Venus Transit (was Jane Tomlinson completes her tandem ride)

Helen Deborah Vecht <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

<snip photo taking story>

Reminds me of my efforts at taking photos of a partial eclipse (about 95%
I think) when I was returning from a holiday in Australia a few years
back. As we were at the airport and our bags were checked in I had next
to no equipment, save for my camera and two sheets of cardboard, one with
a small hole in it. I managed to get a fairly clear image by propping up
one sheet on a table of the outside bar and holding the other sheet up
behind me. The image was tiny and rather wobbly due to the holey card
being hand held. Combine that with having to hold a heavy SLR with a long
lens to try to photograph said tiny image and you end up with a roll of
pictures of a tiny white dot and a lot of very strange looks from people
who didn't even know there was an eclipse. I would have thought a 95%
eclipes would at least result in some darkening of the sky, but no, the
temperature dropped slightly (it was in the mid-40s) and that was about
it.

Apparently here in Perth was a good place to watch the transit,
unfortunately real life got in the way.

http://perthobs.highway1.com.au//Venus/venus.html

Graeme

Graeme said:

Apparently here in Perth was a good place to watch the transit,
unfortunately real life got in the way.

Quoted message said:

http://perthobs.highway1.com.au//Venus/venus.html

Oh *that* Perth. My first reaction was surprise that 20 mile inland would
make such a difference...
When an ex-cousin-in-law from your Perth came to visit us in a couple of
years ago he commented that the location of our Perth was rather similar
(river, low hills) so we wondered if that inspired the people who named
it.

Roos

Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Oh *that* Perth. My first reaction was surprise that 20 mile inland
would make such a difference...
When an ex-cousin-in-law from your Perth came to visit us in a couple
of years ago he commented that the location of our Perth was rather
similar (river, low hills) so we wondered if that inspired the people
who named it.

Yep, the warmer one (though not at the moment). It's not really my Perth,
more my wife's Perth, we moved here from my native Edinburgh last year as
this is where she was born.

Apparently it was named Perth because the Secretary for the Colonies, Sir
George Murray, told one of the explorers/invaders (depending on your point
of view) that it should be called that. Other than the name, any
similarities are rather tenuous. The river Swan isn't as scenic as the Tay
and the hills are more of an escarpment than hills, so you just see an
almost continuous ledge when you look east. They're both nice places
though, and I'd be happy to live in either of them.

Graeme

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

At five forty-five in deepest suburbia, the clocks alarmed.

David stirred,
"We don't have much time for our preparations." He panted urgently
"Will you take photographs? Load the cameras!" He continued

I loaded the cameras and pointed out a suitable tripod for him to use.
The photographs were to be taken in our bedroom.
....
David grabbed the dark trousers he had carelessly discarded the night
before. Using a bulldog clip he brought the boudoir curtains together.

"There's not much time!" He nagged ...

you *were* taking photos of the Venus transit, I assume? 🙂

Phil Clarke <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

At five forty-five in deepest suburbia, the clocks alarmed.

David stirred,
"We don't have much time for our preparations." He panted urgently
"Will you take photographs? Load the cameras!" He continued

I loaded the cameras and pointed out a suitable tripod for him to use.
The photographs were to be taken in our bedroom.
....
David grabbed the dark trousers he had carelessly discarded the night
before. Using a bulldog clip he brought the boudoir curtains together.

"There's not much time!" He nagged ...

Quoted message said:

you *were* taking photos of the Venus transit, I assume? 🙂

My title for this post elsewhere was 'Bedtime Story'...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Graeme <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Oh *that* Perth. My first reaction was surprise that 20 mile inland
would make such a difference...
When an ex-cousin-in-law from your Perth came to visit us in a couple
of years ago he commented that the location of our Perth was rather
similar (river, low hills) so we wondered if that inspired the people
who named it.

Yep, the warmer one (though not at the moment). It's not really my Perth,
more my wife's Perth, we moved here from my native Edinburgh last year as
this is where she was born.

Apparently it was named Perth because the Secretary for the Colonies, Sir
George Murray, told one of the explorers/invaders (depending on your point
of view) that it should be called that. Other than the name, any
similarities are rather tenuous. The river Swan isn't as scenic as the Tay
and the hills are more of an escarpment than hills, so you just see an
almost continuous ledge when you look east. They're both nice places
though, and I'd be happy to live in either of them.

Graeme

You mean you didn't all keep your glasses from 1999? saw it all
through a pair of them out of the staff room window; very historic,
not all that spectacular though.

"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Oh *that* Perth. My first reaction was surprise that 20 mile inland
would make such a difference...
When an ex-cousin-in-law from your Perth came to visit us in a couple
of years ago he commented that the location of our Perth was rather
similar (river, low hills) so we wondered if that inspired the people
who named it.

Yep, the warmer one (though not at the moment). It's not really my Perth,
more my wife's Perth, we moved here from my native Edinburgh last year as
this is where she was born.

