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 Transit of Venus  

June 8, 2004!

  From Mishawaka, Indiana, USA


3rd Contact!

The transit of Venus was witnessed and celebrated from Mishawaka, Indiana, USA, under very good conditions.  We had successful stargazing the night of June 7; webcasts beginning at midnight (EST); clear skies at sunrise; perhaps 20 quality telescopes and viewing devices; and a crowd of enthusiasts.  As third contact approached, so too did a large bank of low clouds.  However, the clouds cleared in time to capture that elusive moment.   

Visually, the transit of Venus at third contact was more rewarding than I had anticipated.  No appreciable black drop effect appeared, on which we could blame diverse timings.  I was taken aback by how difficult it was to discern the exact second of contact.  Only part of it can be attributed to the festival-like atmosphere we sought.

Details about the celebration and our experience will be uploaded after we tend to some necessary business--sending many thank-you notes, paying bills, gathering images and stories, and getting some sleep.  In the meantime, we thank the many businesses and individuals who supported our efforts to bring this dynamic solar system experience to our community.  

Brian Davis wrote a descriptive observing report about his experience. 

Media Coverage Continues

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Preparing the Main Observing Site

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Webcasts of 1st and 2nd Contacts

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June 8, 2004: Transit of Venus at Sunrise

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Clouds Threaten Third Contact

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Broadcast of WWV Time Signal, courtesy of  Radio Operator John Fleming (W3GQJ)

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Clouds Clear

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Third Contact on Rear Projection Screen

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Image courtesy of Cathy McCormick.

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Aligning with moon.
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Observing the moon
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Preparing scopes.
Images courtesy of Don Darnell.

http://www.physics.nd.edu/venus%20at%20phm/index.htm
University of Notre Dame physics students watch the transit of Venus from the PHM site in Mishawaka, IN.

The following table of images are courtesy of Ralph Garhart:

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3g012.jpg (378233 bytes)3g012 3g014.jpg (63273 bytes)3g014 3g015.jpg (51811 bytes)3g015 3g021.jpg (48115 bytes)3g021 3g025.jpg (26520 bytes)3g025
3g027.jpg (52475 bytes)3g027 3g030.jpg (30252 bytes)3g030 3g035.jpg (57818 bytes)3g035 3g036.jpg (39362 bytes)3g036 3g039.jpg (53442 bytes)3g039
3g041.jpg (55196 bytes)3g041 3g042.jpg (51239 bytes)3g042 3g043.jpg (63738 bytes)3g043 3g044.jpg (52218 bytes)3g044.jpg 3g047.jpg (41613 bytes)3g047
3g054.jpg (51975 bytes)3g054 2g002.jpg (63231 bytes)2g002 2g003.jpg (15041 bytes)2g003 2g005.jpg (76888 bytes)2g005 2g008.jpg (37492 bytes)2g008
2g014.jpg (53906 bytes)2g014 2g025.jpg (27156 bytes)2g025 2g027.jpg (45478 bytes)2g027 2g029.jpg (22594 bytes)2g029 2g034.jpg (46062 bytes)2g034
2g036.jpg (168259 bytes)2g036 2g038.jpg (45898 bytes)2g038 2g045.jpg (61210 bytes)2g045 1g020.jpg (35904 bytes)1g020 1g023.jpg (57332 bytes)1g023
1g029.jpg (32472 bytes)1g029 1g035.jpg (71086 bytes)1g035 1g036.jpg (50647 bytes)1g036 1g037.jpg (54455 bytes)1g037 1g038.jpg (44531 bytes)1g038


  http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2004/06/09/local.20040609-sbt-MARS-A1-Out.sto  
A story and images in the South Bend Tribune; online for a limited time.


The June 4th Artist's Reception for the Transit of Venus Art Exhibit opened the community celebrations and continues through June 30, 2004.

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On June 5, 2004, The Pub promoted the transit of Venus and hosted Matt Rumley for an outstanding performance.

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www.transitofvenus.org

Copyright ©2003-2008 Chuck Bueter.  All rights reserved.