Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

Palomar · 2004-06-08 09:14:12

http://www.spaceweather.com/venustransi … m]Portrait Gallery

:up:

NICE!

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-06-08 09:46:15

http://www.spaceweather.com/venustransi … nd1.jpg]My favorite pic so far

*Looking through those hazy cloud bands, Sol looks like a cross between Jupiter and Saturn with one of its moons passing in front. Love those oranges and yellows. Really a striking pic.

--Cindy

There's a moving (time-lapse) pic as well (as the Sun is setting), from Hong Kong -- via the link in my 1st post.

My region missed out on the transit entirely <pout>. But these glorious pics are making up for it!!

REB · 2004-06-08 12:51:53

I love pictures like the one in this Foxnew article;

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122 … 93,00.html

With such pictures, we can get a sense of scale with the heavens above. For example, notice the apparent size of Venus compared to the Sun. Then remember that the apparent size of the Moon is the same as the Sun. Now remember the Moon is about a fourth of the size of Venus.

Taking this information, lets see what the Moon would look like crossing the Sun in Venus orbit. Visualize a dot next to Venus that is a fourth of the size.

Now imagine the Sun is the Moon in this picture and let you depth perception take over. You can visualize how far away Venus is (or how close Venus is).

I like to do something simular with Jupiter's Moon, IO, which is about the same size as our Moon, when I look at it through my telescope.

REB · 2004-06-08 14:00:04

I found a better way to picture how far away Venus is. Since Venus is roughly around the size the Moon would appear at this distance, imagine this is a tube you are looking through. The Sun is the near side, and Venus is the far side. This gives an in-the-park feel to how far away Venus is. (The Near side would represent the Moon as seen from Earth, and the far side would be Venus)

Palomar · 2004-06-08 15:48:12

*Hi REB. I really enjoyed the article you shared. One child was quoted as wondering why the Sun had a black dot in it. It's so terrific that kids were encouraged to participate.

Google is commemorating the event today. The second "O" is a drawing of the Sun complete with the black dot of Venus at around the 7 o'clock position.

Very nice, wonderful turnout. Spaceweather.com already has 5 pages of astrophotos! And more rolling in, apparently.

I was planning on taking snapshots of the event on my solar screen, then I found out it wasn't visible in my area. -frown-

--Cindy

atitarev · 2004-06-08 20:58:18

http://www.spaceweather.com/venustransi … nd1.jpg]My favorite pic so far
*Looking through those hazy cloud bands, Sol looks like a cross between Jupiter and Saturn with one of its moons passing in front. Love those oranges and yellows. Really a striking pic.
--Cindy
There's a moving (time-lapse) pic as well (as the Sun is setting), from Hong Kong -- via the link in my 1st post.
My region missed out on the transit entirely <pout>. But these glorious pics are making up for it!!

Wow! Great pics. Thank you, Cindy.

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2004-06-09 02:37:54

great pictures Cindy and I like the foxnews story Reb

have a look at these, there's a nice shot of a plane passing the sun at the same time of the rare transit

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~zhuxj/astro/ht … ...ansit04

( some great pictures of mars too in the older archive )

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~zhuxj/astro/cn … anets.html

another great photo of the rare venus transit

http://jim.smits.name/Space/Photos/Venu … ...iew.jpg

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2004-06-09 03:14:51

check out these wonderful pictures and reports of the detail in the transit

more great pictures here

http://jim.smits.name/Space/Photos/Venu … 202004.htm

bbc news reporting

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/ven … esun.shtml

Then there are lots of pictures from the European Southern Observatory
wonderful views of the transit from germany, belgium, australia, india, spain...just check out these photos

picture of transit from germany

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 130000.jpg

holland view, amazing picture !
http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 5041_p.jpg

