Site Map

The most complete Transit of Venus information begins at
www.transitofvenus.org
including links with thumbnail images.   

Links Below

(Updated December 22, 2003; 
see What's New? for recent additions.)

 The Science and Math of Transits
Observing and Timing the 2004 Transit of Venus
Education: Hands-on Activities and Interactive Programs
1639 Transit of Venus
1761 & 1769 Transits of Venus
1874 & 1882 Transits of Venus
The Role of Spacecraft
The "Black Drop" Effect
Music and the Transit of Venus
Miscellaneous Transit Links

(Please e-mail link recommendations to bueter@transitofvenus.org.)

The Science and Math of Transits

http://www.dsellers.demon.co.uk/venus/ven_ch1.htm
A tutorial on the transit of Venus as a technique for measuring solar parallax and quantifying the Astronomical Unit; excerpts with illustrations from the book "The Transit of Venus & the Quest for the Solar Parallax" by David Sellers.

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/estate/vs76/trans.htm
An explanation of the frequency of Venus transits by Peter M. Langford.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/index_vthome.htm
An extensive collection of Sun-Earth Day resources from the fun folks at the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum.  

http://eclipse.astroinfo.org/transit/venus/project2004/pub/Blatter.etal.eng.200306.pdf   
Venustransit 2004: Calculation of the Solar Parallax from Observations by Heinz Blatter.  Detailed math "gives an overview of the geometry and temporal patterns of transits, a rough estimate of the solar parallax and the corresponding error estimate. The possible and necessary corrections due to the rotation of the Earth, the eccentricities of the orbits of Venus and Earth and the inclination of the orbit of Venus are given as well." June 2003.  

blackdrop.htm
The "Black Drop" Effect page addresses in detail the phenomenon at internal contact which has confounded astronomers for years.

http://merlin.alleg.edu/employee/d/doneal/articles/transit.html
Introduction to the transit of Venus; from Douglas O'Neil.

   Illustrations suggest Venus transits the sun in 2004 and 2012 but misses the sun in other years when it is near the nodes.  Not to scale; orbital inclination is exaggerated.  See the Transit Frequency activity for details. 

http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/POSTERS/TOM1999.jpg
Poster on the 1999 transit of Mercury "definitively solves the problem of the black-drop effect that plagued past transits of Venus;" by Jay Pasachoff, Glenn Schneider and Leon Golub; from the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Science meeting in 2001.

http://www.williams.edu/astronomy/eclipse/transitVenus.htm
Jay Pasachoff's site links to transit of Venus interests.

http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v32n4/aas197/785.htm
Abstract describes physical cause of "black drop" effect; B. E. Schaefer (Univ. Texas Austin) at 2001 AAS meeting.

http://www.transitsearch.org
An observing program whose purpose is "to coordinate and direct a cooperative observational effort which will allow experienced amateur astronomers and small college observatories to discover transiting extrasolar planets."

http://www.dsellers.demon.co.uk/venus/ven_ch8.htm
Edmond Halley's admonition of 1716, in which he proposes a method to determine solar parallax and measure the distance to the sun by timing a transit of Venus from multiple sites across the globe.

http://carnap.umd.edu/phil250/transits/transits.html 
Images related to determining the distance of the earth to the sun; "black drop" effect illustrations. 

http://home.att.net/~o.caimi/Venus.html
"The Transit of Venus" by David Murray; from December 8, 1874, Scribner's.
"Astronomy, The Transit of Venus" by Gillet and Rolfe, 1882.

http://home.hetnet.nl/~smvanroode/venustransit/ball.pdf
Detailed math excerpted from Robert Stawell Ball's Treatise on Spherical Astronomy, 1908, addresses the conditions under which a transit takes place; variations of the sun's path as seen from different points on the earth; and both Halley's and De Lisle's methods for applying a transit of Venus to determine the Astronomical Unit (A.U.) 

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/catalog/Visible.html
Formulas and data to show how to calculate whether the transit is visible from any given location; from Fred Espenak.

http://libnova.sourceforge.net/group__venus.html
Calculation engines for C / C++ programmers, astronomers and anyone else interested in calculating positions of astronomical objects; from free software libnova, a general purpose, double precision, astronomical calculation library.

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~sanjayl/planets/venus.htm
Site suggests "early measurements of the speed of light were derived from observations of the transit of Venus..."

http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/alpo/transit.html 
Notes from the Mercury/Venus Transit Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/venus/index.html
Venus in X-ray; images by Chandra observatory.

http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/venus.html
General background on Venus; from SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space).

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planets/venuspage.html
Venus page from NSSDC (National Space Science Data Center); includes missions, data on CD ROM, and links.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-venus.html
Photo gallery of Venus; from NSSDC.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/magellan.html
Magellan mission to Venus.

http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/gbtfirstsci.html
New radio telescope in West Virginia images Venus first; from National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

http://www.solarphysics.kva.se/
Institute for Solar Physics captures the 2003 May 7 transit of Mercury.

http://www.heavens-above.com
Distinguishes between "transit of one body in front of another" and "meridian transit;" plus a lot of other great stuff at this website. 

http://www.seds.org/pub/info/newsletters/ejasa/1993/jasa9302.txt
http://www.seds.org/pub/info/newsletters/ejasa/1993/jasa9303.txt
http://www.seds.org/pub/info/newsletters/ejasa/1993/jasa9304.txt
Three-part series on the Soviet and American exploration of Venus, appearing in the electronic Journal of the Astronomical Society of the Atlantic; by Larry Klaes. 

Transit Geometry Calculations
(Courtesy of Sten Odenwald and Lou Mayo, Goddard Space Flight Center)

1. ANGULAR SIZE OF VENUS:
Distance to Venus = d ~ 0.277 AU ~ 4.155e7 km
Diameter of Venus = D = 12,100km
Angular Diameter = a = D/d (radians) = 2.9215e-4 radians ~ 60".3
(which is very close to the published value of 58".6)

2. ORBITAL VELOCITY
Venus average orbital velocity = v = 35.02 km/s (max = 35.26, min = 34.79). Venus transits the sun at a solar latitude of about 60 degrees and takes about 6 hours to transit. Assume at 60 degrees solar latitude, Venus follows a path that is about 2/3 solar diameter = 0.33 degrees. Then, Venus transits 0.33 degrees of space in 6 hours, or about 0.055 degrees / hour. This is close to the calculation of 0.07 degrees / hour and dependent on the length of the chord (Venus' path) across the sun.

3. From Earth, Venus is at inferior conjunction. From Venus, Earth is at opposition.

Observing and Timing the 2004 Transit

 http://www.transitofvenus.org/faq.htm
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the transit of Venus; when it occurs; what you can expect to see; etc.

http://svs-f.gsfc.nasa.gov/~wfeimer/SEC/Gen_SEC/IP/Venustrans.tif  (9 MB)
Graphic clearly shows the duration of the transit's visibility across the United States; from NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio.  Click the URL above to view a high resolution (9 MB) version; click the thumbnail image at left to view a low resolution (99 KB) version.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/venus/Sun2004+2012-1.GIF
Path of Venus across the sun's disk; from Fred Espenak.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/venus/Map2004-1.GIF
World visibility map of transit of Venus; from Fred Espenak.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/webcasts/
"Live Webcast: The Transit of Venus! Tuesday, June 8, 2004.  Travel high in the mountains above Granada, Spain to the Sierra Nevada Observatory for a clear and unobstructed view of this amazing and rare event.  Explore the role of past transits in the history of astronomy and how the Venus Transit was used to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun, called the Astronomical Unit. The program will present cutting edge research on Sun-Venus and Sun-Earth interactions, and how NASA plans to use similar transits to detect extrasolar planets."

