2004 Venus Transit In Pictures 214
oneiros27 writes "For those astronomy fans out there -- pictures are starting to come in from the 2004 Venus Transit (where Venus passes in front of the sun). Times of the transit will vary by city, but make sure you use safe techniques for viewing the sun if you want to look for yourself."
Anonymous Coward writes "Check out the transit of Venus webcast from Australia. It starts at 4.50 UTC on June 8." Update: 06/07 04:03 GMT by T : Linked webcast link updated to a URL projected to better handle the load, thanks to reader Tom Minchin.
Unfortunately... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Unfortunately... (Score:5, Informative)
8 years (Score:3, Informative)
Let the Bananarama jokes (Score:2, Funny)
Re: Bananarama jokes? OK you asked for it ... (Score:2, Funny)
Re: Bananarama jokes? OK you asked for it ... (Score:2)
The Monkees were the '60s, not the '80s, you total noob.
Re: Bananarama jokes? OK you asked for it ... (Score:2)
Re:Let the Bananarama jokes (Score:2)
Re:Let the Bananarama jokes (Score:5, Informative)
A band called Bananarama did a cover of a song called "Venus" in the eighties (1986). It was originally done by Shocking Blue* [geocities.com] in 1970.
Lyrics here [afn.org].
It is a bit of a stretch to go from from a story on a planetary event to a forgettable eighties band, but this is /.
* That site also tells us that "Venus is the only song in the history of the Billboard charts to hit number one three times (first time on February 7, 1970, second time on June 20, 1981 by "Stars On 45"; third time on September 6, 1986 by Bananarama)." So there. Wow. And now I can't get the damn song out of my head... she's got it, yeah baby she's got itRe:Let the Bananarama jokes (Score:2)
OH DEAR GOD (Score:5, Funny)
I tried to look at Venus, and I burned out my eyes! Damn you Slashdot, damn you Sun! (The Sun, not Sun the Java people!)
Safety, Remember Safety (Score:5, Insightful)
For one thing, it doesn't start for another day and an hour or so.
(I'll admit that I panicked and rushed outside and took quick looks at the sun, before I came back and read the article and realized we still have about 25 hours until it even starts.
For another thing, slashdot was kind enough to post a link to safety instructions [nasa.gov] in the headline.
So, what are solar filters? How much do they cost and where can I get one if I want to drive across the country in a mad dash to catch it at sunrise in South Dakota or whatever?
I've been wanting to check out that Wall Drugs that so many people have bumper stickers for for awhile anyway. Maybe they sell solar filters? But if I'm going to drive halfway across the country I want more then just a pinhole thingy.
Who's up for a road trip?
But if you forgot safety and go temporarily blind, at least you can turn your Chinatown apartment into one big computer and discover a way to predict the stock market.
Re:Safety, Remember Safety (Score:4, Informative)
I think there is some Ursa personnel at Tähtitorninmäki ("The observatory hill"), handing out filters.
Re:Safety, Remember Safety (Score:2, Informative)
more important than I thought at first. And I
guess not everyone is likely to have optical
grade mirrors lying around like I do.
But the platter out of an old hard disk is very
flat. If it has bright plated media, it'll work.
Now where's that old 800MB Quantum drive gone...?
- jam
Re:Safety, Remember Safety (Score:2, Interesting)
Or why not just make a pinhole camera! Just get two bits of card. Make a hole with a pin in one, point at the sun and project the image onto the other one. The bigger the hole, the brighter, but fuzzier the image. You can get fancy if you like, go into a darkens room, black out the window except for a pinhole and project the image onto the opposite wall. The image will be bigger because the distance is greater
Re:Safety, Remember Safety (Score:2)
Howdy Doodly Doo! Anybody want some Toast?
I don't want your smegging toast!
Re:OH DEAR GOD (Score:2, Interesting)
Bob the Angry Flower (Score:2, Funny)
Don't follow Bob's example [angryflower.com]...
Re:OH DEAR GOD (Score:5, Funny)
Any good geek can launch Firefox, navigate to Slashdot, find a story, and post a comment without looking at the screen.
Re:OH DEAR GOD (Score:5, Funny)
Re:OH DEAR GOD (Score:3, Funny)
well, according to the uid's... about 780,000.
