December 18, 2011
Dear all,
Only 170 days until the transit of Venus on June 5-6, 2012! As we are getting closer to the last transit of our lifetimes, the focus on our website will be more and more on matters practical, like photographing the transit, or making a sketch at the eyepiece of the prime phases of the transit. Please return to the website regularly for new stories and updates: www.transitofvenus.nl.
Transit of Venus on SEC 2011
The international Solar Eclipse Conference 2011 at New Delhi (15-17 December) not only discussed solar eclipses, but the transit of Venus as well. Especially the talk of Fred Espenak on the first day of the conference delved into the mechanics and scientific use of the transit. Like eclipses, the transits of Venus are also chased by enthusiasts, who don’t want to miss a single moment of this rare and spectacular alignment. Fred showed that, even though the transit of Venus has lost its relevance to determine the solar parallax, it still is an important phenomenon for astronomers working on the frontiers of science. The Hubble Space Telescope for example will, by measuring the spectrum of the reflected sunlight off the moon’s surface, provide for a model of transiting exoplanets. Read more at http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/2011/12/15/transit-of-venus-at-sec-2011/
Phone app being tested
The free phone app for the transit of Venus is now being tested by a couple of volunteers. They used the app to time a sunset as seen from their location and already gave valuable feedback on the app’s interface. Thank you, testers, for all your help and remarks! As the test run is well underway, this also means that the call for new volunteers is now obsolete.
The transit and the atmosphere of Venus: two papers
On December 2, David Ehrenreich et al. delivered a paper about obtaining a transmission spectrum of Venus during its transit across the sun next June. They show how Venus’ transmission spectrum can serve as a proxy for an earth-like exoplanet. The full paper can be read here: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1112.0572v1
On December 14, Paolo Tanga et al. delivered a paper on their research of the aureole as observed during the transit of Venus on 8 June 2004. From measurements of the intensity of the aureole, they found the physical properties of the mesosphere of Venus. A talk by Paolo Tanga, in which he discusses the method and the results, can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/30329770 The full article can be read here: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1112.3136
Looking forward, looking back
On January 8 there will be special session of AAS History of Astronomy Division in Austin, TX: Transits of Venus: Looking Forward, Looking Back. Presentations will be given on both important historical aspects of the transits of Venus and modern applications, showing that though it is often said that transits of Venus are of strictly historical interest owing to the fact that the Halleyan solar parallax method has long since been superseded, this rare phenomenon continues to be of great importance to astronomers and astrophysicists working at the cutting edge of important problems of our own day. For abstracts of the scheduled talks, look at http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/2011/11/15/looking-forward-looking-back/
Eros and the solar parallax: a call on amateur astronomers and students
The year 2012 will give us an opportunity to measure the solar parallax using two classic methods in a single year: the transit of Venus (of course) and the asteroid 433 Eros. For the first time since 1975 Eros will come close enough to earth during its January 2012 opposition to be visible through a small telescope. This will give amateur astronomers and students a chance to measure the asteroid’s parallax, like the famous programmes did in 1901 and 1931, from simultaneously taken pictures of Eros. On January 1 there will be a first post on our website, inviting amateur observers and students to join this outreach project. During the month, more detailed instructions will be given. Readers of our newsletter can already apply to join. If you are interested to measure the parallax of Eros, together with others across the globe, just drop us a message: info@transitofvenus.nl
I invite you to follow us on Twitter or to join our group on Facebook to keep in touch with other transit enthusiasts. If this email was forwarded to you, and you too would like to receive our monthly newsletter, just send an email to info@transitofvenus.nl and we’ll keep you in the loop.