 SAFETY!
Overview of techniques for viewing the transit of Venus safely; describes use of #14 shade welding glass, telescopes with solar filters, and magnified projections.  The SAFETY! web page is recommended reading for the transit of Venus.

http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/Introduction.htm
Introduction to the transit of Venus; from Paper Plate Education.

blackdrop.htm
The "Black Drop" Effect: illustrations, explanations, and enigmas.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/venus0412.html  
Introduction, maps, and information on the visibility of the 2004 and 2012 transits of Venus; from Fred Espenak.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Venus2004.pdf
General description, geocentric data and list of ingress/egress times for major world cities (PDF); from U.S. Naval Observatory.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/index_vthome.htm
Extensive collection of Sun-Earth Day resources from the fun folks at the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum.  

http://www.venus-transit.de/   
Applets about the transit of Venus by Jürgen Giesen

http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/2004venus/2004venus.htm
General information, transit circumstances, predictions for major world cities, maps of the path of the transit; from the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA). 

http://www.venus-transit.de/2004/venus2004.gif
World map of visibility from Occult software.

proctor2004.jpg 
World visibility map of transit of Venus; from A Popular Account of Past and Coming Transits, by Richard Proctor; 1882.

http://www.usno.navy.mil/
United States Naval Observatory

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/V2004map_AA.pdf
World map of visibility for 2004 Transit of Venus (PDF); from U.S. Naval Observatory.

Sunrise_hour.gif
As seen from the Great Lakes region of the United States, the latter portion of the transit will become visible at sunrise and will last less than an hour.  Venus not shown to scale here.

http://www.calsky.com/cs.cgi/Sun/7  
Local circumstances for all transits of Mercury and Venus from your site. 

http://www.eso.org/outreach/eduoff/vt-2004/mt-2003/mt-display.html
Webcam to show transit updates through European Southern Observatory (ESO).


morningSKY.gif
If you could erase the daytime sky to see the background stars on transit morning, 2004 June 8, this chart shows what you might see.  The foreground earth appears transparent, the sky is white.  Venus is near final contact; Mercury is above the Hyades; Saturn is trailing the sun.  Sun and planet disks not to scale

Look for the infamous “black drop" effect at internal contacts, when the disk of Venus (appearing entirely within the sun) just touches the edge of the sun at ingress and egress.  Near contact a meniscus or ligament appears between the planet and the sun, and circular Venus briefly elongates.  Ultimately reducing the accuracy of the timing, the “black drop" effect becomes the limiting factor in determining the Astronomical Unit via transit timings.  (As noted in the Safety! page, a magnified view through a solar filter is required to see the black drop effect.)

http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/maw/transit.ppt
Mike Weinstein provides an MSPowerPoint presentation on the transit of Venus, with a particular slant for Chicago observers.  Presentation includes helpful animations and cites all references for images.

http://iss-transit.sourceforge.net/IssVenusTransit.html
Trying to predict where the International Space Station (ISS) will be during the transit of Venus, and the possibility of seeing ISS transit the sun concurrently with Venus; from Thomas Fly.

gallery.htm
We asked photographers to send images of the sun rising in June with local landmarks to help observers plan their site selection in 2004.  Here are a few replies from the Great Lakes region.

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/transit/transitmenu.htm
Frequency of cloud cover and global weather statistics for planning trip to observe the transit.

 

Our Travel and Tours page now lists opportunities to witness the transit of Venus from around the world. 

There you will find tours and cruises to see the transit of Venus from Iran, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Egypt, Rome, Venice, the Greek Isles, Mauritius, Africa, Siberia, Scotland, the United States, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and more.  We list the tours only as a courtesy and do not endorse any particular tour or company.

 

Education: Hands-on Activities and Interactive Programs

http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/transit.htm 
The Transit of Venus program features a combined DVD and data CD set, an audio CD, a slide set of 200+ images, and supporting web pages.  The DVD can be used as a stand-alone show or as part of a planetarium package.  The data CD contains 200+ images, mpeg-1 movie clips, and supporting documents.  See http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/transit.htm for more information, including thumbnails of all images and an ordering form.

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/ 
Live Broadcast / Webcast: Venus and the Search for Habitable Planets; Friday, March 19, 2004, 1-2 p.m. ET.  This interactive discussion will focus on what the Venus Transit can teach us about the search for planets beyond our solar system (more than 100 have been discovered so far).

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/index_vthome.htm
Don't miss this extensive collection of Sun-Earth Day resources from the fun folks at the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum.

Featured activities:

  • Magnetic Reversals http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/Reversal.html 
    Fact and Fiction-Students compare two science fiction stories and a scientific appraisal about what might happen when the next magnetic reversal happens. They critically evaluate fictional claims to identify factual errors.            
  • Magnetic Variations http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/MagRev.html
    Students use tabulated data to create a graph of Earth's magnetic intensity. They forecast when, or if, our current field will actually fall to zero-strength in the future. 
  • Timing the Transit of Venus http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/Vtime.html
    Students perform basic time calculation exercises based on actual historic transit timing data. Topics covered include elapsed time, time differences and time conversion.
  • When Do Transits of Venus Happen? http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/Vyears.html
    Students complete a table of values and predict the dates for a transit of Venus visible from the Earth based on rates and patterns.
  • Timeline http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/vt_edu2004_venus_68.htm
    Use the resources on the Timeline to discover the story of why the transit of Venus was an important astronomical event.

  • Calculate AU to Kilometers http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/2004images/VT_Activity3.pdf
    Before the critical measurements of the Transit of Venus in the late 1800s, distances in the solar system were expressed in Astronomical Units (AU).  But nobody knew what an AU equaled in miles or kilometers.  The AU was simply the distance from Earth to the Sun.  So astronomers needed to calculate the AU in kilometers!  To do this calculation fo r yourself follow the activity provided.      

  • Detecting Planet Transits http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/2004images/HabitablePlanets.pdf (24K)
    Students model NASA's Kepler mission observations of planetary transits (a planet moving in front of a star) by standing in a circle with model star (light bulb) in the center, and observing, through rolled up paper viewing tubes, a marble planet orbiting the star.

  • Habitable Planets
    This activity encourages a discussion about what makes a planet habitable. Students learn that for a planet to support life like we find on Earth, it must have: (a) the right temperature range for there to be liquid water, and (b) the right size range to be able to have suitable atmosphere.

  • Finding the Distance to the Sun http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/venus/Vdistance.html
    The students will apply the concepts of vertical angles and ratios to calculate lengths and angles.  Can they determine the distance to the Sun?

http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/Introduction.htm
Introduction to Transit of Venus at Paper Plate Education.

http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/upcoming.htm
Planned exhibit (March 2004-December 2005) at Smithsonian Institution Libraries entitled Chasing Venus: Observing the Transits of Venus, 1631-2004 "will tell the story of the transits of Venus using the marvelous illustrations in the rich collection of rare books from the Smithsonian Libraries, supplemented by appropriate artifacts from the National Museum of American History and the United States Naval Observatory. The full exhibition will be available on this site in March 2004."  Curated by Ronald S. Brashear, Head of Special Collections. 

http://www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/chasing-venus/teachers/
Chasing Venus Teacher Resources from Smithsonian Institution Libraries includes "exercises and lesson plans designed to accompany and enrich the study and discussion of the June 2004 Transit of Venus."  Eighteen activities engage grades K-12 in multiple subject areas: 

