Our Transit of Venus viewing party went really well. We had spectacular weather, and we were able to watch the show for a good three hours. We adapted my telescope for viewing, pointing the magnified image of the Sun & Venus onto a sheet of posterboard. All in all the projected image quality was good, and along with Venus we had several sunspots to enjoy.
Venus made her transit rather slowly, which made for a comfortable event here on Earth. Viewers could come and go, stop for dinner, etc. For the last couple hours before sunset we were set up near the road, and we had a lot of fun sharing the sight with people walking – and driving! – by.
Probably the most unexpected moment was seeing a plane cross the image. Ultimately we counted around a half dozen jets, and numerous birds crossing the Sun – but with far less fanfare than Venus! E was able to snag some memorable photos, and we were glad that we made the effort. It was singular moment that won’t happen again for a long, long, long time.
