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On June 5 and 6, 2012 the planet Venus will pass in front of the Sun for the last time this century. Millions around the world will witness this rare astronomical phenomenon.
This website is entirely devoted to the transit of Venus: its history, where and when you should watch it and what you can do to get involved in the observation. Learn more...
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Monthly Archives: February 2012
In 1882 a British expedition led by Captain William Morris set sail to Brisbane on the vessel SS Liguria to observe the transit of Venus. Lieutenant Leonard Darwin (son of) was a member of this party. Two others, Cuthbert Peek … Continue reading
Only 100 days left to the last transit of Venus of our lifetimes! What things should you do, now time is really ticking away? Here’s our top five: Decide on your observing spot Most of you will probably just stay … Continue reading
After Pingré’s lucky escape from the British in January, his voyage to the island of Rodrigues became relatively uneventful. Occasionally he saw enemy vessels in the distance, but they always managed to avoid a fight. Pingré enjoyed the music and … Continue reading
The Venus transit phone app is now available in iTunes for free download. While the Android version is still being worked on, users of an iPhone can already enjoy the phone app. This app will be of great help in … Continue reading
Posted in Observing, Transit of Venus Project
Tagged 2012, phone app, Transit of Venus Project
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Lionel asks: Congratulations on your Venus book. Excellent. I notice that there is a 243 year cycle for Transits of Venus: 243 x 365.242 = 224.7 x 395 So far so good. The axial rotation period for Venus is 243.1 … Continue reading
On October 31 of last year, Huw James gave an interview to BBC Radio Wales about the transit of Venus and his Venus Transit Expedition. Huw explains that by driving all the way from England to the West Pacific he … Continue reading
How are you going to observe the transit of Venus? Many a amateur-astronomer is already exploring the options: buying a solar filter for a telescope, getting a card board solar scope or even acquiring a special telescope with Hα filter. … Continue reading
Transits of Venus are predictable, but the pattern seems odd. Two transits occur within eight years, then there is a lapse of 105 1/2 years, then another pair within eight years, then wait 121 1/2 years. How do you explain this frequency? … Continue reading
On 14 February, after an arduous and exhausting journey from Paris, Chappe d’Auteroche arrived in St Petersburg. He had endured freezing temperatures and much of the way through the Russian mountains he and his team had walked – slipping and … Continue reading
It must have been sometime in 2003, while preparing a contribution for the French book Vénus devant le Soleil edited by Arkan Simaan, when I stumbled upon a couple of wonderful sepia prints of an 1882 British transit of Venus … Continue reading
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