  • Two Views of the Universe (K-6; Science and Geography) Students build two views (Aristotle's and Copernicus') of the universe and describe the differences.
  • Collage of Geometric Shapes (K-5; Mathematics, Art) Students identify different geometric shapes and use the differences in the building of collages.
  • Shadow Games (K-5; Science, Measurement) Students discover how light source, object, and distance affect the shadow's shape.
  • Silhouette Outlines (4-6; Science, Measurement, Art) Students document how light source, object, and distance affect the shadow's shape by making silhouettes.
  • Paper Plate Observation (4-6; Science, Measurement) Students simulate the documentation of the Transit using paper plates and marking the path of the transit.
  • Expedition Stories from the Transit of Venus (6-12; Science, Creative Writing, History, Geography) Students write and role play stories based on the Transit of Venus expeditions.
  • Collecting and Using Data on the Common Events  (4-12; Science, Mathematics) Students create data tables, collect the data and observe patterns.
  • Investigating Longitude and Latitude (4-6; Science, Measurement, Geography) Students use longitude and latitude to determine locations of expedition sites and viewing sites for the 2004 Transit.
  • Cardboard Tube Telescope (4-6; Science, Astronomy) Students build telescopes from cardboard tubes that can be used to safely watch the Transit.
  • Vocabulary Enrichment (7-9; English, Spelling) Students learn the meaning and spelling of various terms associated with the Transit and use the terms in sentences.
  • Using Means, Medians and Modes (4-9; Mathematics, Statistics) Students calculate means, medians and modes for a series of observations and report conclusions.
  • Using Triangulation (6-12; Mathematics, measurement) Students use triangulation techniques to determine measurements.
  • Measurement Conversion (3-8; Measurement) Students identify common and uncommon measurements and build conversion tables.
  • Expedition Diaries (7-9; History, Creative writing) Students choose an expedition to research, form expedition teams, keep individual diaries and compare diaries at the end of simulated expedition.
  • On the Shoulders of Giants (10-12; Science, history) Students research the important astronomers and scientists and make presentations on their achievements.
  • Putting the Transits in Context (10-12; Science, history) Students research the important events that were taking place during the major expeditions and make presentations on how they may have influenced the expeditionary teams.
  • The Transit in Pictures (10-12; Science, art and media) Students write screenplay and produce movie or animation of a transit including narration.
  • And now a word from our sponsor... (10-12; Science, art and media) Students write and produce public service commercials promoting the Transit of Venus and providing information about its safe viewing.

http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/maw/transit.ppt
Mike Weinstein provides an MSPowerPoint presentation on the transit of Venus, with a particular slant for Chicago observers.  Presentation includes helpful animations and cites all references for images.

 http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/activity.htm
Hands-on activity to record 2004 transit of Venus on a paper plate akin to the first record of Jeremiah Horrocks in 1639.

http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/transit_frequency.htm
Hands-on activity that illustrates and explains the irregular frequency of transits of Venus.

http://skolor.nacka.se/samskolan/eaae/summerschools/TOV0.html
"How to measure the Earth-Sun distance by studying the transit of Venus;" from the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE).

Flyer- Transit of Venus 
One-page flyer 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).  

 SAFETY!
Overview of techniques for viewing the transit of Venus safely; describes use of #14 shade welding glass, telescopes with solar filters, and magnified projections.  The SAFETY! page is recommended for all transit of Venus observers.

http://www.eso.org/outreach/eduoff/vt-2004/index.html
A global observing program in which participants contribute data to determine the distance from the sun to earth; from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE).

http://www.transitofvenus.co.za/
Flying With Pride is establishing dissemination points across Africa for resources related to the transit of Venus; is coordinating direct observing sites; is planning remote web and television broadcasts; and is planning a Cape-to-Cairo initiative in which observers along the 28th degree of longitude in Africa contribute data to determine the distance from the sun to earth.

http://didaktik.physik.uni-essen.de/~backhaus/VenusProject.htm
"Observing, Photographing and Evaluating the Transit of Venus," a global observing program in which participants contribute data to determine the distance from the sun to earth.

http://eclipse.astroinfo.org/transit/venus/project2004/index.html
ProjectVenus 2004 is "an observational project of amateur astronomers to determine the scale of the solar system with the aid of the Venus transit in 2004. Groups investigate the historical calculations and observations, set up new procedures, prepare the observation and carry out the evaluation."

http://www.aqua.co.za/assa_jhb/Canopus/Can2000/c00bVnus.htm
Observers in Switzerland seek observers in South Africa for international project.

http://www.gujaratplus.com/mypage/Welcome_to_the_Board_of_%22_Kutch_Science_Foundation_%22.html
Science Group of India suggests it will broadcast on the Internet live images of transit of Venus on 2004 June 8.  Site also lists planetary data for that day.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VenusTransit
The Nehru Planetarium, New Delhi, India, has "started a discussion group to plan for exchanges of information and observations of the upcoming Transit of Venus.  The group has been formed to make it possible to have an easy way of having exchanges with students from all over India and also interact with observers from all over the world."

http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/news/venus/
"The Royal Society of New Zealand...will send a party of nine students and three teachers to observe the 2004 transit of Venus.  To win places on the expedition to Britain, teams...will be asked to produce a video and supporting material which may be viewed on the web."


   fingers.jpg
To simulate the "black drop" effect, almost pinch your thumb and forefinger together against a bright background.  Near contact the meniscus between them appears.

http://sunspotcycle.com/
Current solar weather with "science news and information about the Sun-Earth environment."

http://www.venus-transit.de/   
User- adjustable Applets about the transit of Venus; by Jürgen Giesen; (available in English and German)..


http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/
Planet Quest offers much material about the search for extra-solar planets.  Click "Four Ways to Find a Planet" on the scrolling filmstrip to view a narrated animation that shows planet detection methods, including the use of transits.

http://www.bridgewater.edu/departments/physics/ISAW/Transit-1.html
With this simulation you try to detect exoplanets using observations of transits.  After you select a star from a simulated field of view, the simulation develops photometric graphs and other data, from which you calculate the orbital information.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/
NASA Sun-Earth Connection

 http://www.genesismission.org/index.html
A collection of educational materials relating to the sun, its effects, and the Genesis mission.  The Genesis spacecraft, sent "a million miles sunward to collect pieces of the sun, called solar wind, ... unfolded its collectors and began a two-year 'sunbath.'  Upon its return to Earth in 2004, scientists will study the solar wind samples."

http://ds9.ssl.berkeley.edu/viewer/flash/index.html
Media Viewer launches you to Sun-Earth illustrations, live solar and aurora images, and scientist interviews.

http://www.astrocappella.com/activities/
"Meet the Neighbors: Planets Around Nearby Stars" is an AstroCappella lesson plan to accompany their song "Dance of the Planets."  High school students investigate the dimming caused by a transit; determine a planet's radius and orbital distance from transit data; and compare results of the extrasolar planetary system with our solar system; ( PDF file).

http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/planetdistances.pdf
Lesson plan describes how to measure the Astronomical Unit using the Voyager II software; (PDF file).

http://www.noao.edu/education/ighelio/solar_music.html
Lesson plan on Solar Music- Helioseismology encourages students to listen to the Sun's heartbeat to learn about the inside of the Sun.

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/singing/singing.html
The Singing Sun is a recording of acoustical pressure waves in the Sun made by carefully tracking movements on the Sun's surface with the SOHO spacecraft.


http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/transit.htm
A Toyota TAPESTRY grant has created a clearinghouse for transit of Venus resources.  A DVD, data CD, audio CD, and slide set are available at cost for multiple users, including teachers, planetarians, librarians, and other educators.  

http://spot.colorado.edu/~underwod/astr/para.html
Animation demonstrates parallax of stars with extended thumb example; from Dave Underwood at University of Colorado.

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/site/request/setTemplate:singlecontent/contentTypeA/conMuseumEvent/contentId/657/navId/00500200b
National Maritime Museum seminar entitled "Venus Observed: the Transit of Venus in History" will examine the historical and scientific significance of the transit of Venus and ask how it has contributed to our understanding of science since it was first observed in 1631.

