Yesterday's transit of Venus

Stoker · Yesterday's transit of Venus

Having set up above 9,000 ft in the White Mtns. at the edge of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest, with expansive views out across the Owens Valley toward the peaks and glaciers of the High Sierra, I was hoping for a truly grand viewing experience. But it wasn't to be all that grand as it turned out.

Scintillation was rather bad, due to warm ground and cool air with a significant breeze/wind all disturbing the atmosphere, which was rather dirty besides due to a couple of local forest fires, and all playing havoc with the "seeing".

Still I'm more than happy to have made the effort to see as much as I could!

Note that all images through the telescope are inverted, just as I saw them.

Please enjoy!!!

Shortly after first contact.

Teardrop effect captured at point of second contact.

Venus perhaps an hour into its Transit of the Sun.

Venus at near the midpoint of its Transit.

Just before hitting the horizon the Sun went into a band of clouds increasing the distortion and reducing the light levels, so images degraded accordingly.

Venus "set" near the summit of a peak (I'll figure out which) in the Yosemite region of the High Sierra. Could have been a truly great shot!

Stitch1615

Very impressive.
We were under cloud cover and could not see anything resembling the sun let alone Venus.

mogogear

It was cloudy here too--thanks Daniel!!!

Wallace

Great pics

longbowman

Despite a grim weather forecast we were able to watch most of the transit, at sea level. Plenty of sunshine among the clouds and a winter day temperature of 21C made it very comfortable too.
No photos to show. I set up a pair of binocs into a cardbard box and it made a very good viewer. We had a sun image about 5cm dia and saw the transit start at 1030am local time. The transit filter glasses did not work until mid transit, when a look in the box gave prior knowledge of where to look and then Venus could be detected by eye. The transit ended about 1645 local time but cloud obscured our view after 1500.
I enjoyed the conversion of people who were derisive of my cardboard contraption until they looked and saw the Venus dot very clearly.

Steve

Les

Thanks for the great pictures.

Alf

Great photos, thanks for sharing

I didn't see the transit at all... maybe I get a second chance in next life...

Swift Fox

I was hoping you had managed to see it and those are very nice photos Daniel, thank you for sharing with us.

RocDoc

What fantastic photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish we had clear skies over here in Lincolnshire. Ah well, just have to wait for another hundred years or so for the next transit.

Pete

longbowman

Here is an amazing 3 minute compilation of views from the transit

Subject: Venus Transit 2012 - Ultra-high Definition View $NASA/ESA$ - YouTube
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 10:47:11 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CPYOo0a-Qt8

Steve

MrDuck

Beautiful pictures. Thank you very much

pauly

thats so cool, really wish I had the opportunity to take shots like that.

steamtrack

Great thanks for sharing St oker

James

That's fantastic!!

redryder

Thanks Daniel !!!!!

Fantastic photos...!!!
Also, western USA was a far better place for viewing than the east.

Gil