The last Transit of Venus in my lifetime
No, that isn't fatalistic, the next one isn't until 2125.
Venus will transit the solar disk on June 5 for those of us in North America, and the geometry of the orbits means the US will see the beginning of the transit but the end will be after our sunset.
But the neatest place to observe it that I have found so far is Iceland. The island falls in a 'tiny' keyhole where the transit starts before sunset ... and ends after sunrise!
Reykjavik, IS sees the start (22:03, June 5) and finish (04:53, June 6), but not the middle (sunset 23:30, rise 03:22)
I am not sure where I will be, but I am pretty sure I will have a telescope or two set up this time; hopefully without the fog that made the 2004 transit interesting.
Venus will transit the solar disk on June 5 for those of us in North America, and the geometry of the orbits means the US will see the beginning of the transit but the end will be after our sunset.
But the neatest place to observe it that I have found so far is Iceland. The island falls in a 'tiny' keyhole where the transit starts before sunset ... and ends after sunrise!
Reykjavik, IS sees the start (22:03, June 5) and finish (04:53, June 6), but not the middle (sunset 23:30, rise 03:22)
I am not sure where I will be, but I am pretty sure I will have a telescope or two set up this time; hopefully without the fog that made the 2004 transit interesting.