This website contains items related to the transit of Venus,
with emphasis on the recent 2004 event and the forthcoming 2012 transit of
Venus. General links about Venus are at the Science
and Math page. Either click the
hyperlink below or scroll down to see a brief description of each category.
Scores of links without thumbnails are listed in part at links2004.htm.
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2012 June 5-6 |
A look ahead to the transit of Venus occurring June 5-6, 2012. |
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Activities |
Please see the Education Resources
page for the extensive collection of activities and lesson plans. |
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Art Exhibit |
Artists commemorated the 2004 transit of Venus with
their handiwork exhibited at Glance Eyewear Gallery in South Bend,
Indiana. |
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Award |
We thank the parties who acknowledge our efforts. |
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Black Drop Effect |
The "black drop" effect was often a limiting factoring
in measuring the distance to the sun using a transit of Venus. See
historic examples of this phenomenon which frustrated astronomers for
centuries but is now considered an observational highlight of a transit of
Venus. |
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Cicadas |
Acknowledging the 2004 cacophony of Brood X cicadas, Sten Odenwald correlates cicada outbreaks with transits of
Venus. |
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Clouds |
What if the weather is cloudy during the transit? Here
are some options and consolation. |
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Collection |
Artifacts and artwork were displayed as part of the
transit of Venus celebrations in South Bend communities. Included
are photos from USNO expeditions, John Philip Sousa's novel The Transit
of Venus, and The Sun as Art from NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center. |
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Education |
- Transit of Venus Program on DVD and CD
- global student observing projects
- hands-on paper plate activities
- interactive programs
- animations, simulations and Applets
- song lyrics with lesson plans
- measuring A.U. with Voyager II software
- NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum lesson plans
- books about the transit of Venus
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Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) |
Getting started with observing the transit of Venus from
your region. |
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Flyer |
Found on the Education page, this
2004 handout lists transit of Venus Q&A, shows duration of transit across
North America , recalls global expeditions, illustrates black drop effect,
shows sample hands-on activity relating to transit; shows solar mega-flare; and links to
Transit of Venus
program for educators.
The flyer is biased toward U.S. observers, but the Microsoft Publisher file is
editable so you can tailor the flyer to your locale (high resolution 2.2 Mb,
MSPublisher). |
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Gallery |
In 2003 the Gallery shows pictures of preparations for the
2004 transit of Venus. |
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Great Lakes
Planetarium Association (GLPA) |
The 2003 Annual Conference of the GLPA featured the transit
of Venus at paper sessions, at a workshop, at a planetarium show, during
solar viewing, and at the hospitality suite. |
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Historical
Observations and Global Expeditions |
1639 Transit of Venus
- Jeremiah Horrocks predicts and observes
1761 & 1769 Transits of Venus
- David Rittenhouse
- Le Gentil's travails
- Captain James Cook voyages
- Father Hell gets back his good name
- Mason & Dixon endure attack
- global expeditions summaries
1874 & 1882 Transits of Venus
- Original US Naval Observatory photographs of global expeditions
- newspaper headlines and excerpts
- new photographic techniques introduced
- women observers excel
- illustrations from expedition sites
- archival records
- equipment used
Extensive bibliography
Edmond Halley's call for action |
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Hoole |
Images from Hoole, England-- where Jeremiah Horrocks first
observed a transit of Venus--celebrate St. Michael's Church and its
recognition of Horrock's achievement. Also listed are more
transit-related destinations in England, such as Westminster
Abbey. |
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Issues |
Though the transit of Venus expeditions are celebrated for
their scientific zeal, they had their own impact on different
cultures. Consider these social issues related to the transit of
Venus. |
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Illustrated London News |
The Illustrated London News reported on the global efforts
to time the 1874 and 1882 transits of Venus. Fine prints accompany
the details. |
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Images |
Images taken of the 2004 transit of Venus, including this
picture of the International Space Station passing in front of the sun
during the transit. |
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June 8 |
Images taken of the 2004 transit of Venus celebration at
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. |
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Kid Stuff |
Enjoy transit of Venus activities for younger
audiences, including:
- Create your own stained glass window.
- Bake transit of Venus cookies.
- Track the planet Venus across the sun.
- Color pictures from an animated show.
- Simulate a transit of Venus.
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Lighting Issues |
Light pollution awareness and abatement are addressed with
an emphasis on northern Indiana. |
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Links Without
Thumbnails |
Scores of links without thumbnail images, with emphasis on
the 2004 transit of Venus. |
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Miscellaneous |
- stamps
- antique instruments
- modern sculpture
- plays
- fiction entitled Transit of Venus
- auction items
- quotes
- transits of the sun and moon by the International Space Station
- postcards
- stereoscope cards
- junk
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Monument |
Carving for 2004 monument by Croston Carvers to local
hero Jeremiah Horrocks.
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Music |
Transit-related music, including from:
- John Philip Sousa
- Willow Mackey
- AstroCapella
- Matt Rumley
- The Singing Sun (Helioseismology)
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Non-English |
Many non-English websites addressed the 2004 transit of
Venus. These links, suggested by international transit of Venus
enthusiasts, are only a sampling of the material out there.
