Transit of Venus

[Dave Monroe]

2004 June 08: Transit of Venus 

The transit or passage of a planet across the face of
the Sun is a relatively rare occurrence. As seen from
Earth, only transits of Mercury and Venus are
possible. On average, there are 13 transits of Mercury
each century. In contrast, transits of Venus occur in
pairs with more than a century separating each pair. 

No living person has seen a transit of Venus because
the most recent one occurred in 1882. This situation
is about to change since Venus will transit the Sun on
Tuesday, 2004 June 08. The entire event will be widely
visible from the Europe, Africa and Asia .... Japan,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia will witness
the beginning of the transit but the Sun will set
before the event ends. Similarly, observers in western
Africa, eastern North America, the Caribbean and most
of South America will see the end of the event since
the transit will already be in progress at sunrise
from those locations. 

[...]

Recently (2004 Jan 22), new tables have been produced
which cover transit circumstances for over a thousand
cities. See ...

http://sunearth1.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/TV2004.html#city

[...]

Observing the Transit

Since the apparent diameter of Venus is nearly 1
arc-minute, it should be possible to see without
optical magnification (but using solar filter
protection) as it crosses the Sun. Nevertheless, the
planet appears to be only 1/32 of the Sun's apparent
diameter so a pair of binoculars or a small telescope
at modest power will offer a much more satisfying
view. Naturally, all binoculars and telescopes must be
suitably equipped with adequate filtration to ensure
safe solar viewing. The visual and photographic
requirements for observing a transit are identical to
those for solar viewing. Amateurs can make a
scientific contribution by timing the four contacts at
ingress and egress. Observing techniques and equipment
are similar to those used for lunar occultations....

http://sunearth1.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/transit04.html

And see as well, esp. ...

http://www.open2.net/astronomy/index.html


	
		
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