Diagram showing how transits of Venus occur and why they don’t occur frequently. Drawn by User:Theresa Knott; License see: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Theresa_knott&diff=25880723&oldid=25880360 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today, Tuesday there will be a transit of Venus, that is it begins today and ends tomorrow. For those who don’t know what a transit entails it is simply the passage of an object, in this case the planet Venus, across the Sun‘s disk. It may seem of no consequence to the lay person but the event is useful for astronomical and scientific purposes and can reveal much information when studied. Transits of Venus are very rare events occurring in pairs eight years apart with the next pair in 2117 and 2125! Those of Mercury are far more frequent for a couple of reasons, one, Mercury is closer to the Sun and two, it revolves around the Sun more rapidly, that is every 88 days. We can only see a transit when the Earth’s orbit and the orbits of Venus and Mercury lie in the same plane so that the planets can be seen between us and the Sun just as when the Moon sometimes passes in between resulting in an eclipse. Venus and Mercury are far more remote so an eclipse is impossible. Venus possesses an atmosphere and this fact is the main reason more interest is taken when it is in transit. More scientific information can be revealed from Venus transits than those of airless Mercury. Unfortunately in the UK the Venus transit commences after ten o’clock in the evening and ends at almost five o’clock in the morning. This means that only an hour or so of the transit will be viewable at dawn. The full transit may be visible in most of Asia and the Pacific Ocean areas. For a full picture see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus,_2012 and for information about Mercury’s transits see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Mercury. Sometimes I wish I lived elsewhere when it comes to astronomical events. Here in the UK when it is possible to see some things we sometimes are frustrated by the weather! The transit of Venus this time around is twelve hours too soon or too late for it to be totally visible here. I recommend clicking on the links below, especially the video, for more information on transits.
Shirley Anne
Related articles
- Rare Venus eclipse on June 6 (ibnlive.in.com)
- VIDEO: What is the transit of Venus? (bbc.co.uk)
- Transit Of Venus (maxredline.typepad.com)
- Are You Ready for the Transit of Venus This Tuesday? (newsfeedoftoday.wordpress.com)
