A rare transit of Venus occurred in our skies on June 8, 2004, and astronomical observers around the world were delighted to take advantage of the views. SMAS members observed the transit from both near and far, and shared their observations after that very special day.

NOTE: NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN! IT CAN CAUSE INSTANTANEOUS AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO YOUR EYES! YOU MUST USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OBSERVING THE SUN, USING ONLY APPROVED SOLAR FILTERS.

The "near observations" took place in Charles, St. Mary's and Prince George's Counties in Southern Maryland.

Observations by Walter from the Nanjemoy Creek Observatory in Charles County:

"It was a cool morning with some thin clouds when I arrived about 5:20 AM. Pam and Jeff were already set up, patiently waiting for the sun and Venus. I set up my TeleVue Genesis, then my Tasco 60mm, the first telescope William and I ever had. Jeff created a solar binocular using the C8's solar filter. (Well, it was more stable than our cardboard filter we used on Skywalker). I moved my Tasco scope to the observatory, trying to get the first view. When the sun cleared the trees, it was so dim, I could not see anything using a filter. I removed the filter from my Tasco and was amazed how big Venus appeared on the sun, so the first view was with my first telescope."

"After removing the filters, we were all viewing the transit and hoping the sun would get brighter as the morning progressed. As the sun got higher in the sky, I moved my Tasco to the field and used eyepiece projection with great success. The clouds made the projection light orange in color, and we thought we were good for contacts three and four."

"Viewing with the solar filters was starting to look great, especially when a cloud bank rolled up and gave some very interesting views of banding moving across the sun. We decided to point the observatory scope at the sun and try some eyepiece projection, figuring a bigger scope would bring in more light. How to get the CGE1400 pointed at the sun without using the finder was the next question. Then we thought, 'Hey, it's a "go to" scope.' The only problem is that it does not have the sun in its database, but it has Venus and we knew were it was. Eyepiece projection worked great with the 32mm eyepiece; we got about one third of the sun projected."

"Moving between my two scopes and Jeff's binoculars and scope, I got some really nice views. Suddenly, another cloud rolled in and I removed the solar filter from my Genesis to reveal one of the nicest views of the sun I have ever seen. It appeared as a silvery white sphere with a very dark black Venus near the limb. The time was 7:05 AM; third contact was 7:07 AM. Would the clouds hold off? It was shades of the Jupiter triple transit all over again, when the clouds came in, then never went away. I was convinced it was only cloudy in Nanjemoy, but Pam and Jeff knew better."

"I was glad to hear that some SMAS members were able to see third and fourth contact. I was a little happier that it was cloudy in other places, and happiest that I got to see the transit at all and with good friends."

Observations by Russ, also in Charles County:

"Larry and I enjoyed the transit from about the time it was visible until about 7:25 AM, when the sun was obscured by clouds. It was rather amazing; as I pulled up, Larry was setting up and the top of the sun was just poking out of the haze. By the time I set up, the sun was out and the transit looked beautiful. We used my 120st and the Meade LPI to take a bunch of pictures."

Observations by Tom in St. Mary's County:

"I got up early and went to work. I didn't actually report to work, but to set up the Starmaster on the beach, or near the beach, to be more accurate. On base, the eastern view was over the Chesapeake Bay with no significant eastern obstruction. I started to set up at 5:45 AM next to a fellow club member who happened to work on base as well. About half the sun was visible above the low level fog over the bay."

"We continued to set up when Mike (the other guy) yelled over and said you could see Venus naked eye. My first reaction was, 'Yeah, right,' but I looked (who wouldn't?) and there was the sun, a deep red and huge on the horizon. Sure enough, there was a huge black hole in it. Holy cow! I did not expect to be able to see it naked eye (who would, with all the horror stories and grave warnings?) and I did not expect Venus to be that big. It was beautiful. It was the best view of the morning, and it was with two eyes. I had a look through my 12x36 binoculars and it was spectacular. This lasted about two to three minutes before the sun had risen enough so as to be too bright to view unfiltered."