Udaipur India watching transit

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 110842.jpg

transit Japanese view

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 081116.jpg

this one from Oslo Norway

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 081058.jpg

this shot of venus and the sun using a h alpha filter in austria

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 120602.jpg

russian picture

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 052754.jpg

dutch open telescope in La Palma-Spain

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 081007.jpg

czech view of venus Transit the Sun

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/observations/ … 080629.jpg

Belgium Observatory from luxor egypt

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 081026.jpg

austrian telescope

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 130402.jpg

Palomar · 2004-06-09 08:15:35

this one from Oslo Norway
http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 081058.jpg

this shot of venus and the sun using a h alpha filter in austria
http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 120602.jpg
dutch open telescope in La Palma-Spain
http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 081007.jpg

*Thanks, YLR. I especially like the ones in the quote box. I really dig hydrogen-alpha filter shots of Sol; with Venus there, it looks like an orange -- with Venus as the orange's navel. The other pic of Venus' black disc surrounded by Sol's granulation details is great.

Some of the solar filters used make the Sun look pinkish (a few pics from many links I've viewed). :-\ That's wild.

I am on the lookout for a pic of the ISS transiting the Sun during the Venus transit. Four times yesterday the ISS crossed the face of the Sun during Venus' transit; however, the ISS's transits were only visible in a very narrow 1-mile corridor through southern France, northern Italy, Canary Islands (IIRC?), etc. This information was posted previously at spaceweather.com and in my "Lt. James Cook" thread.

If anyone sees a pic on the 'net of Venus and the ISS both transiting, please post it. I'm thinking there are probably very few if any pics of -that-...considering the narrow corridor, the speed at which ISS zips across Sol, weather conditions in the corridor regions, etc.

Spaceweather.com now has 7 pages full of transit pics.

--Cindy

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2004-06-09 11:48:19

I am on the lookout for a pic of the ISS transiting the Sun during the Venus transit. Four times yesterday the ISS crossed the face of the Sun during Venus' transit; however, the ISS's transits were only visible in a very narrow 1-mile corridor through southern France, northern Italy, Canary Islands (IIRC?), etc. This information was posted previously at spaceweather.com and in my "Lt. James Cook" thread.

I hope you find lots the details of the ISS transit of the Sun during the venus transit
good luck!

here is a picture of the ISS transit of the Sun

http://vt-2004.hq.eso.org/central/image … 1-jolo.gif

the euro site has a big archive, it could be in the European Southern observatory web site

http://www.vt-2004.org/central/cd-archi … d-archive/

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2004-06-10 06:03:34

another great gallery here

http://www.8june2004.org/gallery/globe? … obe?page=2

Palomar · 2004-06-10 10:13:08

another great gallery here
http://www.8june2004.org/gallery/globe? … obe?page=2

*My god, the European Southern Observatory web site has a lot of links. Will work my way through them.

I checked the other link you provided (in the quote box). Very nice collage of images.

All these sites provide such a visual bonanza: All the different types of filters used; cameras versus telescopes; Sol upright, Sol upside-down (telescope without correct-image accessory); cloudy or clear; sunrise or mid-day; etc. What a treasure for posterity!

I'm really impressed with all the folks who got out the cameras. I would have done the same, if only. :-\

--Cindy

REB · 2004-06-11 07:45:46

I bet the Earth looked very bright from the night side cloudtops on Venus.

Could Earth's disk be seen by a human from such a vantage point?

REB · 2004-06-11 08:33:26

Here is what the Earth looked like from Venus on the day Venus crossed the Sun;

http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/wspac … ...bfov=30

Here is what the Moon looks like on the same scale (About what you would see with binoculars);

http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/wspac … ...bfov=30

REB · 2004-06-11 08:54:17

How close is Venus to the Earth?

Take these figures;

-Venus's minimum distance from Earth is 38,050,900 km

-Moon’s distance from the 385,000 kilometers

And you get when Venus is at its closest to the Earth, like it was a few days ago, it is only 98.8 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. That is very close.

If you could switch Venus and Jupiter, when they are at their closest, Jupiter would look about half the size the full Moon does in our skies. Of course, we could be looking at the night side of Jupiter.

For this, I used the Moon’s distance from the Earth an divided Jupiter’s diameter, which is 142,600 kms. That came out to about 2.6

Then use the first picture above, and visualize a circle that is slightly less than half the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Compare it to the second picture of the Moon, for scale.

