Sunday, June 24, 2012
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...Saturday, June 9, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
celebrating Venus...
Bruce McClure June 5 2012
Everything you need to know: Venus transit on June 5-6
Venus transit June 8, 2004. Image: Wikimedia Commons
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Venus transit day is here! The brightest planet, Venus, will pass right in front of the sun beginning at 22:09 UTC today (5:09 p.m. CDT on June 5 in the U.S.). Greatest transit is at 1:29 UTC on June 6 (9:29 p.m. CDT on June 5, or after sunset in the central U.S.). More about transit times below. This transit of Venus will be the last one for the 21st century. It will take place across a period of nearly seven hours on June 5-6, 2012, and, for many places, sunrise or sunset will occur while the transit is in progress. During the transit, Venus will appear in silhouette as a small, dark dot moving in front of the solar disk. This exceedingly rare astronomical event – a transit of Venus – won’t happen again until December 11, 2117.
Transit computer courtesy of the U.S. Naval Observatory
How do I translate Universal Time into my time?
Local times of transit courtesy of timeanddate.com
You must have proper eye protection to view the transit. Click on the following link to hear why eclipses glasses and welder’s glass might not be best for this event, to learn how to make an indirect viewing system, and to find a webcast: What’s the best way to view the June 5-6 transit of Venus safely?
Transit of Venus June 8, 2004. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Depending on where you live worldwide, the transit of Venus will happen on June 5 or 6, 2012. If you live in the world’s Western Hemisphere (North America, northwestern South America, Hawaii, Greenland or Iceland), the transit will start in the afternoon hours on June 5. In the world’s Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or New Zealand), the transit will first be seen at sunrise or in the morning hours on June 6.
Map of where June 5-6, 2012 Venus transit will be seen. Image Credit: Michael Zeiler, eclipse-maps.com
Click here to expand chart above
Transit Computer giving the Universal Time for your sky
The chart above shows the times of the 2012 transit of Venus in Universal Time (essentially the same as UTC). You will need to translate the times as shown on the chart above to your time zone. Here’s how to do that: How do I translate Universal Time into my time?
Be careful and watch for the time of sunset or sunrise in your location. In the continental United States, for example, greatest transit will be just before sunset for most of us. During last month’s solar eclipse, which was also at sunset for U.S. locations, many people told us they missed out because their viewing location was hindered by trees or tall buildings. Don’t let that happen to you! If you’re in the continental U.S., be sure to find a viewing location with a clear view of the horizon. To know the time of sunset or sunrise for your location, try this site, which will let you create a custom sunrise/sunset calendar: Sunrise/sunset times for your sky
From the mainland U.S., the West Coast will get to see more hours of the transit than the East Coast does. Here in Austin, Texas, we’ll see the first half of the transit, while the second half will take place after the sun goes beneath our horizon.
In the world’s Eastern Hemisphere, it’s as equally important to find a level eastern horizon on June 6. For Africa, Europe, much of Asia and western Australia, the sun will rise (on June 6) as the transit is taking place. Elsewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere, the transit will start in the morning hours on June 6.
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/last-transit-of-venus-in-21st-century-will-happen-in-june-2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
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