"We finished setting up our scopes. The anticipation fostered by that naked eye view was quickly followed by the frustration of not being able to find Sol. I usually use the shadow method, but the scope was horizontal and nary a shadow could be found. I searched and searched for what seemed like an eternity for that first view. Nothin', zip, nadda. I decided to turn my Rigel on and hold my hand in front of it and get the sun in the rings. The sun was still very low and a simmering red-orange now. I got it lined up and looked through the 35 Pan eyepiece (49x1.5 degree field of view, 11" scope) and there was the sun, barely visible. I had to cup my hands around my eyes and use averted vision to see it, which seemed whacky. It was not a very good view, so we waited ten minutes or so for Sol to brighten."

"At about 6:20 AM, she was bright enough for the Starmaster, but I had to stick with the 35 Pan for a while, as the 24 Pans in the binoviewer were too dim."

"We all shared views and noted in awe how much bigger Venus was than what we were expecting. We shared stories of our loved ones coming out to look at such wonders as Andromeda, comet NEAT and any number of celestial showpieces and them commenting, "Is that it?" or "That's nice, dear." Anything less than Saturn on a perfect night at 400x does not impress my family. All we were really looking at was an orange disc with a hole in it. But the wonder and majesty of what we were looking at was not lost on any of us there that morning. Earth gets smaller every time I see something like that."

"About 6:30 AM, the sun was bright enough for the binoviewers. I put in the 24 Pans for 78x and a .84 degree field of view. Now that's clean livin'. Going from squinting with the 35 Pan to opening both eyes up to a face full of sunshine was, well, great. Ya'll know what I mean. The view was easier and the fine details on the surface just jumped out at me. Now the majesty of the whole thing took on a whole new aspect. I was now in the image rather than looking at it. We heard lots of wows from the other folks that were there for the transit."

"We watched Venus exit the solar disc. We were slightly disappointed that the tear drop effect was not as dramatic as we had built up in our mind's eye, but that didn't spoil the morning. We all yelled out at the exact moment that we thought Venus had exited the disc and all three yells happened at the same time. Then we packed up and went to work, work that was made that much more enjoyable by the memories still fresh from that wonderful morning with Sol and Venus and friends who realized the significance of that entirely insignificant event. I'm still smilin'."

Observations by Mike, also in St. Mary's County:

"My son, Nick, and I doubly concur that it was a glorious morning! What we saw was perfect; I am only regretting not coming earlier. Seeing the e-mails from around the world, at the same time, really emphasized the magnitude of what we really saw."

Observations by another Mike, also in St. Mary's County:

"I couldn't have said it better. It was a great morning. I wish more folks had showed up. I remarked at a meeting this morning that I had been up early to observe the transit of Venus. I got lots of blank stares. Oh well, they didn't know what they were missing!"

Observations by yet another Mike, in Prince George's County:

"I hauled out the ETX90 and managed to see the transit shortly before third contact and about halfway to fourth contact before duty called and I had to get ready for work. I had a nice view, though, from the back yard, considering my location. I didn't take any pictures, however, so I hope to see some from the other members."

The observations from afar took place in Luxor, Egypt. SMAS member Jim went there, so that he could view the entire transit from beginning to end, approximately six hours. Following is the BLOG entry relating his adventures.

"I traveled with a group (Astronomical Tours) to Egypt, in order to be able to view the entire Venus transit from clear skies. A side benefit was seeing some amazing Wonders of the World: the Pyramids and Sphinx, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel tombs, Nile River Cruise, etc., but this is an astronomical observing log, so you'll have to contact me privately for a more detailed travelogue."

"The transit was successfully observed in all its phases. We were all taken by the size, darkness, and perfect circularity of Venus's silhouette. I observed the famed 'black drop effect' at second and third contacts, where there appears to be a 'bridge' between Venus's profile and the sun's limb, instead of a clean separation. This was captured photographically by several folks as well (including in H-alpha!). Interestingly, the effect was NOT captured by larger aperture scopes; it seems likely that the 'black drop' is actually an illusion of daytime seeing and the more limited resolution of smaller apertures. Still, it was quite interesting, no doubt."

"Luxor, Egypt was an ideal spot to observe the transit, but there was a cost. It was brutally HOT! From our observing site on the roof of our hotel, temperatures hit 107 F in the shade, but we were NOT in the shade! In the sun, our digital thermometer gave up after reaching 132 degrees Fahrenheit. Sun block and massive quantities of bottled water were essential for the entire trip, most especially on 'Transit Day'."