 
   Parallax demo in planetarium.   [No accompanying text.]

 http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/GLPA%202002%20poster.jpg
At the 2002 Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) Annual Conference in Menasha, Wisconsin, Chuck Bueter displayed a poster about transits of Venus.  The poster's text will appear in the 2002 GLPA Proceedings.  References and other images on the 2002 GLPA poster were used with permission of Fred Espenak, Richard Pogge, and Greg Smye-Rumsby. 

http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/activities.htm
The "Activities" page at Paper Plate Education contains dozens of hands-on activities that complement transit of Venus lesson plans.

 http://www.transitofvenus.org/sarah.htm
A brief introduction to the transit of Venus, illustrated and written by a six year old student.

 http://www.mapmaker.com/sunclock.asp 

 

 http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/JayRyan.htm
In the current epoch, transits of Venus generally occur in pairs--eight years apart--that are separated by over a century.   Astronomy author and illustrator Jay Ryan described the circumstances that create periodic transits, reprinted here with his permission.

http://www.heavens-above.com
Heavens-Above, for so many reasons.

http://www.uq.net.au/~zzpeande/powerpnt.htm
PowerPoint presentation shows simulated transit sequence from perspective of South East Queensland, Australia; from Peter Anderson.

http://home.att.net/~o.caimi/Venus.html
"The Transit of Venus" by David Murray; from December 8, 1874, Scribner's.
"Astronomy, The Transit of Venus" by Gillet and Rolfe, 1882.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0954101308/davesmiscella-21/202-5164481-7718239
Book: The Transit of Venus: The Quest to Find the True Distance of the Sun, by David Sellers; ISBN: 0954101308.  Excerpts are available online at http://www.dsellers.demon.co.uk/venus/ven_ch1.htm.  

 ottewell.jpg
Cover art for the 2004 Astronomical Calendar depicts James Cook observing the transit of Venus.  Author/artist Guy Ottewell openly notes artistic license in the inside cover.  Pages 46-48 address the transit of Venus.

http://pup.princeton.edu/titles/6795.html
Book: June 8, 2004--Venus in Transit, by Eli Maor; ISBN: 0-691-04874-6.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1852336218/orreryinaction/202-5164481-7718239
Book: Transit, When Planets Cross the Sun, by Patrick Moore; ISBN: 1852336218.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/campaigns.asp?id=344
Book: How to Observe the Sun Safely by Lee Macdonald; published by Sky & Telescope.

http://astronomicalleague.com/sunf.htm
Book: Observe and Understand the Sun, edited by Richard E. Hill; published by the Astronomical League.


http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v34n3/dps2002/295.htm
Poster abstract at American Astronomical Society's DPS 34th Meeting, October 2002, anticipates "...plans for an international education program centered around the June 8, 2004 Venus transit."

http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v34n2/aas200/488.htm
Paper abstract from AAS 200th meeting, Albuquerque, NM, June 2002 by K.E. Kissel and R.M. Genet intends to "stimulate action to prepare for likely extra-solar transit observations by taking advantage of this only-twice-per-century opportunity."

http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/alpo/transit.html
Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO) Venus Section, with links to Solar Section and others.

research.htm
We encourage educators, researchers, and students to apply for a paid fellowship program to research the transit of Venus.

http://analyzer.depaul.edu/NASABroker/GLPA/PLATO%20Grants%202002.htm
A PLATO grant is available to members of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association, for which we encourage GLPA members apply to advocate transit of Venus educational opportunities. 

http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/iaucomm41/wg/transits.html
International Astronomical Union Commission 41 recommends "sites of previous transit of Venus expeditions be inventoried, marked and preserved..."

http://www.transit-of-venus.org.uk/conference/index.html
International Astronomical Union announces IAU Colloquium 196, Transits of Venus: New Views of the Solar System and Galaxy, 7-11 June 2004, University of Central Lancashire, UK.

http://www.transit-of-venus.org.uk/conference/index.html
IAU Colloquium 196 entitled Transits of Venus: New Views of the Solar System and Galaxy will be held in Preston, Lancashire, UK, 7-11 June 2004.

www.venusovergang.be and www.venusovergang2004.be
Transit of Venus websites for the Dutch speaking communities of Belgium (Flanders) and the Netherlands.

http://www.astroleague.org/al/astroday/astroday.html
The Astronomical League celebrates the transit of Venus as its theme for Astronomy Day on April 24, 2004.  Hundreds of sites "host special events and activities to acquaint their population with local astronomical resources and facilities."

 http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Transit%20of%20Venus/Internet%20caveat.htm
Caveat about believing everything you see on the Internet (including here).

 

1639 Transit of Venus

http://www.transit-of-venus.org.uk/conference/history.html
Extensive history of Jeremiah Horrocks and his observation of the 1639 transit; includes excellent background information, local knowledge, images, and references.  Information by Paul Marston.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/science/physastr/misc/horrock.htm
Basic background on Jeremiah Horrocks, his observing device, and a later painting of Horrocks observing 1639 transit of Venus, by Eyre Crowe.  From Paul Marston's chapter on Horrocks from the University Certificate in the History of Astronomy:  "Presently on loan from the Walker Gallery and hanging in the Liverpool Museum Planetarium is a famous painting by Eyre Crowe BA. The painter said he modeled the room on that in Carr House, which he claimed in 1891 to have visited, though the Puritan outfit seems unlikely and elaborate equatorial telescopic apparatus unhistorical. The painting is now very dark, and is unclear without computer enhancement."

http://www.longtononline.co.uk/his_horrocks.html
Detailed background on Jeremiah Horrocks and William Crabtree, from Allen Chapman.

www.hooleCEchurch.org.uk
Coming around the beginning of 2004, the website for St. Michael's Church, Hoole in Lancashire, England...

http://www.lancashirechurches.co.uk/muchhoole.htm
St. Michael Church at Much Hoole, with window that commemorates local resident Jeremiah Horrocks.

http://www.astleyhall.co.uk/exhibitions.html
Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery plans exhibits and collaborations pertaining to Jeremiah Horrocks.

http://www.venus-transit.de/1639/horrox.htm
Excerpts from Horrocks' transit of Venus notes.

http://maui.uclan.ac.uk/pasm-dlearning/history/TheTransitofVenus.pdf
Chapter 17 from Horrocks' book; PDF file.

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/cgi-pbin/list_all_pdf.pl
Original publications scanned by Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources and offered online, including:

http://www.liv.ac.uk/~ggastro/images3/Image14.jpg
Photograph of book with Horrocks' observation recorded; from Liverpool Astronomical Society exhibit.

crabtree.jpg
Print of Ford Madox Brown's depiction of William Crabtree witnessing the 1639 transit of Venus.  See the Internet caveat for assorted online descriptions of this event.

 

1761 & 1769 Transits of Venus

doppel.jpg
Venus in her chariot passes between the sun and earth; from Johann Doppelmayer's Atlas Coelestis, 1742.

doppel_predict.jpg
In 1742, two decades before the next transit would be visible, Johann Doppelmayer's Atlas Coelestis touted the upcoming 1761 transit and illustrated Venus' predicted path across the sun.  This side-view of the sun shows the path of Venus transiting from left to lower right in 1761.  A similar descending transit will occur June 8, 2004.  Above the sun is the figure caption, which reads :

The very rare phenomenon of Venus
whose body will pass like a spot
beneath the shining globe of the Sun.

The text within the sun's body reads:

The conjunction of the Sun with Venus
in the year 1761 on the day June 6,
at 1:46 PM at Nuremberg according to the calculation
of Halley, seen near the descending node.

Translations are courtesy of Bruce Stephenson, 
Director of the History of Astronomy Department at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago.

http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit4/venussun.html
Humorous summary of global expeditions to time the Venus transits of 1761 & 1769, with emphasis on the personal challenges and travails.


Background on astronomer and frustrated observer Guillaume-Joseph-Hyacinthe-Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaziere (aka Le Gentil).

