Transit of Venus, 2012

[maj. tom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus,_2012
...will begin at 22:09 UTC on 5 June 2012, and will finish at 04:49 UTC on 6 June 2012.
After 2012, the next transits of Venus will be in December 2117 and December 2125.


What's the big deal?

Venus transits are historically of great scientific importance as they were used to gain the first realistic estimates of the size of the Solar System. Observations of the 1639 transit, combined with the principle of parallax, provided an estimate of the distance between the Sun and the Earth that was more accurate than any other up to that time. In addition, the June 2012 transit will provide scientists with a number of other research opportunities, particularly the refinement of techniques to be used in the search for exoplanets. James Cook's first voyage via the HMS Endeavour was partly due to observe the Transit of Venus in 1769 to calculate the accurate distance of Venus to the Sun and thus extrapolate the size of the solar system, and later under sealed orders to explore the Southern Hemisphere.

Does it matter to us today? Well you can get the best images from NASA websites or a youtube video, and it will be better than what you could possibly see. It's nothing grand to look at with the naked eye, and it's not an awe-amazing spectacle like a solar eclipse. But if you see it live you will have something to tell the grand-kids I guess. It's very exciting to astronomers and physicists (black drop effect - optical phenomenon) though. To observe it safely without a telescope with proper solar filters you can make a pinhole camera with a shoe-box and observe it. But since it's at sunset at Trinidad's location, there won't be much to see anyway.

Observing the Sun directly without appropriate protection can damage or destroy retinal cells, causing temporary or permanent blindness. Proper protection are NOT sun glasses, welder's masks, dark parts of x-ray sheets or through those old floppy discs. These may partially protect your eyes from visible light, but the sun emits the entire EM Spectrum including UV and X-rays.

[kual]

so what does this mean? plain english.

[Habit7]

[maj. tom]

so what does this mean? plain english.

Nothing really. If you want to observe it, you will see Venus passing between the sun and earth as a tiny shadow. Hence the name transit of Venus. They occur in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years.

When it happened in 2004, no one alive had ever seen it, and it was only recorded by astronomers more than 2 centuries before in drawings alone. There weren't photos back then. Now we have proper instruments to record this scientifically for the ages to come.

Example of the 2004 transit:


Like I said above it's a more important observation to astronomers and physicists, and it doesn't affect us in any way. But if you do observe it live at least you can tell your grand-kids in 60 years that you witnessed it... It's rarer than a total solar eclipse.

[sliderz1]

Meterologist Report said iot could be seen between 6.05 and 6.45pm

There will be coverage and talks by experts in the field during this time on CNMG

[~Vēġó~]

yeah man....interesting thing there.

[Bizzare]

what's appropriate protection for observing the sun?

[Ronaldo95163]

Astronomy/Geography

[sharkman121]

Astronomy/Geography

you cant be serious gracie.. i love both.

we barely make it een to see it at sunset btw!!.. we nearly get salt.

[Habit7]

what's appropriate protection for observing the sun?

#14 welders glasses

[stev]

what's appropriate protection for observing the sun?

#14 welders glasses

u be beat me to it. but even with dat it gets too bright after a few seconds.

[sharkman121]

what's appropriate protection for observing the sun?

[dougla_boy]

what's appropriate protection for observing the sun?

whey d fack u getting dat?

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Meterologist Report said iot could be seen between 6.05 and 6.45pm

There will be coverage and talks by experts in the field during this time on CNMG

nice

[Habit7]

A tropical wave moving in this afternoon so I think we might not see it.

[stev]

u see d size of venus in dat pic compared to d sun? how d hell we seeing dat. lol

[lostallos101]

its said if you get a telescope or binoculars and point it at the sun and the other side put a white paper or something, you would see it on that or a pinhole viewer

[SMc]

I wanna see

sets alarm for 4 am and fingers crossed its not cloudy at sunrise

[maj. tom]

There are several ways. Get a certified solar viewer. Welding masks are NOT suitable. you will burn your retinas and since they don't have pain receptors, you will be blind before you know you are blind, or you will burn the image of the sun permanently into your retinas. You know when welders close their eyes they see a light called "welder's burn" and after a while it becomes permanent if they keep welding without a break.

If you want to use a telescope for direct viewing, you should only do so with proper ccertified solar filters, and these things are very expensive, so don't worry about it. You can use a binoculars/telescope on a stable mount and cast the real image on a screen or sheet of paper like this:




You can then look at these images through regular polarized sunglasses since the images are so intense.

and the 3rd way is to make a pinhole camera with a shoebox and I will leave that fun for you and google to work out.

There are other ways of course, but they require a lot of setup and calculation, for example you can project the reflected image of the sun from a mirror at an angle to an indoor darkened area through a pinhole of your shuttered windows.

But be aware that the thing happening at sunset. by the time you set up and blink twice, it gone. Please NEVER look directly at the sun with your eyes or using a binoculars or telescope!!

[kual]

i always wanted to go into space, maybe the sun but in the night though. daytime would be too hot

[Bizzare]

i always wanted to go into space, maybe the sun but in the night though. daytime would be too hot

Bahaahahahahahah!!!!!!

[crazybalhead]

A roelof's prism is what we used in the surveying days to vies the sun.

[MG Man]

i always wanted to go into space, maybe the sun but in the night though. daytime would be too hot

you moron, that's utterly stupid.......everyone knows the only safe way to visit the sun is during a solar eclipse

[sharkman121]

i always wanted to go into space, maybe the sun but in the night though. daytime would be too hot

Bahaahahahahahah!!!!!!

[Habit7]

Cant find anywhere that sells #14 welder's lens and because of the court order I can own or utilize binoculars or telescopes.

Oh well, I hope I can grow back my retina...

[maj. tom]

^Even if you get #14 welder's lens, remember not to look at the Sun for more than a minute or two and then take a break for a couple of minutes. Nothing less than #14, mind you. For example do not stack 2 #7's together, that's just being heroically stupid.

[stev]

dred....dat bucket ting rel bad

[streetbeastINC.]

parts a floppy use the disc.....or project on to a white sheet of paper with a scop or bino

[Habit7]

floppy discs are extinct and would still damage your retina.

[stev]

but big and bold in red they say no welders masks and floppy disks...lol

trinis again, never reading warnings, i myself didnt read the whole warning. lol