What is the transit of Venus, you ask?? Well, it occurred on June 6, 2012. It is when the planet Venus, is directly between the Sun and Earth and is therefore visible to us. The East Valley Astronomy Club hosted a viewing party at the Riparian Preserve and we went.
Dan, Adam and Bryce at the Preserve.
One of the telescopes set up for viewing. The telescopes need special filters for viewing the Sun.
The transit is similar to a lunar eclipse. Venus is passing between us and the moon. But because Venus is much farther away, it appears as a tiny speck on the Sun. See that black dot on the upper right side of the Sun that looks like a bit of dust on the screen of your monitor? That is Venus.
If you missed the Transit of Venus this time, I'm sad to tell you that the next one will be in
December 2117. So please enjoy the pictures!
No comments:
Post a Comment