Plate V 
Out of Old Books (Le Gentil and the Transit of Venus), by Helen Sawyer Hogg; scanned from Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 1951, and provided by NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS). This four-part series of articles chronicles Le Gentil's thwarted efforts as well as his triumphs, with English translations excerpted from Le Gentil's memoirs:

  • 2/1951 Expedition beginnings to frustrating 1761 sighting at sea; years in Manila;
  • 4/1951 Departure from testy Manila; two experiences at sea, including the arguing pilot and sulking captain;
  • 6/1951 Le Gentil recounts the cloudy morning of the thwarted 1769 transit; nearly shipwrecked trying to sail home;
  • 8/1951 Trip home, looted estate, eventual retirement..

http://www.bdl.fr/Granpub/Promenade/pages6/608.html
Painted ceiling of the Paris Observatory shows Venus passing in front of the sun; additional transit of Venus material (French text).

http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/persons/legentil.htm
Picture of Paris Observatory in 17th century, at which Le Gentil observed.

http://www.bo.astro.it/~biblio/sma/page/venere_05_06_1761.html
Bibliographical and archival records from the Department of Astronomy of the University of Bologna (Italy), featuring manuscripts of observations made in Bologna by Eustachio Zanotti; includes images and resources from transits in addition to the 1761 records.  (Italian; a link with some English translation is at http://www.bo.astro.it/~biblio/Archives/copertina.html.) 

http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/jmac/sj/scientists/hell.htm
Postage stamp of Father Maximilian Hell commemorating his expedition to Lapland for the 1769 transit of Venus; accompanying story details the besmirching of Father Hell, who eventually got back his good name.

"Transits, Travels and Tribulations," a five part series (three are online) by J. Donald Fernie for American Scientist:

  • (Not online)  Part II: the British expeditions to observe the 1761 transit--that of Mason and Dixon to South Africa, and Winthrop’s Harvard expedition to Newfoundland. In addition, the misfortunes of a French expedition, that of Pingré to the island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean.
  • http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/28549
    Transits, Travels and Tribulations, III March-April 1998    
    Part III: the two other French expeditions of 1761, that of Jean Chappe d’Auteroche to Siberia, and of Guillaume-Joseph-Hyacinthe-Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière to India.
  • http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/27742
    Transits, Travels and Tribulations, IV September-October 1998   
    Part IV: two of the other 1769 expeditions-- Jean Chappe d’Autoroche to Baja California, and William Wales to Fort Prince of Wales, a Hudson’s Bay Company fur-trading post in northern Canada.
  • http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/26610
    Transits, Travels and Tribulations, V March-April 1999   
    Part V: the voyage of Captain James Cook and results of the expeditions.

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~cookproj/archive/royal_society/green.html#top
XLIII. Astronomical Observations made, by Appointment of the Royal Society, at King George's Island in the South Sea; by Mr. Charles Green, formerly Assistant of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and Lieut. James Cook,* of His Majesty's Ship the Endeavour. p. 397.

Point Venus (on right side of panorama) and Matavai Bay, Tahiti, from which Captain James Cook observed the 1769 transit of Venus; image courtesy of Eric Schreur, Kalamazoo Valley Museum.  (492 KB)

http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/treasures/mar_treasure.html
Cook's view from Point Venus; from the National Library of Australia.

http://star.arm.ac.uk/history/transit.html
Drawings of the Transit of Venus by Captain James Cook and Charles Green, from the Armagh Observatory.

http://www.lhl.lib.mo.us/pubserv/hos/voyages/cook.html
Cook's and Green's illustrations of "black drop" effect; from Linda Hall Library collection.

http://www.jcu.edu.au/aff/history/southseas/
South Seas Project

http://www.kiasma.fi/arkisto/transitofvenus/text54.html
Excerpts from Captain James Cook's description of his transit of Venus experience (in old calendar dates).

cook_tent.jpg
While the lonely crew of the Endeavour may have extricated nails from the ship’s hull to barter for favors, Captain James Cook and expedition scientist Charles Green witnessed and recorded the “black drop” effect.  Captain James Cook's observation tent; one source claims this is a Tahiti field drawing from Cook's French Edition, 1769; another source suggests more likely it is the observatory designed for Cook's third voyage.

http://www.CaptainCookSociety.com
Captain Cook Society

http://www.barkendeavour.com.au/
HM Bark Endeavour Foundation actively sails and exhibits a replica of the vessel James Cook commanded during the 1769 expedition to Tahiti..

http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/books_and_maps/captaincook4.html
The secret mission of Capt. James Cook.

http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/franklin/winth.htm
Harvard professor John Winthrop poses with his telescope and points to his transit of Venus diagram in painting.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/montgomery/1picts/6chart.jpg
Chart: "Projection of the Transit of Venus over the Sun as observed at Norriton in Pennsylvania June 3, 1769." 

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/montgomery/history/local/mchb0001.txt
 History of Montgomery County, PA; edited by Theodore W. Bean, 1884; included is David Rittenhouse's account of his observation of the transit of Venus as seen from the Norriton Observatory.

"Norriton township...enjoys a world-wide celebrity in having had situated within its boundaries the "Norriton Observatory," at which place astronomical observations were made, and reported as "An Account of the Transit of Venus over the Sun's Disk, observed at Norriton, in the County of Philadelphia and Province of Pennsylvania, June 3, 1769."

http://www.nhm.org/research/publications/Baja_Cal_Travel/baja46.html
Book: The 1769 Transit of Venus, The Baja California Observations of Jean-Baptiste Chappe d'Auteroche, Vicente de Doz, and Joaquín Velázques Cárdenas de León; edited by Doyce B. Nunis, Jr.; published by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; 1982.

 

http://www.arm.ac.uk/history/richobs.html
Image of Richmond Observatory, "built by George III, specifically to observe the Transit of Venus in 1769;"  from the Armagh Observatory.

http://www.melbourneobservatory.com
Transit of Venus site emphasizing the 18th and 19th century transits.  Two of Janssen's photo-heliographic devices are apparently in Australia--one in Melbourne and one in Sydney; from the Melbourne Observatory.

beaver_mag.jpg
The Transit of Venus: Stargazing in 1769; from The Beaver--Canada's History Magazine, April-May 2003.

www.rasc.ca/historical
Eighteenth and nineteenth century transits from the Canadian perspective; from Peter Broughton and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). 

1874 & 1882 Transits of Venus

usno.htm
A collection of photographs from the US Naval Observatory depict life during 19th century expeditions to time a transit of Venus.

http://www.usno.navy.mil/pao/History/ToV_Chapter_7.htm
"The U. S. Naval Observatory And the American Transit of Venus Expeditions of 1874 and 1882," Chapter 7 of Sky and Ocean Joined:  The U. S. Naval Observatory, 1830-2000 by Steven J. Dick (Cambridge University Press, 2003).

http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1881otv..book....
1N&db_key=AST&page_ind=263&plate_select=NO&data_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_GIF
(Either cut and paste the two halves of the long URL into your browser or simply click the icon at left.)
From the rare book collection of the U.S. Naval Observatory, this unpublished report details the results of each party in the American Transit of Venus Expeditions of 1874 and 1882.

http://canopus.saao.ac.za/~wpk/tov1882/tovwell.html
Observations from Wellington, South Africa, of the 1882 transit of Venus; details the role of amateur women astronomers Abbie Park Ferguson and Mary Elizabeth Cummings alongside the American expedition team led by Simon Newcomb.

http://web.inter.nl.net/users/anima/chronoph/janssen/index.htm
The astronomer Pierre-César Jules Janssen devises a "photographic revolver" to capture the moment of Venus passing between the sun and the earth.  Series of images shows transit near contact.

http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?journal=MNRAS&year=1874&volume=..
34&letter=.&db_key=AST&page_ind=350&plate_select=NO&data_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_GIF
(Either cut and paste the two halves of the long URL into your browser or simply click the icon at left.)
The design of Janssen's "photographic revolver" is illustrated and described; from NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS).

