GWSC | Transit of Venus 2012

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At this time the College is at capacity at all year levels and therefore cannot offer any further placements for 2013.

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Transit of Venus 2012

The transit of the planet Venus across the disc of the Sun occurs twice in every hundred years or so.

In 1769 such a transit was the primary reason for the scientific voyage of HMB Endeavour, under the command of Lt. James Cook. After the scientists aboard Endeavour had observed the transit, the vessel went on to chart New Zealand and Australia, claiming both land masses for the British Crown. In this respect, our nation has something of a link with the transit.

The applications of this rare astronomical event have changed as technology has marched forward. The first observation in 1639 helped to establish the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The 2012 transit will assist astronomers to develop parameters for identifying exoplanets (planets around distant stars).

At GWSC, weather permitting, a telescope will be set up near the tennis courts to project an image of the Sun's disc onto a screen, so that it can be safely observed. This is the same technique used for observing solar eclipses.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE SUN EVER BE DIRECTLY OBSERVED WITH A TELESCOPE, BINOCULARS, OR OTHER MAGNIFYING DEVICES - DOING SO WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE. PROLONGED STARING AT THE SUN WITH THE NAKED EYE ALSO PRESENTS A SERIOUS RISK OF PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE.

A live broadcast of the transit will be projected onto the overhead screen in the Library during both lunchtimes.

As in 1769, the South Pacific, and especially the East Coast of Australia, will be prime locations for viewing the entire transit. Predicted cloud cover may, however, spoil this chance.

The simulator below shows the path of Venus across the disc of the Sun for Central Victoria. Note that the path has been adjusted to compensate for the aparent rotation of the Sun as it moves across the sky. In "real life" the path will appear more as a gentle arc.

The simulator requires Flash.

For those who will be observing the transit and who wish to participate in a global effort to collect scientific data on the event, a phone app is available. Search "VenusTransit" in your app store (iOS and Android) to locate the app. The aim is to set your location and to click a button to indicate when Venus first enters and first leaves the Sun's disc.