# The official SDMB Annular Eclipse AND Transit of Venus Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728 "2012-04-03T20:12:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/1 "2012-04-03T20:12:23Z")
A couple of notable astronomical events only separated by 16 days! The Annular Eclipse of May 20, 2012 (Southwestern U.S.) and May 21st (South Coast of China and South Coast of Japan) [NASA.gov website with interactive Google map](http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html) [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_May_20,_2012) [Climate maps for the eclipse path](http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~jander/ase2012/ase12intro.htm) The Transit of Venus for June 5th (Western Hemisphere)/6th (Eastern Hemisphere), 2012: [TransitOfVenus.org](http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html) [Sun-Earth Day - Nasa.gov](http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/transitofvenus/) [Transit of Venus - Sky and Telescope Article](http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/134332798.html) Being in Southern California, I am very fortunate that I can quite easily get to both of these events. I am planning to spend a couple days in Vegas (May 19th-21st) and drive to St. George, Utah to see the eclipse. Weather-wise, St. George is a better (and closer) than Cedar City, plus why gut out another 40 miles to the center line for another fraction of a minute in duration? Bringing my 8" Dob (with solar filter, of course), grab some dinner (there’s an In-N-Out on the north side of town) and head to a park in St. George with the wife and kids…should be somewhere in the 80s or 90s about that time, so it sounds like a pretty relaxing time will be had. Drive back to Vegas…and play some cards. As for the transit of Venus, I will be able to see most of it (about 5 of the 6.5 hours) if I choose to…here in the High Desert, there is very little chance of clouds washing out the whole event…so I’m just gonna cut out of work a couple of hours early (about 2 or 3 pm), set up my telescope (with the same solar filter) in my front yard and let the neighbors know what’s going on and invite them to come spend an afternoon or just a few short minutes to get a little astronomy into their lives…None of us will be around to see the next transit (not for another 105.5 YEARS), so might as well hang out and down some beers and chat it up with the neighbors…a little goodwill goes a long way in my neck of the woods…err…cacti. It will be very likely clear, hot and dry…so many beers will be had. Anyone else planning to do any viewing on these days? Please post any additional links that are interesting relating to either/both events. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/2 "2012-04-03T20:17:57Z")
I saw the last transit in 2004. I may or may not try to see this one. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/3 "2012-04-03T20:40:26Z")
Hmm, it looks like in Illinois, the Sun will set while it’s being partially eclipsed. That should be pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/4 "2012-04-03T21:03:17Z")
Yeah, the lower 48 will be seeing the sun set with Venus in transit…if you notice on [Nasa.gov](http://Nasa.gov) website, there is a region (mainly, Iceland) that will be able to see the transit begin and end, but the Sun sets before Mid-Transit and rises after Mid-Transit…Earth’s rotation and axial tilt near the summer solstice makes for an interesting view for them! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/5 "2012-04-03T21:07:43Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I saw the last transit in 2004. I may or may not try to see this one. You will have [a rather long wait](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus) for the next one if you skip this year’s – it occurs in 2117. > [@](#): > > “Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. They occur in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The periodicity is a reflection of the fact that the orbital periods of Earth and Venus are close to 8:13 and 243:395 resonances.” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/6 "2012-04-03T22:45:10Z")
My wife and I plan on traveling to the Santa Fe, NM area with the express purpose of taking photos of the eclipse. This area should be a particularly good place for photos, since the eclipse will occur just before sunset, and the sun will be around 10° above the horizon. Here is very cool tool for photographers who like putting the sun and moon in their photos: > **[Photo Ephemeris](https://photoephemeris.com/)** > > Photo Ephemeris helps you plan outdoor photography in natural light. See how the light will fall on the land, day or night, for any location on earth. If I get any decent photos, I’ll post them. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/7 "2012-04-04T22:07:23Z")