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Notre Dame |
- nd1800s.htm
Article details the efforts to witness the 1882 transit of
Venus using the Napoleon III telescope; from Robert Havlik.
- napoleon3.htm
University
of Notre Dame and the Napoleon III Telescope; from Robert Havlik.
- nd.htm
Connects Notre Dame history and staff with the transits of Venus.
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Observing the 2004 Transit |
- where the 2004 transit was seen
- starting and ending times
- the path of Venus across the sun's disk
- how to view the transit safely
- international sightseeing tours
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Paine, Thomas |
Thomas Paine cites the observation of the Transit
of Venus as a practical application of Kepler's laws. |
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Peace |
Solar shades were sent to support the troops and the people with whom they interact in
Iraq and Afghanistan, which was the zone of maximum visibility in 2004. |
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PHM Planetarium
& Air/Space Museum |
The Penn-Harris-Madison Planetarium & Air/Space Museum
in Mishawaka, IN, is an avid supporter of the Transit of Venus program.
In 2004, planetarium programs featured the transit of Venus.
This was also be the site of one of the best public celebrations on June 8, 2004. |
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Proctor, Richard |
Richard Proctor wrote A Popular Account of Past and Coming
Transits around 1882. Images from the book are here, with the
entire text availed online by Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information
Resources. |
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Projects |
Global observing projects allow students to contribute data from their
site through the Internet to international pools of data, from which the
distance to the sign can be calculated.
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Round |
Round images related to the the transit of Venus are
abundant. Consider these images for the stained glass window
activity shown on the Kids Stuff page. |
" " |
Quotes |
Quotes related to the transit of Venus convey the
significance of the event in the eyes of our predecessors and
contemporaries alike. |
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Quilt |
Astronomer Don Tuttle crafts a scientifically accurate quilt
entitled Transit Time. |
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Research Opportunity |
We encourage astronomy educators to apply for the Andrew
W. Mellon Travel Fellowship Program to research historic documents, including
those related to the transit of
Venus. |
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Road Trip |
Details for those who planned to make a road trip to South Bend to view the
2004 transit of Venus
along a low Indiana horizon. Transit of Venus celebrations
included exhibits of artifacts and new commemorative artwork; planetarium
programs; live viewing of the transit; and a webcast. Twas a party. |
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Round |
Consider all the round things related to the transit of
Venus. Each is a circular candidates for the stained glass window
activity at kids.htm. |
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Rumley, Matt |
Matt Rumley created three songs that are on the Transit
of Venus program audio
CD plus a few more songs on the Paper Plate Astronomy videotape. |
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Safety! |
"Do not look at the sun without proper eye
protection." While that is seemingly obvious, what does it mean
to the person who still wants to witness the transit of Venus?
Suggested observing techniques help you to enjoy the sight without losing
yours. Viewers are still responsible for their own eye safety. |
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Sarah, age 6 |
Keep it simple. Consider the transit of Venus as seen
through the eyes of a 6-year old girl, who created a poster and web
page for a school project. |
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Science and Math |
- general tutorial on transits of Venus
- measuring the distance to the sun
- the infamous "black drop" effect
- the irregular period of transits
- Edmond Halley's call for action
- calculation engines for programmers
- advanced amateur program to find extra-solar planets
- background on the planet Venus,
including spacecraft images
- transit geometry calculations
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Shop |
Items for sale related to the transit of Venus:
- DVD and CDs
- Clothing
- Souvenirs
- Music
- Travel and Tours
- Books and Publications
- Safe Observing Equipment
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Sousa, John Philip |
Bandmaster John Philip Sousa wrote the Transit of Venus
March and authored a book The Transit of Venus. |
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Spacecraft
and the Search for
Extra-Solar Planets
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Kepler mission
- overview and summary
- images and animations
- paper model of spacecraft
- transit characteristics and properties
- mission FAQ
SOHO and TRACE
- Venus in field of view
- Mercury transits the sun
- free screensaver
Searching for extra-solar planets via transits;
SETI and "wink" method
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Toyota TAPESTRY Grant |
The grant administered by the National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA) funds the Transit of Venus program at http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/transit.htm. |
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2004 Travel and Tours |
Sites with guided tours for witnessing the 2004
transit of Venus.. |
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"Must See TV (Transit of Venus)" Screen
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At a GLPA workshop, planetarians constructed a device to view
the sun safely by rear-projecting a magnified image of the sun onto a
screen. The "TV Screen" allows a group to view the image
concurrently while eliminating dangerous open sight lines to the sun. |
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U.S. Naval Observatory |
The USNO led the 19th century effort to time the transit of
Venus by sponsoring global expeditions. See these rare images from
Kerguelen Island, Nagasaki, Patagonia, Chatham Island, and Washington,
D.C. |
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What's New? |
This website is in transition as it segues from 2004 to
2012. To find what has been added since you last visited,
scroll through the list of recently uploaded original material and links. |