NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
My View of the Transit of Venus
From: Glendon
Date: 2004 Jun 8, 16:56 +1000
From: Glendon
Date: 2004 Jun 8, 16:56 +1000
It has been drought here in southern NSW,
Australia. Total of 40mm of rain in the last 6 months, crystal clear days and
nights, week after week as we slip into winter.
Today, low cloud, building and breaking during the
day. The transit commenced around 3.14.33pm local time (EST)....heavy cloud
blocked all view.
Intermittent rays of sunshine for the next hour and
a bit. Teasing.
Then at around 4.20pm, the clouds around the sun
cleared for a little less than 5 minutes. Only time enough to take in
the phenomena. An absolutely brilliant view of the transit through my
sextant telescope and shades. While I had looked at animations of the transit, I
had not expected the shape of venus to be so "definite" on the sun's
surface.
At 4.30 the sun disappeared completely behind
clouds and then the local hills.
So, how did others fare?
Lee Martin