| Start: | Jun 6, '12 10:00p |
| Location: | Singapore |
The Venus transits occur approximately four times in 243 years. Transits occur in pairs separated by about eight years and these pairs are separated by about 105 or 121 years depending on whether the transits occur in June or in December. The reason for these long intervals lies in the fact that the orbits of Venus and the Earth do not lie in the same plane and a transit can only occur if both planets and the Sun are situated exactly on one line. The last transit took place in 2004 and will occur again this June, exactly 8 years later, visible from Singapore during sunrise.
The next transit of Venus will be on the 10th to 11th of December 2117, so chances are you won't be alive to see the next one.
The transit of Venus is expected to start before sunrise on 6 June in Singapore. The greatest transit (the middle of the transit) occurs at 0933h Singapore Standard (Local) Time. The transit visible from Singapore ends at 1249h.
I saw the previous transit in 2004 with my telescope and its really amazing when you see this black disc crossing the face of the sun and realise that that small tiny disc is approximately the size of the earth. It really makes you stop to think just how tiny we are in comparison to things out there in the universe.
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Geocentric Phases Of The 2012 Transit Of Venus
Time is in Singapore Standard Time (SST), UTC +8
Ingress: Contact I @ 06:09:38 (41°)
Ingress: Contact II @ 06:27:34 (38°)
Greatest @ 09:29:36 (345°)
Egress: Contact III @ 12:31:39 (293°)
Egress: Contact IV @ 12:49:35 (290°)
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http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/9573/tov2012fig02.png
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There are events being organised by NUS with talks and opportunities for gazing but I won't be going. I will have my telescope and solar filter ready at my home to view it. If anyone wants to view it from my home, let me know early so that I can arrange the timing for you to view. The entire transit will last around 6.5 hours in the morning. (see timings above)
Clear Skies!
Good, I will be on leave!
ReplyDeleteok but remember, don't look at the sun without a telescope with a solar filter. Never, ever, ever, EVER do that. Use a proper solar filter, not even sunglasses or some other makeshift filter.
ReplyDeleteLol thanks for the heads up, i was indeed thinking of trying out my new pair of Gucci designed UV shades for the event... But hey, noted with thanks! =^^=
ReplyDeletehehe. seriously, don't do that. Those are not made to filter out enough of the sunlight and would likely damage your eyes. Just to give you an example, the solar filter I have for my telescope blocks out so much sunlight its practically like a mirror surface aluminium foil and you cannot see through it. Your sunglasses are definitely not blocking out enough sunlight to protect your eyes.
ReplyDeleteWow Cool! =^^=
ReplyDelete