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[Paulie pchris00]

It is now June 6, 2011, and we are only 365 days away from the most thrilling astronomical event of our lifetime. For those of you who missed the Venus Transit of 8 June 2004, next year, 5 June 2012 is your only other chance to see Venus cross the disk of our Sun. I am not committing myself to any location or observation this time around, since I didn't get to see the 2004 transit through a telescope, but only the cheap "eclipse glasses" they sell for a couple bucks at Adler. I'm being selfish for this one, yes, but the Venus Transit is one of the things that got me into astronomy, and I've been waiting seven years already, with just one more year to go. Crossing my fingers for clear skies, and if that fails, I'm going to get in my car and drive until I can see shadows, or run out of gas, whichever comes first.

In the meantime, check out Joe's story of the 2004 transit.

astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=venustransit&action=display&thread=1823

[patrickm]

I will have an H-Alpha scope by then. Yes I will.

And I will be in the back seat with an extra can of gasoline.

[Paulie pchris00]

Ha would be nice, but not strictly necessary. I'd rather spend that money on gas, and be assured to see the transit... somewhere.

[Paulie pchris00]

Seriously, I can't stop thinking about the transit. Calumet Astronomical Society has already mentioned hosting an observation, and there is a good chance I will be there if they do. Their resources are greater than mine, but I would also like to have some mobility to my transit plans, in case weather becomes an issue. I'm already considering traveling as far south as Kentucky, and as far north as Minnesota for a chance at a clear sky. Traveling at the last minute, however, introduces unknown variables. I've been wondering if Chicago Astronomers, Calumet Astronomical Society, and maybe even Chicago Astronomical Society could enter into reciprocating deals with astronomical societies in other regions, to converge on observatories or suitable observation sites with favorable conditions on transit day. It wouldn't completely eliminate the risk of losing the transit to bad weather, but the willingness to drive a few hours to a site with a better forecast could cut down the odds. I will look into this more very soon.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I don't know about the Venus transit, but we got a friend down south by the St. Louis area for the Midwest Solar eclipse coming up.

The Venus transit is something I can start working on.

[Paulie pchris00]

St. Louis is good. Was already thinking about that because of the total solar eclipse, but we still have over 6 years to think about that.

For the Venus transit, I was thinking Indianapolis, St. Louis, Springfield IL, Louisville to the south, and Milwaukee and the twin cities to the north. Wasn't thinking too much about heading east or west, but could be something to think about.

[Centaur]

I've created graphics that preview the transit from different cities, including Chicago at the Adler Planetarium (well serving all Chicagoland observers). The timings vary among locations since parallax is a factor. My diagrams utilize horizontal (alt-az) coordinates which explains the apparent curving of Venus' path due the Earth's rotation. I currently provide previews for eighteen cities, but will add more as the event nears. Here's the link to my webpage for the transit: www.CurtRenz.com/venustransit

[Paulie pchris00]

Thanks Centaur, although I don't think Adler will be the ideal viewing location for the transit. I doubt there was a better place in the Midwest for viewing the 2004 transit than Adler/Chicago lakefront. With Venus crossing the solar disk at sunset next year, we will lose precious minutes of observation t the Chicago skyline, usually a magnificent sight, but inconvenient for observing such a rare event.

I'll be looking into various sites over the next few months, and report my findings, so that all astronomers in Chicagoland, and the entire Midwest, can plan this very important observation as best they can.

[Paulie pchris00]

Curt, just to let you know, I have included your graphic in a blog post, fully credited to you, with a link to the website.

pchris00pnc.blogspot.com/2011/06/2012-venus-transit.html

[Centaur]

No problem, Paulie. Thanks for the linkage.

[-=CROMAN=-]

paulie.....


Check out this link

www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/imagesgallery-transit-venus.htm

[Paulie pchris00]

Some good stuff there. I'd like to do a mock transit observation by the end of summer, just to make sure I won't have any surprises next year.