Voice Controlled Software (Score:2, Funny)
SOHO (Score:2)
Terraforming (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Terraforming (Score:5, Funny)
Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
Re:Terraforming (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Terraforming (Score:2, Informative)
While in priciple those are interesting ideas, I see two potential obstacles:
1) Even with terraforming, Venus' proximity to the Sun would make average surface temperatures too warm for comfort. Maybe even too warm for life. Shielded surface habitats or underground structures might be the only options.
2) If you're on the planet and it's making a transit
Re:Terraforming (Score:2)
What I've been wondering about is how often would this happen for an observer on Mars? And Earth transits? Are they even more rare?
Re:Terraforming (Score:2)
Until the middle of the 19th century, Venus was considered as the sister planet of the Earth: a diameter of 12104 km (12754 on Earth), 5.24g/cm3 density (5.51 on Earth). We now know that actually, Venus is a (badly known) hell due to, among other things, its thick atmosphere which radar observations just began to help discover.
Of numerous soviets and american probes sent to Venus, none has survived more than two hours: the temperature on Ven
Re:Terraforming (Score:2, Funny)
that reminds me. I know a lot of the solar system has already been explored one way or an other by man- but it came to my attention that nobody has actually landed on the Sun yet...?
Now I know youre all going to say 'duh. thats stupid its way too hot'
true. but only if you go in the daytime
They Linked to Pictures? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't worry 'bout it (Score:2)
Nasa has too much bandwith for God to count. They'll be fine.
I'm tempted to make a Soviet Russia joke about them Slashdotting us.
Weaselmancer
Re:Don't worry 'bout it (Score:4, Funny)
What, like how in Soviet Russia, Nasa slashdots you?
Hope be with ye,
Cyan
Yuppers (Score:2, Interesting)
If it hasn't started yet... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:If it hasn't started yet... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:If it hasn't started yet... (Score:3, Informative)
SOHO is in a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrange point, and so is not on the Sun-Earth line. As such, Earth's perespective is not the same as SOHOs.
Cover for UFO (Score:5, Funny)
This is a big desert, you could really get hurt out here. Now go away.... remember that you saw nothing.
Australia? (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, Sure Australia... (Score:2)
I can see ... (Score:4, Informative)
Perfect timing, as I will be able to see it straight after school, not to mention two hours of pure interesting and enlightening entertainment for free.
Beats TV any day.
eye safety (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:eye safety (Score:5, Informative)
Re:eye safety (Score:2)
Re:eye safety (Score:2)
I heard this this morning from an astronomer interviewed about the transit.
Projecting (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Projecting (Score:3, Informative)
Because the mirror focuses the light, the lenses in the eyepiece can get very hot and can deform or even shatter.
Better stay with binoculars. You can even use two pieces of paper. One black with a tiny hole and another one white to use
Re:Projecting (Score:3, Informative)
This is true of any telescope that doesn't have a miniscule aperture. If you have a large refracting telescope, you also run the risk of cooking the optics in your objective if you point it at the sun.
To directly examine the sun usin
Re:Projecting (Score:2)
Transit Map [nasa.gov]
Re:Projecting (Score:2, Informative)
Never look through a telescope at the sun
Eureka! (Score:5, Funny)
"More recently, solar observers have used floppy disks and compact disks (both CDs and CD-ROMs) as protective filters by covering the central openings and looking through the disk media."
My Dear Watson, I have discovered another use for AOL CDs! Grab the one from under that cup over there; we're going to watch Venus!
Reply (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Eureka! -- need 2 CD thicknesses, no lacquer (Score:3, Informative)
I have discovered another use for AOL CDs!
Sorry to spoil your day, I just tried it and it's yet another thing that AOL disks are useless for
I just tried a glimpse with various CDs. I find that a single unlacquered CD thickness leaves too much brightness, but 2 CD thicknesses (silver/recorded sides towards the sun) might be ok. (Care now!! Don't blame me if it's too bright for you!)
But another
Re:Eureka! -- need 2 CD thicknesses, no lacquer (Score:3, Informative)
I just tried a glimpse with various CDs. I find that a single unlacquered CD thickness leaves too much brightness, but 2 CD thicknesses (silver/recorded sides towards the sun) might be ok. (Care now!! Don't blame me if it's too bright for you!)
