Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jun 9, 2004 7:14:14 GMT -6
The Chicago Astronomer in the Chicago Tribune
Venus - The Goddess of Love must have smiled upon us, for The Chicago Astronomer Forum was graciously mentioned in the Wednesday edition of the Chicago Tribune...
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Thousands catch peek at dot -
Perfect weather treats Adler Planetarium to a sight nobody has seen for five generations--the movement of Venus' silhouette across the sun
Perfect weather treats Adler Planetarium to a sight nobody has seen for five generations--the movement of Venus' silhouette across the sun
By Patrick Rucker
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 9, 2004
Whether peering through a state-of-the-art telescope or an empty beer carton, professional and amateur astronomers around Chicago enjoyed ideal weather Tuesday morning to witness a rare transit of Venus over the surface of the sun.
Adler Planetarium was a prime viewing location. Nearly 1,000 people crowded the promenade near Doane Observatory before dawn and under a cloudless sky to gaze east over Lake Michigan. Moments after the sun rose at 5:16 a.m., a flea-size silhouette of Venus was seen on its surface.
Mark Hammergren, an astronomer with the planetarium, heard "murmurs and gasps" and people whispering, "There it is."
"It was spectacular; far better than we could have hoped," Hammergren said. "You can never count on the weather cooperating. The weather was fantastic."
For all its brilliance, this was a fleeting phenomenon.
The silhouette came into view for Chicago residents in the final hour of its roughly six-hour journey and was gone by 6:25 a.m. By then, viewers from Central Asia to North Africa had been tracking the silhouette for much of the day.
The transit of Venus happened last in 1882 and will come to pass only once more, in 2012, before its occurrence in 2117, skipping the births of five generations.
"This is a rare, rare event," said Joe Guzman, a lifelong amateur astronomer and founder of the Chicago Astronomer Forum who joined the throng at Adler Planetarium. "A Venus transit is something incredible."
Nothing could stand in the way of planetary motion, but there were fears that no one in Chicago would be able to enjoy it. Some weather reports predicted hazy and overcast skies, but enthusiasts like Guzman as well as families gathered on blankets around the grounds were blessed with sunny weather.
"From a historical perspective, clear weather like this is unusual," said Anna Friedman, an assistant curator at Adler, noting that the elements often conspired against explorers and Venus-chasers of long ago. In the 18th Century, ships raced around the world hoping measurements from the Venusian migration would yield valuable scientific insight.
"For me, it brought all the historical research and perilous tales alive of spotting the transit," Friedman said. "The connection between history and the present day was phenomenal."
Peter Vandervoort, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, tried to view the event through a pinhole camera made from an inverted beer carton.
"I was curious about this old trick for viewing eclipses," Vandervoort said. "I could not get it to work."
His failed experiment notwithstanding, Vandervoort was able to see the event thanks to "some good-hearted souls that gave me some brief glimpses through the eyepiece of their telescope."
As to what would make a distinguished professor hold a beer carton over his head in a rather undignified pose, Vandervoort had a simple explanation. "Many of us that go into science retain something of a childlike fascination of these events--going to an eclipse, witnessing a meteor shower. This can be a great field. You grow up and still play with toys."
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune
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It was a great day for all astronomers and people who wonder at the heavens.
We thank Patrick Rucker and the Chicago Tribune for the mention.
Joe
[glow=blue,2,300]Chicago Astronomer[/glow]
