[AZ-Observing] more on transit of Venus
- From: Paul Schmidtke <PAUL.SCHMIDTKE@xxxxxxx>
- To: AZ-OBSERVING@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 09:53:16 -0700
There have been several advertisements in S&T for transit of Venus tours,
such as the one at the Vatican Observatory (mentioned in a previous e-mail).
Another that sounds interesting will be held in northern Italy and is hosted
by Dava Sobel (author of Galileo's Daughter - a MUST READ for all observers -
and Longitude) and David Grinspoon (author of Venus Unveiled).
Also, the International Astronomical Union is holding Colloquium 196 in
Preston, England. The title of the meeting is "Transits of Venus: New Views
of the Solar System and Galaxy". The emphasis here is on calibrating
distance scales at all sizes. Preston is the site of the first recorded
transit of Venus, way back in 1639 by Jeremiah Horrocks (also spelled Horrox).
Remember, this was just 30 years after Galileo's first use of the telescope!
Although England is further west than Italy (and most of the other observing
sites), it also is further north. So, there isn't too much of a penalty in
terms of time after sunrise or altitude. For all of western Europe, this
5-hour long event starts an hour or two after sunrise.
It should be a fun event to watch!
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