Terry R. McConn
Mankind was treated to the rare sight of Venus crossing in
front of the Sun for only the sixth time in history this
morning. Such transits of Venus were avidly observed in the
18th and 19th centuries and were used to more accurately
determine the distance from the Earth to the Sun. (See
recent articles in Scientific American and Sky and
Telescope for delightful accounts of these historic
transits.) They occur in pairs separated by 8 years
approximately once a century.
Here is a very brief account of my own observation of the
2004 transit:
I walked to a point near our house which is high enough to
command an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon. The
weather was ideal: no hint of any clouds in the sky, distant
hills slightly obscured by ground haze, the temperature bath-
water warm. At 5:45 EST the sun began to appear from behind
a tree on the horizon. At less than 20 minutes after sunrise
(5:25) the sun appeared deep red and one could gaze directly
at it with no discomfort. (Kids, don't try this at home!)
Venus was clearly visible to the unaided eye as an inky
black dot near the southeastern rim of the sun at about the
4 o'clock position. Its relative size was similar to the
famous mole on Marilyn Monroe's face.
All in all not a spectacular event, but I found the sight of
our sister world bravely crossing in front of the distant
thermonuclear inferno strangely moving.
Venus is normally seen as a brilliant prick of light in the
western sky after dusk or in the eastern sky before dawn.
Its motions and relationship in space to the earth and sun
are not obvious except to those who watch the sky
habitually. The appearance of that small but perfectly round
little disk against the sun served to illustrate both its
planetary status and its relative position in the solar
system in a particulary graphic and memorable way.
--
***********************************************************-
*************
Terry R. McConnell Mathematics/215 Carnegie/Syracuse, N.Y.
13244-1150 trmcconn@syr.edu 229B Physics Bldg
http://barnyard.syr.edu/~tmc
***********************************************************-
*************
front of the Sun for only the sixth time in history this
morning. Such transits of Venus were avidly observed in the
18th and 19th centuries and were used to more accurately
determine the distance from the Earth to the Sun. (See
recent articles in Scientific American and Sky and
Telescope for delightful accounts of these historic
transits.) They occur in pairs separated by 8 years
approximately once a century.
Here is a very brief account of my own observation of the
2004 transit:
I walked to a point near our house which is high enough to
command an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon. The
weather was ideal: no hint of any clouds in the sky, distant
hills slightly obscured by ground haze, the temperature bath-
water warm. At 5:45 EST the sun began to appear from behind
a tree on the horizon. At less than 20 minutes after sunrise
(5:25) the sun appeared deep red and one could gaze directly
at it with no discomfort. (Kids, don't try this at home!)
Venus was clearly visible to the unaided eye as an inky
black dot near the southeastern rim of the sun at about the
4 o'clock position. Its relative size was similar to the
famous mole on Marilyn Monroe's face.
All in all not a spectacular event, but I found the sight of
our sister world bravely crossing in front of the distant
thermonuclear inferno strangely moving.
Venus is normally seen as a brilliant prick of light in the
western sky after dusk or in the eastern sky before dawn.
Its motions and relationship in space to the earth and sun
are not obvious except to those who watch the sky
habitually. The appearance of that small but perfectly round
little disk against the sun served to illustrate both its
planetary status and its relative position in the solar
system in a particulary graphic and memorable way.
--
***********************************************************-
*************
Terry R. McConnell Mathematics/215 Carnegie/Syracuse, N.Y.
13244-1150 trmcconn@syr.edu 229B Physics Bldg
http://barnyard.syr.edu/~tmc
***********************************************************-
*************
