Category: Conjunctions and Occulations

Getting together

Venus Transit Reminder

This is your last chance this lifetime to witness a Venus transit! On June 5th the Earth, Venus and the Sun will line up correctly so that earthbound observers will see Venus cross the disk of the Sun.

Mercury Transit
Mercury transiting the face of the Sun, 6 Nov 2006
Venus transits are relatively rare events, that occur in pairs1, with the paired events separated by eight years. Each pair is separated from the next pair in a predictable pattern, alternating 105.5 or 120.5 year gaps. The first transit of the current pair was in June 2004, with the 2012 event completing the pair. The next pair of events will begin in December 2117. Given the century long separation between events Venus transits have only occurred seven times since the invention of the telescope (1631, 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874, 1882 and 2004)2.

To witness this event you only need to be on the daylight side of our planet when it occurs. The 2012 event favors the Pacific, Australia, Japan and eastern Asia.

For Hawai’i the event will begin at about 12:10pm with the Sun high in the sky, mid-point will be about 3:26pm and will end about 6:44pm, just before sunset. These times are only approximate, exact times will depend on the observer’s location and can vary by several minutes across the islands.

As always the single best source on the web (or anywhere) for eclipse and transit information is Fred Espenak’s eclipse website at NASA. Stop by whenever you have a question on upcoming events as well as viewing and photography tips.

Keck Observatory will be making an extra effort for this transit as Mauna Kea is perfectly positioned to observe the event. We will be webcasting the transit from a small telescope located at the summit. The webcast can be seen on your computer, or come over to our headquaters in Waimea to see the webcast and a live view in a solar telescope if the weather cooperates. there will be extra staff on hand to answer your questions.

Stay tuned to DarkerView for further details as the transit draws near.

1) Transit of Venus, Wikipedia Article, retrieved 8 Feb 2009

2) 2004 and 2012 Transits of Venus, Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC, NASA Eclipse Website, retrieved 8 Feb 2009

Venus Exits the Evening Sky

Over the next week Venus will be lost to the Sun’s glare. It is currently about 15° east of the Sun, but getting closer quite quickly now and becoming tough to spot in the sunset. The planet will pass through inferior conjunction on June 5th. The planet will appear in the dawn sky around mid June. When it does appear, it will again be in the company of Jupiter which passed through superior conjunction on May 5th. The two will again dance with each other and the Moon in mid to late June.

Of course, this upcoming inferior conjunction is just a bit special as Venus will pass directly in front creating the Venus Transit.

Even when low in the sunset, Venus is worth picking up in a telescope. As the planet approaches inferior conjunction it shows an ever more crescent appearance to our earthbound vantage point. During the last days of visibility it will be a razor thin crescent, worth the effort to look.

A Thin Moon and Venus

A very thin crescent Moon will join Venus low in the evening sky tonight. The Moon will be a mere 4.3% illuminated. Both will be about 20% above the setting Sun and about 6%deg; apart. As Venus approaches inferior conjunction and transit, it too will be a thin crescent, about 6.5% illuminated. You will need a telescope to see the phase of Venus, but the beautiful pairing can be appreciated with the eye alone.

Venus Transit

This is your last chance this lifetime to witness a Venus transit! On June 5th the Earth, Venus and the Sun will line up correctly so that earthbound observers will see Venus cross the disk of the Sun.

Mercury Transit
Mercury transiting the face of the Sun, 6 Nov 2006
Venus transits are relatively rare events, that occur in pairs1, with the paired events separated by eight years. Each pair is separated from the next pair in a predictable pattern, alternating 105.5 or 120.5 year gaps. The first transit of the current pair was in June 2004, with the 2012 event completing the pair. The next pair of events will begin in December 2117. Given the century long separation between events Venus transits have only occurred seven times since the invention of the telescope (1631, 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874, 1882 and 2004)2.

To witness this event you only need to be on the daylight side of our planet when it occurs. The 2012 event favors the Pacific, Australia, Japan and eastern Asia.

For Hawai’i the event will begin at about 12:10pm with the Sun high in the sky, mid-point will be about 3:26pm and will end about 6:44pm, just before sunset. These times are only approximate, exact times will depend on the observer’s location and can vary by several minutes across the islands.

As always the single best source on the web (or anywhere) for eclipse and transit information is Fred Espenak’s eclipse website at NASA. Stop by whenever you have a question on upcoming events as well as viewing and photography tips.

Keck Observatory will be making an extra effort for this transit as Mauna Kea is perfectly positioned to observe the event. We will be webcasting the transit from a small telescope located at the summit. The webcast can be seen on your computer, or come over to our headquaters in Waimea to see the webcast and a live view in a solar telescope if the weather cooperates. there will be extra staff on hand to answer your questions.

Stay tuned to DarkerView for further details as the transit draws near.

1) Transit of Venus, Wikipedia Article, retrieved 8 Feb 2009

2) 2004 and 2012 Transits of Venus, Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC, NASA Eclipse Website, retrieved 8 Feb 2009

The Moon and Jupiter

This evening will see a razor thin Moon just above the planet Jupiter, low in the sunset. The planet will be about 5° below a 3% illuminated Moon. The Moon itself will be only 19° from the Sun at sunset, about 18:42HST. It should be a dramatic scene with the pair immersed in the colors of sunset.

Mercury and Uranus

Mercury and Uranus will meet up in the dawn over the next few days. The pair is separated by about 3° this morning. Tomorrow morning the separation will have diminished to about 2°19′. Close approach will be on the morning of April 22nd at almost exactly 2&deg. On the 23rd the separation will have increased to 2°14′. Both planets will be well up, about 17° elevation at sunrise.

While Mercury is easy to pick out with the unaided eye. Uranus will require at least a pair of binoculars to see at 5.9 magnitude. The close approach will aid in finding the outer planet. Check your charts, there are a couple 6th magnitude stars just as close to Mercury to confuse for the dimmer planet.

A Thin Moon and Mercury

Tomorrow morning a thin Moon will join Mercury in the dawn. The 6.5% illuminated moon will be a bit over 6.5° from the planet. The pair will be over 15° above the horizon at sunrise. The planet Uranus is only 4.5° from Mercury, but at magnitude 5.9 it will be difficult to spot, even with a telescope, in the bright dawn.

The Moon, Venus and Jupiter

While Jupiter and Venus are now drawing apart after their rendezvous a few days ago one more pretty dance will liven the evening sky. With the two only 10° apart a crescent Moon will slide between them. The 11% illuminated Moon will make a nice match for the two brilliant planets, creating a lovely trio in the evening sky.

Tomorrow night the Moon will have moved to the other side of Venus, still quite close at about 4° separation, creating another pretty view.