Venus, as in the planet. Not the goddess hiking up her tunic and stomping ground.
On June 5 2012, Venus started her march between Earth and the Sun at 22:09 UTC , and finished at 04:49 UTC on 6 June. This rare celestial movement occurs in pairs, often 8 years apart, which themselves are separated by centuries. The last happened June 8, 2004. the previous pair on December 9, 1874 and December 6, 1882, and the next pair of transits will occur December 10-11, 2117, and in December 2125.
So that means, unless humans have perfected suspended animation in the 30 years, it is unlikely those who witnessed this event will ever see it again.
In Singapore those who are awake at 4am in the morning saw it. Like Jellyfish, who was on one of the outlying islands collecting marine specimens. I came to the office and turned on the Nasa Webcast where they reported off the top of Mount Kea, Hawaii.
 |
| Start of Venus moving in between Earth and Sun. Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images |
 |
| Halfway through. Courtesy of www.guardian.com.uk |
 |
2 hours into the march. Courtesy of www.guardian.com.uk
|
 |
| The site where I watched the transit in the office @ 1017 GMT+8 |
 |
| Making her way out at 1140 GMT+8 |
 |
Almost there at 1200 GMT+8
 |
Towards the edge, she must be tired by now 1313 GMT+8
As she makes her exit, I shall make mine. Leaving you with the Transit of Venus March, a military brass band written by John Philip Sousa in 1883 to commemorate the past march. Try listening to it 10 times. It sticks. After all it is a marching score.
|
|
0 comments