So, from the Venus/Earth closest approach distance, you could see Jupiter’s disk easily with the naked eye. It would be about half the size of or Moon in our night sky.

Palomar · 2004-06-11 10:21:22

I bet the Earth looked very bright from the night side cloudtops on Venus.
Could Earth's disk be seen by a human from such a vantage point?
--------------
Here is what the Earth looked like from Venus on the day Venus crossed the Sun;
http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/wspac … ...bfov=30

*Hi REB.

Well, I can't help thinking that link ("Solar System Simulator") from JPL/NASA is a bit optimistic. Earth's equatorial diameter is 7926 miles, Venus' is 7520; of course, a difference of 406 miles (only).

As we know, Venus' cloudy surface (phases) can only be seen with magnification (binoculars at least) -- not with the unaided eye (we see it as a "star"). Considering the Earth isn't much bigger than Venus and this planet also reflects sunlight (as demonstrated by the "Earthshine" effect on Luna), I presume the human eye, from your vantage point, would see Earth as a bright bluish "star" -- and would need at least binoculars to resolve the disc.

But, of course, I could be wrong. Again, I'm surprised at the Simulator's optimistic projection (and keeping in mind that it is a simulator).

I guess only a pic (if it exists -- I'm not currently aware) from one of the previous Russian or U.S. missions to Venus -- a few snapshots Earth-ward and transmitted to us before plunging into the atmosphere -- could tell us for sure. :-\

Based on Earth-to-Venus observation, though, I'd presume it works about the same way from Venus-to-Earth.

--Cindy

REB · 2004-06-11 10:57:27

Starttext from Clipboard Row 0 in Step: 36
Cindy, the problem with Venus is that when she is her closest to us, we see her dark side. Her size changes quite a bit from when she is full to when she is new.

This page has a good diagram that show it. http://www.absoluteaxarquia.com/nightsk … venus.html

Still, I think you are right. I looked again at the Venus transient pictures of the Sun, like this one;
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/ … nsits.html
and picture the sun’s disk (or Moon’s since they are the same apparent size) in the sky. Venus would be a dot. Someone with good eyesight might be able to make out a disk, but not me.

The Earth would be a very bright star as seen from Venus’ cloud tops. Someone with good eyesite might be able to make out a disk. You might be able to make out the Moon.

Palomar · 2004-06-11 11:22:42

Cindy, the problem with Venus is that when she is her closest to us, we see her dark side. Her size changes quite a bit from when she is full to when she is new.
This page has a good diagram that show it. http://www.absoluteaxarquia.com/nightsk … venus.html

*Hi Robert.

I guess the only way to find out, in the interim, would be to have photos taken of Venus with a regular, non-magnified camera when it is nearest Earth and digitally reduce the glare of sunlight shining off those highly reflective clouds. I'm not a photographer, etc., but I'm presuming that'd be the way to go. I can't recall *where* (if I find it again, I'll post it), but an amateur astronomer recently fanagled his astrophoto around to reduce Venusian glare and to see the shadowed portion of the planet. However, his pic was via a telescope and thus magnified.

If the glare is reduced in a regular pic that'd confirm it I presume (could be wrong of course...). Danged highly-reflective Venusian clouds!

--Cindy

REB · 2004-06-11 11:35:29

One neat thing about the transit is that even though Venus had her dark side towards us when she was at her closest, we could still see her.

I wish I could have seen the transit (with the proper protective filters) un magnified.

Can you imagine how bright the Earth must have looked from Venus when that happened?

Palomar · 2004-06-11 12:25:48

*Good point, Robert.

Here's a comment by an astrophotographer who had his comments posted at spaceweather.com (at page 7 of the transit photo gallery...which I linked to in my first post in this thread):

"When looking at the sun's projection in my 'sun-box', I was amazed by the largness of Venus. Venus surely would be considered a giant sunspot if it fact had been one. But according to my calculations the inky and perfectly round spot that was Venus would not have been bigger than about 400 millionths of the sun's hemisphere if it were a spot on the center of the sun's disk. A spot of that size is barely visible whith the naked eye. But Venus was an easy naked-eye object. Why? Probably because the planet was much blacker and also much bigger than any sunspot umbra."