Congratulations, it's possible you've just done a great deal of damage to your eye. While CD's are (mostly) opaque to visible wavelengths, they're totally transparent to the infra-red. CD's, floppy disks and other media are not safe solar filters.
Do not use mak
Re:Eureka! -- need 2 CD thicknesses, no lacquer (Score:2)
Re:Eureka! -- need 2 CD thicknesses, no lacquer (Score:2)
I think you are talking about the transparency of the plastics material. The useful absorbance is of course due to the metallized layer in the CD (or layers if more than one CD is used), no-one suggests that the plastics material in itself is a useful filter.
Re:Eureka! -- need 2 CD thicknesses, no lacquer (Score:2)
I think you are talking about the transparency of the plastics material. The useful absorbance is of course due to the metallized layer in the CD (or layers if more than one CD is used), no-one suggests that the plastics material in itself is a useful filter.
Nope, this "CD's are safe to use as solar filters" rumour has been going round the houses since the started to appear. They're not safe, the "metallized layer" is mostly transparent to IR.
Al.Re:Eureka! -- need 2 CD thicknesses, no lacquer (Score:3, Informative)
According to this [nasa.gov], CDs and Floppy disks both make safe filters. Optically crummy filters, yeah. But safe. Maybe because the document is specifically taylored to eclipses where the amount of sunlight is less?
Canadian SCISAT-1 Spectra (Score:5, Informative)
Crater Naming (Score:5, Interesting)
Back when the Magellan mission [nasa.gov] was mapping the surface of Venus, I had a planetary geology friend who was involved in assigning names to features. I managed to persuade him to name a crater [usra.edu] after my girlfriend Marianne, as a birthday present to her. At the time I thought this gift was pretty cool; unlike star names, which are meaningless, this was an official designation, and furthermore Venus was the Planet O' Love.
My mistake, however, was to forgetting that Venus is eternal, but love isn't. Every time I see Venus hanging in the evening sky, I realize I named that damn crater after the wrong woman. LOL!
Re:Crater Naming (Score:2)
At least you didn't get her name tattooed down your forearm where everyone would see it for the rest of your life and wonder who's name that is... especially after breaking up with her.
Craters might be forever, but tattoos are the suxx0rz. Oh well. I hardly notice it anymore.
Re:Crater Naming (Score:2)
Re:Crater Naming (Score:2)
Applaud NASA (Score:2, Funny)
Thank god they didn't link to one of the 150,000kb RAW TIFFs. Nightmare for your connection and theirs =)
List of live viewing gatherings? (Score:5, Informative)
Here's a list of web casts. [skyandtelescope.com]
Anyone else have information on live viewings?
Thanks.
Poster must have a time machine... (Score:2, Funny)
BBC Coverage (Score:5, Informative)
You can calculate the distance [open2.net] of the earth from the sun.
If you're in the UK, the BBC have some programs covering this on Tuesday. There's live coverage at 9.50AM on BBC1 and another program on at 12PM on BBC1. Theres a full hour program on BBC2 at 11.20PM. All presented by Adam Hart-Davis.
Re:BBC Coverage (Score:2, Interesting)
Astonishing Scientific Breakthrough!!!! (Score:4, Funny)
The photographic record of a Venus transit is nothing surprising. What astonishes me is that photographs are coming in from an event that is going to happen 2 days in the future.
Re:Astonishing Scientific Breakthrough!!!! (Score:2)
Re:Astonishing Scientific Breakthrough!!!! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Astonishing Scientific Breakthrough!!!! (Score:2)
A transit begins when Venus is observed passing the limb of the sun, not when it passes the corona.
Re:Astonishing Scientific Breakthrough!!!! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Astonishing Scientific Breakthrough!!!! (Score:2)
No, transits do not start out in the corona. No, passing NEAR the sun is NOT a transit. FYI, SOHO has a wide field to track coronal mass ejections, which are propelled OUT of the corona, it has an opaque disk that obscures the sun and its corona because it would overwhelm the sensor.
The U.S.A. will get a much better look in 2012 (Score:5, Informative)
And here is the map of the transit for 2012. [nasa.gov]
So while I won't get to see it this year unless I hop in my car and drive east for about 20 hours without rest, I will get to see it in 2012, unless I'm in Chille or Argentina, or something.