There are two articles, one after the other, as noted by Peter Abrahams:
De la Rue, Warren.  On a Piece of Apparatus for carrying out M. Janssen's Method of Time-Photographic Observations of the Transit of Venus. M.N.R.A.S. 34 (May 1874) 347-353.   
Capello, J. On an Apparatus Designed for the Photographic Record of the Transit of Venus.  M.N.R.A.S. 34 (May 1874) 354-356  (translation of letter to De la Rue.

ILN excerpts
Headlines and drawings from the Illustrated London News report on the efforts of expeditions to Mauritius, Rodriguez Island, Cairo, and New Zealand.

ILN-Hawaii.jpg
A station in Hawaii, from the Illustrated London News, 05 December 1874.

ILN-Rodriguez.jpg
Triangulation on Rodriguez Island, from the Illustrated London News, 24 October 1874.

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/cgi-pbin/list_all_pdf.pl
Original publications scanned by Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources and offered online, including:


http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/users/steiger/post_cook.htm
The first record of scientific astronomical observations being made from Hawai`i appears to be that of a British expedition on 8 December 1874. Captain G. L. Tupman of the HBM Scout observed a transit of Venus.  King David Kalakaua, who reigned over the Kingdom of Hawai`i from 1874 to 189l, established the first permanent observatory in Hawai`i, in 1883.

http://web.syr.edu/~rcranger/wardv.html
Letters from photographer Ward V. Ranger relating the 1874 Transit of Venus Expedition to China; correspondence of the Syracuse Journal from Peking, China, September 25, 1874.

http://angelfire.com/my/platform/transvenus.html
Observation camp from Woodford, Australia, for 1874 transit.

http://www.bweaver.nom.sh/gill/gill.htm
"Six Months in Ascension: An Unscientific Account of a Scientific Expedition by Mrs. Gill;"  details six months on Ascension Island by Mrs. David Gill, printed 1878.  Recognizing the limits of the transit of Venus for calculating the solar parallax, David Gill set out to measure the parallax of Mars, which was nearing opposition, using a heliometer.  His wife Isobel accompanied him, and was vital in searching for and finding a more suitable site for observing than the original Georgetown, which was beset by poor weather.

http://www.usno.navy.mil/library/rare/rare.html
Photographic plates (dry collodion emulsion) of the 1882 transit of Venus; from the Naval Observatory and Transit of Venus Commission expedition.  North is up, east is left.

http://www.detroitobservatory.umich.edu/Chronologypage3.html
The University of Michigan Detroit Observatory chronology notes 1882 "transit of Venus observations take place, using the Students' Observatory."

http://www.venus-transit.de/1882/
World visibility map from 1882.

http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v27n4/aas187/S035002.html
"The American Transit of Venus Expeditions of 1882, including San Antonio," by Steven J. Dick (USNO); from the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 1995.

http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/resources/expeditions/
Index to British, French, American, and German expeditions to Antarctica; from Scott Polar Research Institute.

http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~abstract/abstracts/JD6P.html
Abstract states Italian expedition confirmed the existence of Venus atmosphere by observing its spectrum for first time.

http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?root=%2Fmoa%2Fmanu%2Fmanu0015%2F&tif=00042.TIF&cite=&coll=moa&frames=1&view=50
A brief February 1883 report.

http://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer/hume/web/372.html
Photograph of "Transit of Venus Group, December 1882, Jimbour" from the University of Queensland.  (See images 372, 373, and 374.)

http://www.astro.yale.edu/dept/overview/history.html
Photograph of "the Yale Heliometer (the only one in America), delivered on time for measurements of the Transit of Venus on Dec. 6, 1882."

http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/piclib/subjectdetail.asp?sub=nat&startcount=37
" Photograph showing two men and a woman observing the 1874 transit of Venus through a telescope, Station D, Equatorial 12, 8-9 December 1874."

http://www.geh.org/ar/strip47/htmlsrc/lanternsld_sum00040.html
Multiple images on this page, such as "Transit of Venus Huts erected at Naval Observatory; transparency, collodion on glass."  From the George Eastman House Still Photograph Archive. 

http://www.snellenburg.com/Newpages/clocks/dent/dent_mahogany_regulator_with_zin.htm
Clocks used by British transit expeditions in 1874 and 1882.

www.rasc.ca/historical
Eighteenth and nineteenth century transits from the Canadian perspective; from Peter Broughton and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). 

 

Bibliography, Etc.

http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/venus/venustransitbib.htm
Extensive bibliography of original sources relating to transits of Venus, with links to many of the original publications; from R.H. van Gent.  

http://www.dsellers.demon.co.uk/venus/ven_ch7.htm
Useful references and links from David Sellers.

http://www.dsellers.demon.co.uk/venus/ven_ch8.htm
Edmond Halley's admonition of 1716, in which he proposes a method to determine solar parallax and measure the distance to the sun by timing a transit of Venus from multiple sites across the globe.

 proctor.htm
Images excerpted from Transits of Venus, A Popular Account of Past and Coming Transits, by Richard A. Proctor; 1875; includes link to pdf file of the book.

http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1882MNRAS..43...41J
On the Probable Assyrian Transit of Venus by Rev. S.J. Johnson (1882) suggests an Assyrian tablet may refer to an ancient recorded transit, as mentioned in a previous journal.

 

The Role of Spacecraft

http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov
SOHO spacecraft monitors the sun.

SOHO astronomers note...  

  • Venus can likely be used "for calibration purposes for both LASCO and UVCS coronagraphs. Its brightness can be used for refining visible light radiometric quantities and its position (before the transit) can be used for absolute pointing corrections.  During the transit on the disk, Venus may be similarly useful for the disk imagers (EIT and MDI)." --Leonard Strachan
  • "Unfortunately, the Venus transit will not be a disk transit seen from SOHO. Although we're roughly in the same direction as Earth seen from the Sun, there are some differences (the Sun is a very powerful radio source, so to avoid interference with our downlink we can never be directly in from of the Sun as seen from Earth).  It will be a coronal transit, though, much like the Mercury transit of 1999 (see http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/1999_11_15/).  Venus will be a much bigger dark spot, though!"   --Stein Vidar Hagfors Haugan


http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/
SOHO captures Mercury transit on May 7, 2003.  Still images and movies available.

http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/index.html
NASA's newly approved Kepler mission will search for earth-class planets by looking for transits of planets around 100,000 distant stars.

http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_transits_030904.html
"Solar Transits: Tools of Discovery" article by Edna DeVore describes how transits are significant both as historical events and as cutting-edge research tools.

http://www.psi.edu/esp/process.html
"Search for extra-solar planets, or planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, by the transits they make..."

http://www.seti.org/science/detecting_planets_wink.html
SETI document describes detecting other worlds using the  photometric transit or 'wink' method; by Dr. Laurance Doyle.

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/press/pr0301.html
Press release (Jan. 6, 2003) announces first planet detected by transit method, which used ground-based telescopes.

http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2003/pr-09-03.html
ESO press release (April 22, 2003) announces discovery of glowing hot transiting exoplanet.

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/lbti_update.html 
Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) "will enable astronomers to carry out a broad range of unprecedented astronomical observations, including some of the first direct observations of giant planets around other stars."

http://itss.raytheon.com/cafe/qadir/q2710.html
TRACE spacecraft captures image of Mercury transiting sun in 1999.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991106.html
False color x-ray images of Mercury transiting sun taken by the Yohkoh satellite.

 http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/
A collection of educational materials relating to the sun, its effects, and the Genesis mission.  The Genesis spacecraft, sent "a million miles sunward to collect pieces of the sun, called solar wind, ... unfolded its collectors and began a two-year 'sunbath.'  Upon its return to Earth in 2004, scientists will study the solar wind samples."

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/animations.html
Animations show Messenger spacecraft imaging Venus during a flyby on June 24, 2004, after the transit of Venus.

 The solar image in our logo is from the SOHO spacecraft.

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/index_vthome.htm
Sun-Earth Day resources from the fun folks at the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum.  

