2012 Venus Solar Transit, June 5-6

[Ripley]

Found this
http://www.sunaeon.com/venustransit/

 

[NovaSilisko]

Found this
http://www.sunaeon.com/venustransit/

I think I broke it

 

[Marvin42]

I think I broke it

:hmm: Yeah, you did (website is down :shrug. Pray for the probe to bring it back online.


If an orbinautor does make a picture, hope posts it here also.

Update: Probe works: it's back online...and still broken

 

[astrosammy]

Checked it in Stellarium, it seems to be nearly correct.

Weather for next week is looking bad right now, but I purchased some filter foil to build a filter for my telescope.
If weather is bad I'll try to find a good place within the next 100 km. If not... well, I saw the 2004 one...

 

[T.Neo]

I had a pair of eclipse glasses, but I don't know where they are. I want to try and make my own solar viewer, and a pinhole projector seems the easiest option, but I'm concerned that aiming it correctly at the sun will be challenging.

Which is the cheapest, easiest, most satisfying and least injurious way to view phenomena such as transits and sunspots?

 

[NovaSilisko]

I had a pair of eclipse glasses, but I don't know where they are. I want to try and make my own solar viewer, and a pinhole projector seems the easiest option, but I'm concerned that aiming it correctly at the sun will be challenging.

Which is the cheapest, easiest, most satisfying and least injurious way to view phenomena such as transits and sunspots?

The best way I've found is to use a telescope or binoculars (with one side covered) to project an image of the sun onto something. No modifications necessary, so no extra cost.

 

[Ripley]

ESA's Venus transit monitor

http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=VENUSEXPRESS&page=venus_transit

 

[Artlav]

Here it will happen from sunrise till a few hours later.
Did a dry run and location reconnaissance today.

My windows turned out to be on the wrong side, and there is a building on the right one, putting the roof is out of the question too.
So, i go for a nice view from the hill.

The idea is pretty simple - project the image directly from the scope+barlow lens onto a screen, put a tent around it all to keep all the image-obscuring light out, observe.

The sun lazily crawls up, looking like someone sat on it.

Once it's high enough, the image becomes pretty clear (but not the photo - i didn't have a spare tripod since i didn't really plan on taking pictures this time).

You can clearly see some sunspots, and they are even visible in the crappy photo.

An SDO image for comparison, mind the mirroring

Looks like everything is ready for the event, i'll post the pictures if the weather doesn't foul the plans.

 

[Cras]

I had a pair of eclipse glasses, but I don't know where they are. I want to try and make my own solar viewer, and a pinhole projector seems the easiest option, but I'm concerned that aiming it correctly at the sun will be challenging.

Which is the cheapest, easiest, most satisfying and least injurious way to view phenomena such as transits and sunspots?

Those cheapy eclipse glasses that resemble old school 3d glasses is probably the easiest. Those things are very cheap, and most telescope, museum, science stores carry them.

or some welder's glass. that is quite cheap. Not easy to find shade 14, Will probably have to find an actual welder supply to get those, but it is quite cheap, easy , and perfectly safe.

 

[tblaxland]

If weather is bad I'll try to find a good place within the next 100 km.

We've got an east coast low forming at present...Those things are notorious for hanging around all week long in winter and blanketing the length of the New South Wales coastal lowlands in drizzling rain and overcast - that eliminates the prospect of avoiding it by travel within any reasonable distance. This one is looking no different

 

[Yoda]

I'm getting my 10" telescope ready for the transit which will be mostly visible here from Colorado.
I'll post results if the clouds don't get in the way.

 

[orb]

ESA: ESA missions gear up for transit of Venus:

4 June 2012

ESA’s Venus Express and PROBA-2 space missions, along with the international SOHO, Hinode, and Hubble spacecraft, are preparing to monitor Venus and the Sun during the transit of Earth’s sister planet during 5-6 June.

ESA’s Venus Express is the only spacecraft orbiting Venus at the moment and while the transit is being watched from the Earth, it too will use light from the Sun to study the planet’s atmosphere.

{...}

 

[Gerdih]

If I try to project the light with my telescope to a paper will be good? It will be better if I dont use eyepiece right?

 

[george7378]

Depends on which telescope you have - if you have a reflecting one (which uses mirrors), don't do it. It should be OK with a refracting one (lenses). Also, binoculars would work just fine for that.

I've got some filters lined up, and I really hope the weather in the UK holds up!!

 

[Artlav]

Depends on which telescope you have - if you have a reflecting one (which uses mirrors), don't do it. It should be OK with a refracting one (lenses). Also, binoculars would work just fine for that.

I dearly hope you say that for the "project to a paper" part, not "use the eyepiece" one.

If I try to project the light with my telescope to a paper will be good?

That should be more than good enough if you don't have a big telescope with proper filters.

You can see sunspots clearly, so Venus would stand out as well.

 

[Gerdih]

Depends on which telescope you have - if you have a reflecting one (which uses mirrors), don't do it.

I have a reflecting one. I supose the mirror will be a problem.

 

[Codz]

I built my home made refractor projector. The only problem is that the telescope casts a shadow on the paper...

 

[Gerdih]

well I can try to project the sun with the edge of the telescope but dont know if will works :/

 

[Chub777]

Really cloudy where I am. :thumbsdown: I probably can't see the transit.

 

[asbjos]

Here, the weather looks nice, but the Sun rises 4:10 in the morning, and the transit ends under 2 hours later, at 5:54 (that's early!). In the newspaper, it stood that some guys are going to set up some telescopes and such things about 10 km from my house, so maybe I'll watch it. Luckily, the teachers at my school are striking, so I don't have to wory about that...