Venus transit from Greece From the shore of the Aegean Sea,
science journalist Dan Falk recounts our sister planet's transit
across the Sun. June 14, 2004 An observer in Greece images Venus
passing in front of the Sun. Photo by Dan Falk |June 14, 2004|
t's hard to imagine a more spectacular setting: High on the
promontory of Cape Sounion, at the southeast tip of the Attica
peninsula, stands the Temple of Poseidon, the 5th century B.C.
Greek monument that inspired Lord Byron and continues to
mesmerise visitors today. The Moon, just past last quarter,
hangs in the sky above the blue-green waters of the Aegean. A
few fishing boats are moored in the bay, with the island ferries
moving silently on the horizon. Meanwhile, on the grounds of a
luxury hotel by the beach, some twenty amateur astronomers
anxiously are awaiting Venus's first solar transit of the
century. Most are from the United States; a few are proudly
wearing the T-shirts of their local astronomy clubs. At least
one couple is from Germany. Most are pa