Venus to cross the sun tomorrow
Islanders invited to CSI
observatory to witness astronomical curiosity at around 6 a.m.
Staten Island Advance - June 7, 2004
Want to see something no one has seen in 122 years?
The planet Venus will cross the sun early tomorrow
morning for the first time since 1882.
You absolutely should not look directly at the sun
with the naked eye.
But the astronomical curiosity can be witnessed for
free at the College of Staten Island’s in Willowbrook.
The public can view the transit at CSI’s observatory
starting around 6 a.m.
“When the sun comes up on Staten Island,” said
Irving Robbins, an astronomy professor at CSI. “Venus will be on the
sun making its way to the edge.”
From Staten Island, and most of the Northeast,
planet gazers will be able to see the transit clearly starting about
6 a.m. It will be over between 7:05 a.m. and 7:25 a.m.
Scientists will observe and time the planet as it
enters and leaves the path of the sun, according to Robbins.
“That timing helps you relate it to the orbital
characteristics of Venus, and how gravity works,” he said.
While Europe, the Middle East, and most of Africa
and Asia will witness the entire phenomenon, those in southern Chile
or Argentina, western North America, Hawaii ‘and New Zealand will
not see any of the transit.
The rest of the world — including most of the United
States — will only see part of the crossing.
“By the time the sun rises in the West Coast, the
event is cover” Robbins said. “Venus is moving, the Earth is moving,
in space as well. All of that couples together to decide who gets to
see it.”
The CSI observatory will examine the transit using
two different methods.
Scientists there will take photos of the crossing
using solar filters, which will cut out most of the sun’s light, and
by using a narrow spectrum of red light.
“It’s like a laser beam,” Robbins said of the red
light. “We’re going to be looking at the sun in one pure color,
which will let us look at storms on the sun simultaneously as we’re
observing.”
“The transit of Venus has never been observed in
that light,” he continued. “It’s a visual thing, to watch Venus
cross the sun with storms in the background.”
Robbins had an important reminder, for amateur
astronomers and others.
“Don’t look at the sun with-out the proper
equipment,” he said. “It could blind them.”
Those who miss tomorrow’s event will have to go
elsewhere for the June 6, 2012, transit.
It will not be visible from the Northeast.
After that, Venus will not cross the sun again until
2134.
by Ryan Heffernan
Reprinted here with permission from the
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