TRANSI=
T OF
VENUS ACROSS THE SUN, JUNE 8, 2004
Scroll on past the t=
ext to
see the pictures.
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A Ve=
nus
transit is a rare event. It
happens when the sun, the earth, and Venus line up with Venus in the midd=
le. In that case, Venus appears as a=
small
circle on the sun’s disk.
There is so much space out there, that Venus usually misses on one
side or the other when it makes a close approach to the sun. There was such a transit on June=
8,
2004, but only the very end of it was visible from NOTI=
CE
THAT I HAD A PROPER SOLAR FILTER IN FRONT OF THE OBJECTIVE LENS OF THE
TELESCOPE (NOT ON THE EYEPIECE).
THE USUAL ADVICE IS DO NOT LOOK DIRECTL=
Y AT
THE SUN EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT A TELESCOPE. IF YOU WANT TO USE A SOLAR FILTE=
R, BUY
ONE FROM A REPUTABLE ASTRONOMICAL SUPPLY COMPANY, AND DO NOT TRY TO
IMPROVISE. These
transits occur in pairs, and there will be another on June 6, 2012. The next pair of transits after =
that
will occur on Dec. 11, 2117 and on Dec 8, 2125. Read
about transits of Venus here. |
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![](3D"vtransit_files/image003.jpg")
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