"I noticed, mid-transit, that our hotel pool, five stories below, was perfectly circular. One sun-baked thought led to another, and soon I was in the pool, doing a little piece of 'performance art,' transiting the pool with a black lampshade (representing Venus) over my head. Folks in the pool thought I was nuts (guilty as charged, of course), but the observers on the roof were highly entertained. The water sure felt good...."

If you want to see an image of Jim's pool performance, go to the SMAS Home Page, click on the BLOG link, then "View/Browse Observations by Date," select the entry of 6/8/2004, then #137.

The Southern Maryland Astronomical Society (SMAS) held its annual free Astronomy Day Public Star Party on Saturday, April 24, 2004. This year’s festivities were eventful, because the skies were clear on Astronomy Day for the first time in eight years.

The festivities took place on the Village Green in Indian Head. In keeping with this year’s theme of the “All Day Star Party,” nine SMAS volunteers greeted approximately seventy guests from 9 AM to 11 PM. Most guests were surprised that they could observe astronomical bodies during the day, and were excited to see views of sunspots, solar prominences, Venus and the Moon through a variety of equipment provided by the club members. Some guests learned for the first time that they can see the Moon during the day about two weeks of every month.

In addition to daytime observing, the SMAS members also showed the guests numerous celestial objects after sunset. The biggest “Wow” responses came from those who saw Saturn and Jupiter through telescopes for the first time. Most of the guests were surprised at how much detail the planets showed through the telescopes, including the moons and bands of Jupiter and the moons and rings of Saturn. Other evening objects included the Moon, deep sky objects and constellations.

Most of the guests at Astronomy Day also attended the annual Charles County Arts Fest in the Pavilion, adjacent to the Village Green. The Arts Fest is sponsored by the Charles County Arts Alliance.

Astronomy Day Public Star Parties have been scheduled at a variety of venues over the years. SMAS previously hosted this event at the Village Green in 1995. Other sites have included the Ruth B. Swann Park in Bryans Road, the Piccowaxen Community Center near Newburg, and the Nanjemoy Creek Observatory (NCO) at the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center (NCEEC) near Nanjemoy. Last year’s Astronomy Day Public Star Party was held at NCO, highlighted by special guest speaker, John Dobson. Due to inclement weather, SMAS members gave guests “closed shutter” tours of NCO.

SMAS conducts a variety of public events throughout Southern Maryland each year. For more information, please visit the Programs section of this website.

The first half of 2004 has been busy for the many SMAS volunteers who conducted free astronomy programs throughout Southern Maryland. As part of its ongoing mission to take astronomy to the people, these volunteers visited students and adults in a variety of venues, including schools, regional parks and the Nanjemoy Creek Observatory at the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center.

One of the more memorable events was a Star Party for the fifth grade students, teachers and parents of Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Prince George’s County. The SMAS members visited the group during their overnight session at the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center, also in Prince George’s County.

The teachers were amazed at the excited reactions of the students, especially from those who were normally quiet in the classroom. The SMAS members explained that this reaction was not uncommon for first time observers, and a direct result of the “hands on” experience of seeing the night sky with their own eyes. The Star Party guests also observed a variety of celestial objects with the SMAS members’ telescopes and binoculars that were shared throughout the evening.

Here, then, is a collection of e-mails that the students sent to SMAS, as thanks for their visit. The SMAS members, in turn, were simply happy that the students enjoyed themselves so much, and perhaps learned something that will stay with them for a lifetime.

“Thank you for giving us a wonderful time looking at the stars and the planets.”

“Thank you for letting us see the stars and the wonderful planets and letting us see Mars and the Big Dipper and the Seven Sisters. I also want to say thanks for letting us see Jupiter.”

“Thank you star people for letting us look at stars and the planets up in outer space.”

“Thank you for letting us look at all the stars and the Seven Sisters, and the planets.”

“Thank you for showing us the stars and some of the planets. It was a wonderful sight. Thanks a lot.”

“Thank you for letting us see through the telescopes. I am also glad we got to see the stars with all of you. I’ve got a question to ask all of you. How come we didn't see the Little Bear? The planets were awesome.” [Some of the students did not see the Little Dipper (a.k.a. the Little Bear) that night, due to light pollution and variable clouds to the North].

“Thank you for letting me and my classmates look at the stars and the planets. I always wanted to look at the constellations. When I grow up, I'll be just like you.”