Locals Plan to Observe Rare Celestial Event on June 5

Editor's Note: The following press release was issued by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton is pleased to announce that we will be participating in the Princeton University Department of Astrophysical Science’s Transit of Venus Open House to observe the last Transit of Venus in our lifetime on June 5, 2012.

Activities will begin at Peyton Hall, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton at 4 p.m., with presentations explaining the transit phenomenon.  There will be activities for children too. 

Before the 6:04 p.m. start of the transit, we will move to the Engineering Quad parking deck to safely observe the transit through specially filtered telescopes until sunset around 8:20 p.m.  We will watch the conclusion of the transit in Peyton Hall via a live video feed from Hawaii, which will also be available if skies are cloudy.

Admission is free and the public is welcome.  Ample free parking is available across the street from Peyton Hall.  Anyone interested in attending, please RSVP to info@princetonastronomy.org

A transit occurs when Mercury or Venus passes across the Sun’s disk when observed from Earth.  Usually these planets pass above or below the Sun’s disk, but when Venus and the Earth are in the same plane as the Sun, a Transit of Venus happens. 

The last one occurred only four years ago on June 8, 2004, but the next Transit of Venus will not occur until 2117.  This event is the last opportunity for anyone alive today to see this rare astronomical phenomenon.

Only six Venus transits have occurred since the invention of the telescope in the early 17th century. No one saw the first one in 1631, and only two astronomers observed the transit in 1639.  

In the 18th century, Sir Edmond Halley of comet fame proposed measuring the distance from the Earth to the Sun by simultaneously observing Transits of Venus from different points on the Earth.  Since then, many expeditions were sent around the globe to make observations, which have led to accurate estimates of the distance between the Earth and the Sun and calculations of the distances to other planets. 

No Venus transits occurred in the 20th century; however, other methods have supplanted the transit method for estimating solar system distances.

Looking directly at the Sun even with sunglasses will cause blindness.  Observations should only be made with solar glasses, solar telescopes and telescopes with objective filters made for that purpose.

More details are available on AAAP’s website: http://www.princetonastronomy.org and on Princeton Astrophysical Science’s website: http://www.princeton.edu/astro/resources/outreach/venus-transit-2012/

About the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton:

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton is an organization of over 80 members with interest in all aspects of astronomy and space science. Founded in 1962, the AAAP promotes a wide range of astronomy-related activities including: solar, planetary and deep-sky observing, astrophotography, star parties, lectures and education.

The group owns and operates two observatories in New Jersey at Washington Crossing State Park and Jenny Jump State Park. Members include avid observers, armchair investigators and complete novices. All share a common love of the sky. Complete meeting details and directions are found at the AAAP web site: www.princetonastronomy.org.  Sidereal Times, the association newsletter with information on club activities, is online at http://princetonastronomy.wordpress.com/