--Cindy

Palomar · 2004-06-18 05:47:42

I am on the lookout for a pic of the ISS transiting the Sun during the Venus transit. Four times yesterday the ISS crossed the face of the Sun during Venus' transit; however, the ISS's transits were only visible in a very narrow 1-mile corridor through southern France, northern Italy, Canary Islands (IIRC?), etc. This information was posted previously at spaceweather.com and in my "Lt. James Cook" thread.
If anyone sees a pic on the 'net of Venus and the ISS both transiting, please post it.

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/ve … jpg]Gotcha!

From spaceweather.com (18 June 2004...the web site is updated and archived daily): "On June 8th, in a tiny village in Slovakia, Tomas Maruska took a picture that is ... beyond rare. It shows Venus and the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the Sun at the same time. The double transit was visible only inside a narrow corridor a few hundred meters wide. And it was brief. The space station crosses in the Sun in a split second! Maruska knew when and where to look thanks to the predictions of Thomas Fly, an expert forecaster of ISS transits."

*Congrats Mr. Maruska. He's the only person yet known to have snapped both ISS and Venus transiting the Sun at the same time.

BTW, spaceweather.com now has 14 pages of VT pics.

--Cindy

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2004-06-19 11:14:25

I am on the lookout for a pic of the ISS transiting the Sun during the Venus transit. Four times yesterday the ISS crossed the face of the Sun during Venus' transit; however, the ISS's transits were only visible in a very narrow 1-mile corridor through southern France, northern Italy, Canary Islands (IIRC?), etc. This information was posted previously at spaceweather.com and in my "Lt. James Cook" thread.
If anyone sees a pic on the 'net of Venus and the ISS both transiting, please post it.
http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/ve … jpg]Gotcha!
From spaceweather.com (18 June 2004...the web site is updated and archived daily): "On June 8th, in a tiny village in Slovakia, Tomas Maruska took a picture that is ... beyond rare. It shows Venus and the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the Sun at the same time. The double transit was visible only inside a narrow corridor a few hundred meters wide. And it was brief. The space station crosses in the Sun in a split second! Maruska knew when and where to look thanks to the predictions of Thomas Fly, an expert forecaster of ISS transits."
*Congrats Mr. Maruska. He's the only person yet known to have snapped both ISS and Venus transiting the Sun at the same time.
BTW, spaceweather.com now has 14 pages of VT pics.
--Cindy

http://www.spaceweather.com/venustransi … _strip.jpg

great picture !

Palomar · 2004-07-24 14:31:45

http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … 2004]Venus transit = 0.1% decreased Sunlight

*Venus blocked light reaching Earth same as large sunspots do.

Mentions Europe's "little ice age" (aka the Maunder Minimum).

Also, I noticed a different article which said of all the Google hits for June 2004 the Venus transit was the most popular.

--Cindy

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#1 2004-06-08 09:14:12

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#2 2004-06-08 09:46:15

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#3 2004-06-08 12:51:53

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#4 2004-06-08 14:00:04

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#5 2004-06-08 15:48:12

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#6 2004-06-08 20:58:18

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#7 2004-06-09 02:37:54

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#8 2004-06-09 03:14:51

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#9 2004-06-09 08:15:35

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#10 2004-06-09 11:48:19

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#11 2004-06-10 06:03:34

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#12 2004-06-10 10:13:08

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#13 2004-06-11 07:45:46

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#14 2004-06-11 08:33:26

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#15 2004-06-11 08:54:17

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#16 2004-06-11 10:21:22

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#17 2004-06-11 10:57:27

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#18 2004-06-11 11:22:42

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#19 2004-06-11 11:35:29

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#20 2004-06-11 12:25:48

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#21 2004-06-18 05:47:42

Re: Sol & Venus - ...global-wide transit pics

#22 2004-06-19 11:14:25

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#23 2004-07-24 14:31:45

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