 

The "Black Drop" Effect

To quantify the distance from earth to the sun, known as the Astronomical Unit (A.U.), astronomers embarked on global expeditions to time the transit of Venus from widely separated latitudes.  However, for centuries the "black drop" effect--the stretching out of Venus near internal contact--confounded astronomers when they tried to discern the exact moment when Venus touched the inside edge of the sun.   

  fingers.jpg
To simulate the appearance of the "black drop" effect, almost pinch your thumb and forefinger together against a bright background.  Near contact the ligament between them appears.

http://www.lhl.lib.mo.us/pubserv/hos/voyages/cook.html
Cook's and Green's illustrations of "black drop" effect; from Linda Hall Library collection.

http://star.arm.ac.uk/history/transit.html
Drawings of the Transit of Venus by Captain James Cook and Charles Green; from the Armagh Observatory.

 http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/POSTERS/TOM1999.jpg
Poster on the 1999 transit of Mercury "definitively solves the problem of the black-drop effect that plagued past transits of Venus;" by Jay Pasachoff, Glenn Schneider and Leon Golub; from the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Science meeting in 2001.

http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0310379.
Report by Schneider, Pasachoff, and Golub (see poster above) "separates the primary contributors to [the "Black Drop" Effect], solar limb darkening and broadening due to the instrumental point spread function...for the 1999 transit of Mercury, seen in high spatial resolution optical imaging with NASA's TRACE spacecraft."

http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v32n4/aas197/785.htm
Abstract describes physical cause of "black drop" effect; B. E. Schaefer (Univ. Texas Austin) at 2001 AAS meeting.

http://www.bo.astro.it/~biblio/sma/page/venere_05_06_1761.html
Bibliographical and archival records from the Department of Astronomy of the University of Bologna (Italy), featuring manuscripts of observations made in Bologna by Eustachio Zanotti; includes images and resources from transits in addition to the 1761 records.  (Italian; a link with some English translation is at http://www.bo.astro.it/~biblio/Archives/copertina.html.) 

http://www.bo.astro.it/~biblio/Horn/Blackdrop.htm
A detailed 1922 assessment of the black drop effect suggests "instrumental astigmatism should be considered the cause of some aspects of the photographed ligaments."  GUIDO HORN D’ARTURO The “black drop” phenomenon and astigmatism. Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Astronomia , (Pubblicazioni dell’Osservatorio astronomico della  R. Università di Bologna, vol. I, n.3, 1922).

  http://www.bo.astro.it/~biblio/Horn/Blackdrop.htm
Images excerpted from GUIDO HORN D’ARTURO The “black drop” phenomenon and astigmatism. Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Astronomia , (Pubblicazioni dell’Osservatorio astronomico della  R. Università di Bologna, vol. I, n.3, 1922).

http://carnap.umd.edu/phil250/transits/transits.html 
Images related to determining the distance of the earth to the sun; "black drop" effect illustrations.  Shown at left is "Close-up of Bergman's Drawing of the Blackdrop Effect;" from The Astronomical Unit, Stellar Parallax, & the Transits of Venus, Determining the Distance of the Earth from the Sun, From Eudoxus of Cnidos to Harold Spencer Jones.

http://carnap.umd.edu/phil250/transits/images/blackdrop.gif
"The Black Drop Effect at the Limb of the Sun."

 http://carnap.umd.edu/phil250/transits/images/bergman_drawing.gif
"Torbern Bergman's Drawings of the 1769 Venus Transit."

http://carnap.umd.edu/phil250/transits/images/losmonov_drawing.gif. 
" Lomonosov's Drawings of the 1769 Venus Transit." 

Original publications scanned by Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources and offered online, including the following from http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf:

 http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Point Coton, Rodriguez, by Commander W.J.L. Wharton, RN, with a telescope 2 3/4 inches aperture, power 160."

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Transit of Venus 1874 Dec. 8.  Diagram relating to the Egress of Venus as observed at Mokattam;" observations by Capt. Browne. (Mokattam Hills is near Cairo.)

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Transit of Venus 1874 Dec. 8.  Diagram relating to the Egress of Venus as observed at Mokattam;" observations by Miss Newton and Mr. Newton.

 http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Transit of Venus 1874 at Suez;" figures 1 & 2 (left) and figures 3 & 4 (right).

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Transit of Venus 1874 Dec. 8; Observations at Point Venus, Rodriguez by Lieutenant Neate, R.N. with a Telescope of 6 inches aperture power 152."  Ingress Fig. 1 and 2 (left); Ingress Fig. 3 and Egress Fig. 1 & 2 (right).

 http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Transit of Venus 1874 December 8.  Observations at Hermitage Islet, Rodriguez by Lieutenant R. Hoggan, R.N. with a telescope of 4 inches aperure, power 120 ingress, 160 egress."  Ingress figures 1, 2, & 3 (left); egress figures 1, 2, 3, & 4 (right).

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
"Transit of Venus 1874 December 8.  Observations at Supply Bay, Kerguelen's Island by Lieut. C Corbel witha telescope of 4 1/2  inches aperture, power 145."  Ingress figures 1, 2, & 3.

http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/text1/dd-ill/transit-1874-2.pdf
Observations at Supply Bay, Kerguelen's Island by Lieutenant G.E. Coke, R.N., with a telescope of 3 1/2 inches aperutre, power 150."  Ingress figures 4 & 5.

 

Music and the Transit of Venus

http://www.dws.org/sousa/mid/transit.mid
John Philip Sousa wrote a march entitled Transit of Venus; (MIDI file).  He originally composed it for the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.  The ceremony had been planned to occur before the 1882 transit, but didn't actually happen until April 19, 1883.  Henry, whose statue is now in front of the Smithsonian "Castle" in Washington, D.C., was on the U.S. Transit of Venus Commission.  (Image from Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum Venus Transit Background Reading- Music and Literature at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/vtbackmusic.htm.

Loras Schissel and the Virginia Grand Military Band generously gave permission for their recording of Sousa's Transit of Venus March to be included in the Transit of Venus Program being compiled as part of a Toyota TAPESTRY grant for educators.  Visit the Transit of Venus clearinghouse at http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/transit.htm for information on the distribution of this educational resource.

 The Bovaco Catalog carries John Philip Sousa's Transit of Venus March band arrangement.  The march costs $25.00 (plus UPS shipping) for a reprint of each published part on 8.5 x 11-inch pages.  You may reproduce as many copies for your own use as necessary.  You may call them at (480) 948-9870 or write them at The Detroit Concert Band, Inc., 
7443 East Butherus, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. 

From the Washington Post, October 31, 2003..
Dusting Off a Rarity for Venus's Celestial March
By Reilly Capps
Would you like to send this article to a friend? Go to
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/admin/emailfriend?contentId=A49214-2003Oct31&sent=no&referrer=emailarticle
 

http://indians.syr.edu/mfrantz/wgpark/page.asp?pid=10
John Philip Sousa, the famous bandmaster, wrote a 1920 novel Transit of Venus about an imaginary voyage to photograph the event.

The music of Matt Rumley is featured in the Transit of Venus program.  

http://www.astrocappella.com/activities/
Meet the Neighbors: Planets Around Nearby Stars is an AstroCappella lesson plan to accompany their song Dance of the Planets.  High school students investigate the dimming caused by a transit; determine a planet's radius and orbital distance from transit data; and compare results of the extrasolar planetary system with our solar system; ( PDF file).

http://www.jazzweekly.com/reviews/fkoglmann_venus.htm
Review of Franz Koklmann's Venus in Transit soundtrack.

Excerpted from http://www.abc.net.au/classic/lroom/stories/s386919.htm:

 http://solar-center.stanford.edu/singing/singing.html
Recordings of acoustical pressure waves (much like a bell) in the sun by SOHO spacecraft yield information about how the structure of the sun's interior shapes its surface.

http://www.noao.edu/education/ighelio/solar_music.html
Lesson plan on Solar Music- Helioseismology encourages students to listen to the Sun's heartbeat to learn about the inside of the Sun.

