jina transit of venus handout
TRANSCRIPT
What is it? A rare alignment of the sun, Venus, and Earth, which allows us to see Venus as a small dot slowly moving across the face of the sun. First viewed in 1639 by a 21 year old amateur astronomer, it last occurred in 2004, and won't occur again until 2117. The alignment occurs in a cycle of 105-8-122-8 years.
Why was it important historically?In the 18th century, prompted by Edmond Halley, nations sent out global expeditions to measure the time of the transit from various locations. From these measurements (to the nearest second) the distance between the Earth and the Sun could be calculated.
Why is it important now?The transit of Venus provides us with a different way of searching for exoplanets. As Venus travels across the face of the sun, the brightness of the sun decreases slightly. The Kepler Spacecraft is currently watching 150,000 stars for regular drops in their brightness. Such a drop which would suggest that a planet is orbiting that star.
How do you see it?There are many events planned before and during the transit. See tinyurl.com/ToVevents for a list of local events.
Coloring Contest?Email/text images of colored stained glass windows to [email protected] Check results of contest at tinyurl.com/ToVcontest on Feb 18th.
Don't miss the last transit of Venus in our lifetime!