Viewing the Transit

June 8, 2004 7:56 AM

Speaking of Transit Watching. I found it really interesting to see the collection of AP photos about the transit of Venus today. Apparently the compelling story is not so much the science (planets orbit the sun, got it), but the global spectacle. It's a bit of an anomaly of late, but Venus watching seems to be something the whole world peacefully agrees is a good thing. [View the viewers in Abu Dhabi, Azraq, Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, La Linea, Lebanon, London, Madras, Minsk, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Pakistan Paris, Potsdam, Pretoria, Rome, St. Petersburg, Sydney, Tehran, and Yokohama ]
posted by kokogiak (7 comments total)

Nice info also at transitofvenus.org and gallery images at spaceweather.com.
posted by yoga at 8:03 AM on June 8, 2004

Cool post, thanks kokogiak.
posted by gwint at 8:03 AM on June 8, 2004

Miss this one? Next transit in 2012.
posted by ringmaster at 9:25 AM on June 8, 2004

It was fogged in here, so we missed it. Thanks for the linkfest.
posted by theora55 at 9:55 AM on June 8, 2004

I don't think we were going to be able to see it, even if the weather cooperated...although I wanted to. Groovy links everyone, thanks!
posted by dejah420 at 10:44 AM on June 8, 2004

Perfect viewing here in Canada. In the haze of sunrise it was viewable with the naked eye as a black dot on the red ball of the cloud-filtered sun. Projected by telescope on the back of an envelope, we watched for an hour as Venus crawled across to the edge and disappeared. Well worth getting up at 5 am to see.
posted by Geo at 3:31 PM on June 8, 2004

All great cultures have a tradition of astronomy. It is one of the few acheivements of the human race that I see as having a lasting positive effect.

Astronomers of the past (Halley) hoped to measure the distance to the sun via the transit of venus, but were repeatedly foiled by the 'black drop' effect.

At least, that's what it said on TV last night.
posted by asok at 9:32 AM on June 9, 2004