What's New at the Observatory? There are still a couple of
safety issues in the dome to clear up and the display areas of
the observatory are still being prepared, but we hope to be able
to start public tours soon after the official opening of the
building May 25th. The Transit of Venus on June 5th The Transit
of Venus is among the rarest astronomical phenomena and won't
happen again until the year 2117! What is a "transit" and why is
it so A transit happens when a planet (in this case Venus) comes
between the Earth and the Sun, so that its disc is outlined
against the bright disc of the Sun. This happens rarely because
the orbits of Earth and Venus are not in exactly the same plane,
but each are inclined by a different amount. Careful timing of
the event has led to a precise determination of the distance
between the Sun and Earth. Not all areas of the Earth will see
the transit on June 5th. In Corner Brook we will only witness
the beginning of the transit; the Sun will set while Venus is
still visible agains