV which you will be proud of. If you are not attending
our ToV event, perhaps building a
Projection Eclipse Viewer and taking a photo of the projected image of the
Sun will work for you.
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Resources
Pre-event press coverage
Observing the transit online
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