See also the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum's Music & Literature page at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/vtbackmusic.htm.  

Miscellaneous Transit Links

http://sio.midco.net/dansmapstamps/jamescook.htm
Collection of stamps pertaining to Captain James Cook, including some specific to the 1769 transit of Venus.

Quotes.htm
A collection of quotes pertaining to transits in general and the transit of Venus in particular.

http://ennui.shatters.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Calculus
A gallery of unique celestial phenomena including transits, occultations, and events as seen from throughout the solar system.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030509.html
Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the moon; images by Tom Laskowski.

science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/swpod2003/22aug03/Stalder1.avi
Roland Stalder photographed this video of the International Space Station transiting the sun; posted on spaceweather.com.  Stalder knew of the approaching daytime event by using Thomas Fly's email transit-alert service (below). 

http://iss-transit.sourceforge.net/
Thomas Fly offers a way for observers to predict when the International Space Station (ISS) will pass in front of the sun or moon from their respective observing sites.  The Transit Alert service will ideally send notices of predicted transits of the ISS..

http://iss-transit.sourceforge.net/IssVenusTransit.html
Trying to predict where the International Space Station (ISS) will be during the transit of Venus, and the possibility of seeing ISS transit the sun concurrently with Venus; from Thomas Fly.

http://indians.syr.edu/mfrantz/wgpark/page.asp?pid=10
John Philip Sousa, the famous bandmaster, wrote a 1920 novel Transit of Venus about an imaginary voyage to photograph the event.

http://www.dws.org/sousa/mid/transit.mid
John Philip Sousa wrote a march entitled Transit of Venus; (MIDI file).  He originally composed it for the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.  The ceremony had been planned to occur before the 1882 transit, but didn't actually happen until April 19, 1883.  Henry, whose statue is now in front of the Smithsonian "Castle" in Washington, D.C., was on the U.S. Transit of Venus Commission.  (Image from Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum Venus Transit Background Reading- Music and Literature at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/2004/vtbackmusic.htm. 

 Note: The Bovaco Catalog carries John Philip Sousa's Transit of Venus March band arrangement.  The march costs $25.00 (plus UPS shipping) for a reprint of each published part on 8.5 x 11-inch pages.  You may reproduce as many copies for your own use as necessary.  You may call them at (480) 948-9870 or write them at The Detroit Concert Band, Inc., 
7443 East Butherus, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. 

sousa.htm
On our John Philip Sousa page, an article in the Washington Post (October 31, 2003) notes the re-orchestrating of Sousa's Transit of Venus March by Loras Schissel and the Virginia Grand Military Band.

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/eclipse/exhibition/seven.asp
Antiques instrument that models the transit of Venus.

http://www.clements.umich.edu/dup/indx15.html
Item sold: "A View of 17 Transits of the Planet Venus over the Face of the Sun, (viz. from the Year 918 to 2117 inclusive)...( [London],  1750s ? ). 21 x 18.5 ins."

http://www.gemmary.com/instcat/02/p19-055-02.html
Item for sale: 19th century Magic Lantern that illustrates transit of Venus.

http://www.art-network.co.uk/banca/stern/transitofv.html
Bronze sculpture by Deborah Stern entitled "Transit of Venus."

http://www.jacquesdeshaies.com/ecrits/venus/venuseng.html
Transit to Venus artwork by Deshaies addresses biotechnology ethics.

http://www.curtainup.com/b-venus.html
Review of the 1992 play Transit of Venus written by Maureen Hunter.

http://www.jazzweekly.com/reviews/fkoglmann_venus.htm
Review of Franz Koklmann's Venus in Transit soundtrack.

http://www.abc.net.au/classic/lroom/stories/s386919.htm
Radiophonic program entitled The Transit of Venus by Nigel Helyer and Simo Alitalo; Australian Broadcasting Corporation, July 1999.

http://www.kiasma.fi/arkisto/transitofvenus/kiasma.html
A "proposed series of International exhibitions, broadcasts and Interactive works...based upon a collaborative research, development and production process."

http://www.strictlystores.com/storesites/thevanityfairprintcompany1/online_store/pages/0000000131.html
1908 Vanity Fair Print regarding the transit of Venus: "The Earl of Crawford." 

http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/hazzards/transitvenus.html
Novel by Shirley Hazzard.

http://www.aan.org/gbase/Aan/newsByMember?oid=oid%3A70&startIndex=4
Legal threat by local Fox affiliate stops Philadelphia City Paper from publishing Transit of Venus serialized novel.

http://www.toinspire.com/quotes.asp?catid=14
Quote: "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." Written by T.S. Eliot, appearing in Transit of Venus by Harry Crosby (see entry below).  Then again, there was Icarus.

http://www.banger.com/banger/crosby/cros11.html
Poem entitled "Ritual" in a book of poems by Harry Crosby, Transit of Venus; Black Sun Press, Paris,1931.

 statue.jpg
Marble statue of Venus, likely a 4th Century reproduction of the original Aphrodite of Knidos .

http://www.intermed.it/bradbury/Allsummer.htm
Excerpt from Ray Bradbury's All Summer in a Day, in which a girl on Venus is prevented from seeing the sun's appearance, which occurs only once every seven years and lasts only a couple of hours.

http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Things/g_sunspots.html
Animation of Galileo's sunspot observations; from the Galileo Project at Rice University.

http://www.19thcenturyshop.com/cgi-bin/VisitorTools/FullRecord?WebID=1869
Auction item: Letter/pass from General Thomas Gage for two mathematicians who are to go “from Boston to Lake Superior to observe the transit of Venus."

Auction item: Victorian trade card advertising Keystone Handy Tablets for Tourists, Nathaniel W. Appleton, Stationer, 7 School St., Boston; illustration is titled "THE TRANSIT OF VENUS".

Auction item: Original postcard by Cynicus entitled "The Transit Of Venus;" two policemen carry a woman.

http://www.tuvaluislands.com/stamps/st-c1979.htm
Tuvalu commemorative stamp from 1979 includes depiction of Captain Cook and the 1769 transit of Venus.

http://www.newzeal.com/theme/cook/cook.htm
New Zealand stamp from 1969 Cook Voyages Bicentenary sheet features the transit of Venus.

 Auction item:  "Transit of Venus...tableau is adapted from a print by C.T. Garland for the Christmas edition of The Graphic in 1844...painted by C.B.G. Mignot."

Auction item: "The Transit of Venus by C. T. Garland, originally published in The Graphic Christmas in 1884."

alabama.jpg
Auction item: Stereoscope card published by American Views purportedly of "the cabin of a wrecked crew of the Alabama, Chatham Island expedition."

stereocard.jpg
Auction item: Stereoscope card of the transit of Venus expedition to Chatham Island; from the American Views "Popular Series."

 sign1.jpg
Transit sign in Montreal.

 sign2.jpg  

coin-cook.jpg
Auction Item: "Obverse: Captain Cook Festival, (bust of Captain Cook), James Cook, 1728 - 1779, English, 1969, Kona, Hawaii.  Reverse:  Cook's First Pacific Voyage, 200th Anniversary, (fort, palm trees), 1769, Fort Venus, Tahiti, Midpoint of Cook's 1768 - '71 Expedition, Here The Transit Of Venus Was Observed."

http://www-sll.stanford.edu/projects/tomprof/newtomprof/postings/68.html  (link not active)
The editors of Astronomy magazine (October 1999) list the 25 greatest astronomical findings of all time, including the suggestion that Venus has an atmosphere, as observed during the 1761 transit of Venus.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pgj/transit%20080604.htm
PGJ - Astronomie : Passage de Venus devant le Soleil le 08 Juin 2004 (in French).

 

www.transitofvenus.org

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