The further north you are, the better your chances of seeing it.
If you're in Antarctica you won't see it at all.
Re:The U.S.A. will get a much better look in 2012 (Score:2)
Re:The U.S.A. will get a much better look in 2012 (Score:2)
Bah! (Score:3, Funny)
We never get to see end-of-the-world omens here on the left coast!
Re:Bah! (Score:2)
We never get to see end-of-the-world omens here on the left coast!
That's because you're not on the right coast.
Viewing Venus in Sydney (Score:3, Informative)
The event I'm involved with is the Macquarie University Observatory [mq.edu.au] event, which is taking place on the vacant lot at the intersection of Culloden and Talavera Roads, North Ryde (out behind the uni, not at the observatory).
For a gold coin donation you'll be able to look through a telescope at Venus, see the video display from one of our ccd cameras, observe the sun through a variety of projection methods and also with eclipse shades. So, it's good value, and all proceeds go to building a new observatory and planetarium (as opposed to the Feed the Starvind Astronomers Foundation, which I think is a more noble cause).
We'll be there from 3pm, see here [mq.edu.au] for more information.
1882 transit photographs (Score:2, Informative)
Transit at University of Maryland, College Park (Score:3, Informative)
"Witness the first Transit of Venus in 122 years
Join the Department of Astronomy
Tuesday, June 8
from 5:30 - 7:30 AM
5th Floor Balcony, Plant Sciences Building
Park (free) on Level 3 in the Regent's Drive Parking Garage (entrance on Stadium Dr.).
Walk across the bridge (near section 3-4) in the southwestern corner of the garage.
Enter the building and take the elevator (you will be on the 2nd floor) to the 5th floor.
Walk out onto the balcony.
In case of cloudy weather, join us in the Computer and Space Science Building (on Stadium Drive), in the Computer Lab, Room 1220. We will view the transit using the computers."
1882 Venus Transit Quote (Score:5, Interesting)
"There will be no other [transit of Venus] till the twenty-first century of our era has dawned upon the earth, and the June flowers are blooming in 2004. What will be the state of science when the next transit season arrives God only knows." - William Harkness, USNO, 1882
Why do we care? (Score:4, Informative)
More Information (Score:4, Informative)
(I submitted this to Slashdot several days ago; I was rejected.)
Obligatory Zim quote (Score:2)
SciAm (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Question... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Question... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Question... (Score:5, Informative)
At least we'd all get an article on Slashdot....
Re:Question... (Score:2, Funny)
Nonsense. Have you seen the sun lately? It's about the size of a quarter, max.
Re:Question... (Score:2)
Bonus points to people who catch the reference, and even bigger bonus points to any who can tell me exactly what book it was in, because I have no clue.
Re:Question... (Score:2)
I got too curious and looked up the reference myself... p. 155 [psu.edu] of The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes.
Confusing apparent size with real size (Score:5, Informative)
The term eclipse is reserved for those events where the front object is large enough to significantly cover the back one.
During the transit Venus will only cover about 1/900th of the solar disk and as such this is not usually referred to as an eclipse.
What matters are the apparent sizes of the two bodies not their actual sizes, for example, the Moon is nowhere near half a million miles in diameter but when it transits the face of the Sun the event is called an eclipse. This is because, from the surface of the Earth, the apparent sizes of the Moon and the Sun are very similar and the moon is capable of blocking out a large fraction of the solar disk, sometimes even cover it completely.
Imagine you travelled to Venus during the transit - the disk of the planet would get larger and larger until around 1 million kms (630 thousand miles) from the planet it would be large enough to totally eclipse the Sun.
Re:Question... (Score:3, Funny)
But since it's only the size of a Transit Van, it's passage across the face of the sun will only be The Transit of Venus.
Re:Question... (Score:3, Informative)
It's not an eclipse because the sun isn't blocked out completely. Whereas transit is perfectly sensible, since venus appears to move across the sun...
Re:Sir? (Score:5, Insightful)
We will learn more about this planet and how the corona varies compared to an eclipse.
Re:Sir? (Score:4, Informative)
actually dear poster its a twice in a lifetime [pipex.com] experience..
the next transit is due in 2012
(+1 wiseass..)
Re:Sir? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Sir? (Score:2, Informative)