Transit of Venus from California

At California's Griffith Observatory

to witness the Transit of Venus

On June 5, 2012, thousands of people were at the Griffith Observatory, which is located in Los Angeles, CA., to view a once-in-a-lifetime event! People were there to witness Venus as it passed between earth and our Sun! There were many amateur astronomers sharing their telescopes, equipped with solar filters, with the public. The solar filters allow you to view the sun safely in order to get a close-up view of the TOV without the sun damaging your eyes! (You should never look directly at the sun without the proper protection to avoid permanent eye damage!)

There were many news crews and helicopters documenting the event. The Observatory is on top of a mountain overlooking the Hollywood Sign and had monitors and screens throughout the Observatory showing the Transit in real time through video feeds. 

OBSERVATORY OFFERS PUBLIC VIEWING OF TRANSIT OF VENUS On Tuesday, June 5, Griffith Observatory welcomed thousands of people for a once-in-a-lifetime free viewing of the transit of Venus. Observatory staff, along with volunteers from the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers, and The Planetary Society, offered visitors the chance to look through filtered telescopes, the coelostat, and Observatory eclipse glasses. Tens of thousands of people from around the world watched the Observatory's live video feed of images from its Zeiss telescope and coelostat and commentary from curatorial staff. ~ Griffith Observatory

Waiting for the Transit to begin

Sundial in front of the Griffith Observatory

Important men in the history of Astronomy: Galileo, Herschel, Newton, Kepler, Copernicus.

Helicopter fly-over of the Griffith Observatory

Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight Transport Helicopter serves the US Marine Corps and the US Navy

In the Griffith Observatory

 

Albert Einstein

 

One of the Live Video Feeds of the TOV

 

The live video feed shows Venus in front of the sun's disk as well as some sun spots

 

 View from the Observatory over-looking Los Angeles

 

End of the Observable "Transit of Venus" from California

 

Transit of Venus June 5th - 6th

Check out these TRANSIT OF VENUS Resources on the Web!!!

 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center 

2012 Transit of Venus Live Webcast   June 5th - This is the Official Sun-Earth Day webcast for the Venus Transit brought to you live from the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

  

Columbus State University’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center 

2012 Transit of Venus Live Webcast   June 5th - 5:30pm EDT - In an effort to make this event more accessible to the public, Columbus State University’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center (CCSSC) has partnered with NASA and the International Space School Education Trust (ISSET) to provide a multi-continent webcast of the 2012 Transit of Venus.


Astronomers Without Borders - Live Webcast

Millions will look skyward as Venus crosses the Sun on June 5 for the last time more than 100 years.  The very rare transit of Venus can be seen anywhere that the Sun is visible during the more than 6 hours it will take Venus to make its journey. Astronomers Without Borders will be webcasting live from world-famous Mount Wilson Observatory during this rare event, along with top experts in the history of astronomy, authors, and others will gather at the best location for seeing the Venus transit on the North American continent.

Transit of Venus Simulation Video 

Transit of Venus simulation for June 5th as will be seen from New York.

 

Transit of Venus History

In 1768, when James Cook sailed out of Plymouth harbor to observe the Transit of Venus in Tahiti, the trip was tantamount to a voyage through space.  The remote island had just been "discovered" a year earlier, and by all accounts it was as strange and alien to Europeans as the stars themselves. Cook's pinpoint navigation to Tahiti and his subsequent observations of Venus crossing the South Pacific sun in 1769 have inspired explorers for centuries.

Sky and Telescope: Your Viewing Guide to the Transit of Venus

Observing Blog by Bob Naeye: Learn how to view the Transit of Venus on June 5th

National Solar Observatory    

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) will be be conducting scientific experiments at telescope sites located in Sacramento Peak, NM, and Tucson, AZ. In addition, a global network of NISP instruments will capture images of the transit for a live webcast. This will be an unprecedented opportunity for all to see the transit of Venus from multiple simultaneous locations around the world.

Transit of Venus

 

Public Program

Saturday, June 2  
7:30 PM - 8:30pm 

TRANSIT TALK: Why it is Historically Important?

Join us for a talk on the Transit of Venus: How to see it safely, Where you may need to go, and see how to make a Solar Filter holder for telescopes and lenses.

Rich Huber, AOS and Custer Member, will explain why so much effort was put into expeditions to see the Transit in past centuries. This will be followed by another talk by Bill Bogardus, Pro Tem Custer President, on "How to Construct a Solar Filter". Bill will also have some Baader Filter Material for sale from Jeff Norwood if anybody wants to purchase the material and make their own filter.

If the weather is clear, we will do some observing of the Moon, Mars, and Saturn afterwards. Suggested Donation: $5 Non-Members, $3 Children, free for Members.

Transit of Venus 2012, June 5, What we will see in New York

 

Visit the Transit of Venus website for additional resources

OTHER UPCOMING CUSTER and/or CELESTIAL EVENTS

Mon., June 4: Partial lunar eclipse, viewable from midnight until dawn

Tues., June 5: Partial transit of Venus across the Sun, viewable at sunset

Sat., June 23: Custer's Annual Membership Meeting & Elections

Sat., July 21: Celebration of Amateur Radio: A Mini-Conference at Custer

Sat., July 28: Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower Party at Custer (peak of shower overnight July 28-29)

Sat., Aug. 11: Perseid Meteor Shower Party at Custer (peak of shower overnight Aug. 12-13)

Sat., Aug. 25: Neptune Appreciation Night at Custer (Neptune in opposition on Fri., 8/24)

Fri., Aug. 31: Blue moon (when a full moon occurs twice during one month)

Sat., Oct. 20: Orionid Meteor Shower Party at Custer (peak of shower overnight Oct. 21-22)

Fri., Oct. 19 through Sun., Oct. 21: Custer's 34th Annual Astronomy Jamboree

Sat., Nov. 17: Leonid Meteor Shower Party at Custer (peak of shower overnight Nov. 17-18)

Wed., Nov. 28: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

Sat., Dec. 1: Jupiter Appreciation Night at Custer (Jupiter in opposition on Mon. Dec. 3)

Sat., Dec. 15: Geminid Meteor Shower Party at Custer (peak of shower overnight Dec. 13-14)

Mon., Dec. 31: New Year's Eve Under the Stars at Custer

The last Friday of every month is Members' Night.

ON-GOING: Custer is open to the public Saturdays, Dusk until 11:30pm for events, stargazing and more (see above for schedule). Staff provide guided tours of the sky via powerful telescopes (weather permitting).

If you haven't already joined, please consider helping to support this great organization by becoming a Member of the Custer Institute (est. 1927). Custer is a 501(c)(3) New York State educational nonprofit that operates on public support (no endowment or government sponsorship). We rely on dues, proceeds from events and donations to pay the expenses necessary to keep all of our educational, cultural, and research programs active and available to you, the community. Annual dues are only $25 seniors and students, $45 individuals, $60 families (2 adults and children). Thanks!