The transit of Venus is all the talk at the moment. There’s a live webcast from Canberra Australia. Unfortunately, even after looking through most of the website I can’t see what software will be required for the streaming broadcast. I hope it’s Quicktime as I don’t have or want any of the other software such as Real Player or Windows Media Player. I did find the following snippets though.
As we see Venus’s dark silhouette move across the disc of the Sun we will be witnessing one of the most unique and famous events in astronomy – a transit of Venus. It will be the first transit of the planet in more than 120 years. … NEVER look directly at the Sun. …
A transit of Venus occurs when the planet Venus passes directly between the Earth and Sun. Normally Venus passes above or below the Sun when viewed from Earth. Approximately twice every 120 years all three object lineup, so that Venus appears to cross the face of the Sun. Unlike a solar eclipse, Venus only covers three percent of the Sun’s disc. There is therefore no noticeable change in light levels experienced on the Earth. …
This year’s transit of Venus will be the first since 1882. It will be best seen in Europe, Asia and most of Africa, where the transit will be seen from beginning to end – just exceeding six hours. In Australia, we will see the start of the transit, but the Sun will set before the end of the event. In New Zealand, the Sun will set before the beginning of the transit.
If you miss this transit, your next chance will be 7 June 2012. Australia and New Zealand will see all of this transit. After that, it’s a long wait until 2117 and 2125.
[Via Two Shows Nightly]
Update: the above live cam isn’t using Quicktime, but this images page and this Venus cam are working nicely.
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