Just a word of caution, **beowulff** …for Santa Fe, mid-eclipse will be only 5 degrees above the horizon, which should still be above the mountains of Bandelier NM, but if there’s afternoon heating and some moisture in the air…expect some clouds which my rise over 5 degrees from your location. If you are there early enough to make a judgement call on how the afternoon plays out weather-wise, the better. If clouds start building up, heading south from Santa Fe should increase your chances of a cloud-free eclipse, and a longer duration too. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/8 "2012-04-18T19:15:21Z")
Kind of interesting… On the first link I provided for the eclipse, I noticed that there is a highway that nearly sits on the centerline of the eclipse for about 21.3 miles (the vectors differ by 1.48 degrees from my rough calculations)…In Utah, highway 56 between Modena and Newcastle. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/9 "2012-04-18T19:28:15Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > Just a word of caution, **beowulff** …for Santa Fe, mid-eclipse will be only 5 degrees above the horizon, which should still be above the mountains of Bandelier NM, but if there’s afternoon heating and some moisture in the air…expect some clouds which my rise over 5 degrees from your location. If you are there early enough to make a judgement call on how the afternoon plays out weather-wise, the better. If clouds start building up, heading south from Santa Fe should increase your chances of a cloud-free eclipse, and a longer duration too. I think we’re going to try to be on Sandia Peak in Albuquerque. I need to see if the timing with the Tram works out. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/10 "2012-04-18T22:17:01Z")
Sounds awesome! Been on the crest of Sandia Peak about 16 years ago…very nice view! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/11 "2012-04-18T22:31:36Z")
Technically, a transit of Venus is itself a kind of annular eclipse. And it looks like we’ll be getting partial eclipse during sunset, as well. I already have a pair of sunglasses (note: Actual _sun_glasses, not just glare-glasses). ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/12 "2012-04-19T10:24:23Z")
Another five years and there’s a [total eclipse](http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html) pretty much bisecting the USA. The next one within easy reach of me is in [2015](http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2015Mar20Tgoogle.html), but I can’t imagine the Faroe Islands in March have the clearest of skies! Might be worth a trip, though - it’s somewhere I quite fancy going anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/13 "2012-04-19T10:34:23Z")
BTW I had to share [the coolest eclipse photo ever](http://legault.perso.sfr.fr/eclipse110104_solar_transit.html) - the International Space Station transiting the partially eclipsed sun, taken in January 2011. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/14 "2012-04-19T10:45:09Z")
I’d love to get to an observatory to see the transit. Thanks for the heads-up about these events! Time to do some research… ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/15 "2012-04-19T21:01:00Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > BTW I had to share [the coolest eclipse photo ever](http://legault.perso.sfr.fr/eclipse110104_solar_transit.html) - the International Space Station transiting the partially eclipsed sun, taken in January 2011. That really is cool - thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/16 "2012-04-19T21:03:43Z")
The 2004 Venus transit was fascinating. I went to work early and watched the sun rise over a nearby air field. I used my arc-welder’s glass as a filter for the sun’s damaging rays. Could still see the tiny dot of Venus on the Sun. I felt privileged to see such a rarity. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/17 "2012-04-20T16:53:45Z")
I’m planning to go to New Mexico for the annular. I’ve seen four totals (Libya, Australia, China and Tahiti) but never an annular. Plus my sister lives in NM so I’ll stop by to visit for a day or two before the event. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/18 "2012-04-20T17:50:03Z")
What exactly is required of me to view this Venus transit? I’d love to see this. P.S. thanks for the ISS photo! ---
**Author:** ![SunSandSuffering](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/19 "2012-04-20T18:02:04Z")
Bah, doesn’t look like it’s going to be visible in the UK. Saw it in 2004 though, very cool. I used eclipse glasses but staring at the full sun in broad daylight was very hard. Probably not safe to use welder’s glasses [like BwanaBob, above] please take care! Edited for Typo ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728/20 "2012-04-20T22:30:10Z")
[Solar Filter Safety - Sun (a Sky & Telescope article)](http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/sun/3304056.html?page=1&c=y) #14 Welder’s glass is good protection (recommended) #12 Welder’s glass is “adequate, but not comfortable” protection It also discusses how damage to the eye occurs when not properly protected. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-sdmb-annular-eclipse-and-transit-of-venus-thread/617728.md?page=2)