The 2012 Venus transit is over! (At least for the eastern U.S.)
It had started out cloudy, and ended cloudy, but I was able to
observe it through cloud breaks. The entire family observed. It
was very exciting to see Venus as it just touched the sun’s
limb; I was looking through the telescope at the time. It was
really cool. God’s creation is beautiful! Below: First Contact
(when Venus’s edge first touches the sun’s edge, seen at right a
bit past 2 o’clock) This is a do-not-miss event! This is the
last time Venus will cross the face of the sun for 105 years.
Why does this happen so rarely? It’s because Venus’s orbit is
slightly tilted from earth’s. So usually, it passes above or
below the sun. This event is a pretty popular topic on the
internet, so I guess I’ll add my share. First a word of caution:
Don’t look at the sun. It’s pretty obvious, but still… it can
fry your eye’s retina. There are several ways to safely view
this event, though. Eclipse Shades: these are very inexpensive
solar filters that are worn