Apparently it was named Perth because the Secretary for the Colonies, Sir
George Murray, told one of the explorers/invaders (depending on your point
of view) that it should be called that.

Which was a bit of a departure for him, since he generally directed that any
discernable landscape feature be called "The Murray Whatever". Or whatever.
Apparently. As suggested by looking at a map of Austria.
--
"To ... just not care that there are naked triathletes running
across your lawn, that's just a waste of exhibitionism."
- Kibo, in alt.religion.kibology

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Which was a bit of a departure for him, since he generally directed
that any discernable landscape feature be called "The Murray
Whatever". Or whatever. Apparently. As suggested by looking at a map
of Austria.

I bet that [censored] the Austrians! :-)

You're right though, there's at least two Murray Rivers and a number of
Murray this and that elsewhere.

Graeme

In news:[email hidden],
MartinM <[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

You mean you didn't all keep your glasses from 1999? saw it all
through a pair of them out of the staff room window; very historic,
not all that spectacular though.

Those eclipse glasses were designed for looking at an almost totally
obscured sun, for a very short while.
I do hope you didn't look for long.
--

Martin Bulmer

Pie Conservation Threat

"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Which was a bit of a departure for him, since he generally directed
that any discernable landscape feature be called "The Murray
Whatever". Or whatever. Apparently. As suggested by looking at a map
of Austria.

I bet that [censored] the Austrians! :-)

"Australia" is too long to type. "Austria" saves time, and it must be the same
place. What are the chances that someone would call two different countries by
such similar names? Honestly now.

Quoted message said:

You're right though, there's at least two Murray Rivers and a number of
Murray this and that elsewhere.

And the finer the map detail, the more Murray things you find. It's like
threads about helmets in URC.
--
Mark South: World Citizen, Net Denizen

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote:
( "Australia" is too long to type. "Austria" saves time,
) and it must be the same
( place. What are the chances that someone would call two
) different countries by
( such similar names? Honestly now.

You're getting worried about Canadia now, aren't you?

(Geraint Jones) said:

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote:
( "Australia" is too long to type. "Austria" saves time,
) and it must be the same
( place. What are the chances that someone would call two
) different countries by
( such similar names? Honestly now.

Quoted message said:

You're getting worried about Canadia now, aren't you?

I once spent an awfully long time trying to work out what was wrong with
the name "Astraulia"...

Roos

"Geraint Jones" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote:
( "Australia" is too long to type. "Austria" saves time,
) and it must be the same
( place. What are the chances that someone would call two
) different countries by
( such similar names? Honestly now.

You're getting worried about Canadia now, aren't you?

ITYM "Canuckistan". It's just north of Ameristaniland.

Mark South said:

ITYM "Canuckistan". It's just north of Ameristaniland.

Quite. You'll notice how all these mad, bad and dangerous countries have
within their names the word "Stan"...

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

"Martin Bulmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In news:[email hidden],
MartinM <[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

You mean you didn't all keep your glasses from 1999? saw it all
through a pair of them out of the staff room window; very historic,
not all that spectacular though.

Those eclipse glasses were designed for looking at an almost totally
obscured sun, for a very short while.
I do hope you didn't look for long.

No not for long, IIRC they are not designed for that, they were for
observing the partial phases of the solar eclipse which would have
involved direct sunlight (anywhere but the UK). I used mine for this
purpose in the rare unobscured glimpses of the partial phase in 1999.

What was irresponsible was the Mail's cartoon this morning which
showed characters observing the transit directly through a pinhole in
card!!

Mark South said:

"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You're right though, there's at least two Murray Rivers and a number of
Murray this and that elsewhere.

And the finer the map detail, the more Murray things you find.

And the bits that aren't Murray all appear to be 'Darling'.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
Fair and Balanced -
http://blugg.com/stuff/foxs_view_of_the_bbc_player.htm

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 12:34:40 +0100, "Dave Larrington" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Mark South said:

ITYM "Canuckistan". It's just north of Ameristaniland.

Quite. You'll notice how all these mad, bad and dangerous countries have
within their names the word "Stan"...

Which can be conveniently grouped together as Faroffistan.

Tim
--
For those who have trouble distinguishing, cynicsm, sarcasm, humour etc,
try mentally inserting smilies thoughout my post until it either
matches what you'd like to read, or what you'd expect me to write.

(Jon Senior urc)

"Tim Hall" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 12:34:40 +0100, "Dave Larrington" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Mark South said:

ITYM "Canuckistan". It's just north of Ameristaniland.

Quite. You'll notice how all these mad, bad and dangerous countries have
within their names the word "Stan"...

Which can be conveniently grouped together as Faroffistan.

It's not so much that they are far away as that they are woefully
underdeveloped. Although Austriastan is pretty far off as well.
--
"I would recommend Iowastan or North
Dakotastan for your dip into reality."
- (almost) Ed Dolan in alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent