Monday, June 04, 2012

Not to be repeated until 2117

Unfortunately, the transit of Venus which will take place tomorrow may not be viewable in our area, due to cloudiness, but it still is an fascinating astronomical event, and one which will not occur again until 2117! NASA has a web page on this event, and you will be able to view it there (please bear in mind that one should NOT try to view the event directly, but only by using proper equipment or watching second hand online...)

This astronomical event ties in with some interesting history; a voyage of Captain Cook's in the 18th century was planned in order to view this event and connect it with attempted improvements in navagational science. Pictured here is a set of 19th century equipment for viewing and tracking the event.

No comments: