Post by Paulie pchris00 on Jun 20, 2012 7:46:20 GMT -6
In the weeks since our Transit of Venus observations, I’ve been thinking a lot about the legacy of it. Not just our members, and not just the 2012 transit. In 1639, Jeremiah Horrocks proved that Venus transits could be calculated and observed. In 1716, Edmond Halley challenged the generation that would observe the 1761 and 1769 transits to find the scale of the solar system. The 1874 and 1882 transits were used to refine that scale. With the 2004 and 2012 transits observed from numerous stations around the globe, by spacecraft, and astronauts orbiting Earth, I think it’s fair to say that we were part of the most widely observed Transit of Venus in history this month. While NASA and maybe some ground-based observatories no doubt gathered science data inconceivable to Halley or any other generation of astronomers, what is the legacy of the average astronomer, or science enthusiast in this past transit, just the seventh to be observed? What are we leaving behind for the generation that will observe the next pair of transits?
History. That’s it. We witnessed history, connected with astronomers of the past, and shared the spectacle and tidbits of the rich history of Transits of Venus will all who came to see it with us on June 5th. This week I read Chuck Bueter’s account of the Transit of Venus experience in Michiana. Through his website Transit of Venus.org, Chuck was globally renowned among ToV enthusiasts. I was privileged to see Chuck speak to Calumet Astronomical Society members in February about the Transit of Venus. Chuck will soon be burying a “Transit Keg” to be opened during the next pair of transits. I wanted to be a part of that history, and quickly put together a few pictures with a caption in a one page Word document, and Chuck graciously said that he would print the file and include it in the “Transit Keg.”
That gave me the idea to try to put together a comprehensive account of the Transit of Venus experience from Conway Observatory, to be kept on site in both digital and hard copies for future generations of astronomers. I think it would be a good idea for each of us that participated in a group event to try to leave behind a similar record for each of our various locations, especially in hard copy. Our digital media may be obsolete long before the next ToV rolls around, but a hard copy record could presumably be reproduced with the technology of our successors.
Maybe our accounts will only be read by a small handful of people through the years, but I see it as a way to immortality, like Horrocks, Halley, et al. We will probably never be as widely known as the intrepid explorers and astronomers who went before us, but some local historian may stumble across our accounts, grateful that we left behind a record to be found. Perhaps a reporter will find our archives while researching a story leading up the the 2117 ToV. Our names and stories could live beyond the next pair of transits simply because we had the foresight to insure that we were there to be found. I find it a powerful idea, and I'm going to make sure that my 2012 ToV story will be there to be found when Venus next crosses el Sol.
History. That’s it. We witnessed history, connected with astronomers of the past, and shared the spectacle and tidbits of the rich history of Transits of Venus will all who came to see it with us on June 5th. This week I read Chuck Bueter’s account of the Transit of Venus experience in Michiana. Through his website Transit of Venus.org, Chuck was globally renowned among ToV enthusiasts. I was privileged to see Chuck speak to Calumet Astronomical Society members in February about the Transit of Venus. Chuck will soon be burying a “Transit Keg” to be opened during the next pair of transits. I wanted to be a part of that history, and quickly put together a few pictures with a caption in a one page Word document, and Chuck graciously said that he would print the file and include it in the “Transit Keg.”
That gave me the idea to try to put together a comprehensive account of the Transit of Venus experience from Conway Observatory, to be kept on site in both digital and hard copies for future generations of astronomers. I think it would be a good idea for each of us that participated in a group event to try to leave behind a similar record for each of our various locations, especially in hard copy. Our digital media may be obsolete long before the next ToV rolls around, but a hard copy record could presumably be reproduced with the technology of our successors.
Maybe our accounts will only be read by a small handful of people through the years, but I see it as a way to immortality, like Horrocks, Halley, et al. We will probably never be as widely known as the intrepid explorers and astronomers who went before us, but some local historian may stumble across our accounts, grateful that we left behind a record to be found. Perhaps a reporter will find our archives while researching a story leading up the the 2117 ToV. Our names and stories could live beyond the next pair of transits simply because we had the foresight to insure that we were there to be found. I find it a powerful idea, and I'm going to make sure that my 2012 ToV story will be there to be found when Venus next crosses el Sol.
