Dr. Kelley and the ‘Transit of Venus’

Have you seen the movie Wall-E? Do you remember the scene where Wall-E is riding the spaceship through space, and he’s in awe at its vastness and beauty? Well, we’re all going to experience a moment like that pretty soon. This summer, Venus will pass in front of the Sun in an event known as the “Transit of Venus,” and Michigan residents will have a great chance to witness this phenomenon with their own eyes. In preparation for the Transit, Dr. Thomas Kelley recently offered members of the HFCC Astronomy Club a special presentation to explain what exactly the Transit is, along with some information regarding its history and influence on various cultures.
The Transit of Venus, as previously stated, is when Venus travels along a path between the Sun and Earth, much the same way the moon does when it passes between the Earth and the Sun during a solar eclipse, with a few key differences: 1) whereas our moon only crosses between the Sun and our planet, Venus can cross the paths of any planet in our solar system, causing Transits elsewhere; and 2) Venus does not cause a full eclipse, but merely appears as a small black dot as it passes by.
The time at which this is visible depends greatly on our own location, and for many around the world their location will prevent them the opportunity to witness the Transit firsthand due to its trajectory. However, scientists have stated that Hawaii will have the best view of the Transit and, as a result, a free webcast will be put into place that will broadcast the Transit’s full cycle to viewers all around the world. The full cycle is anticipated to take roughly 8 – 12 hours.
The Transit takes place about every 105 years and comes in pairs that are 8 years apart, with the last Transit taking place in 2004. The first person to observe the Transit was Jeremiah Horrocks in 1639. An English astronomer, Horrocks had studied and corrected many of Kepler’s studies regarding Venus’ relative distance from Earth and its Transit, and, when the time came, he viewed and recorded the Transit’s full cycle. One hundred year later, scientists attempted to observe and record data on the Transit again, this time with help from England and France in a sort of “science war” (that’s what I’m calling it, anyway). Neither England nor France had any real interest in the Transit itself and didn’t want to spend the money or resources that would be needed. However, this was during a time when both nations were enemies and, as their scientists were more than happy to point out, if one nation didn’t get the credit for observing the Transit, then the other would (it was basically like the “space race” between the U. S. and the Soviets during the 1960s).
This is merely a brief excerpt from the presentation that Dr. Kelley provided the Astronomy Club, and that presentation itself was merely a brief explanation and history lesson of what the Transit of Venus is. The Transit is a simple event, one that doesn’t even last for very long, yet it is an event of unimaginable beauty that only comes twice in a lifetime. I missed out on seeing the Transit back in 2004, but I have no intention of making that mistake twice.
How about you? Do you think you’ll want to witness this miracle for yourself? We’ll all get our chance this summer when the Transit of Venus comes on June 5 – 6. Michigan residents will get a chance to see the Transit firsthand right before dusk and online with the NASA webcast.
zThe Astronomy Club will offer more information on this topic very soon, so stay tuned!