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Space News: The 2012 Transit of Venus
On Tuesday, June 5, 2012, Venus will pass across the face of the sun, producing a silhouette that no one alive today will likely see again.
Transits of Venus are very rare, coming in pairs separated by more than 100 years.
This June's transit, the bookend of a 2004-2012 pair, won't be repeated until the year 2117. Fortunately, the event is widely visible. Observers on seven continents, even a sliver of Antarctica, will be in position to see it.
The nearly seven-hour transit begins at 3:09 pm Pacific Daylight Time (22:09 UT) on June 5. The timing favors observers in the mid-Pacific where the sun is high overhead during the crossing.
In the USA, the transit will at its best around sunset. That's good, too. Creative photographers will have a field day imaging the swollen red sun "punctured" by the circular disk of Venus.
Observing tip: Do not stare at the sun. Venus covers too little of the solar disk to block the blinding glare. Instead, use some type of projection technique or a solar filter. A No. 14 welder's glass is a good choice. Many astronomy clubs will have solar telescopes set up to observe the event; contact your local club for details.
Transits of Venus first gained worldwide attention in the 18th century. In those days, the size of the solar system was one of the biggest mysteries of science.
The relative spacing of planets was known, but not their absolute distances. How many miles would you have to travel to reach another world? The answer was as mysterious then as the nature of dark energy is now.
Venus was the key, according to astronomer Sir Edmund Halley. He realized that by observing transits from widely-spaced locations on Earth it should be possible to triangulate the distance to Venus using the principles of parallax.
The idea galvanized scientists who set off on expeditions around the world to view a pair of transits in the 1760s.
The great explorer James Cook himself was dispatched to observe one from Tahiti, a place as alien to 18th-century Europeans as the Moon or Mars might seem to us now. Some historians have called the international effort the "the Apollo program of the 18th century."
In retrospect, the experiment falls into the category of things that sound better than they actually are. Bad weather, primitive optics, and the natural "fuzziness" of Venus’s atmosphere prevented those early observers from gathering the data they needed.
Proper timing of a transit would have to wait for the invention of photography in the century after Cook’s voyage. In the late 1800s, astronomers armed with cameras finally measured the size of the Solar System as Edmund Halley had suggested.
This year’s transit is the second of an eight-year pair. Anticipation was high in June 2004 as Venus approached the sun. No one alive at the time had seen a Transit of Venus with their own eyes, and the hand-drawn sketches and grainy photos of previous centuries scarcely prepared them for what was about to happen.
Modern solar telescopes captured unprecedented view of Venus’ atmosphere backlit by solar fire. They saw Venus transiting the sun’s ghostly corona, and gliding past magnetic filaments big enough to swallow the planet whole. One photographer even caught a spaceship, the International Space Station, transiting the sun alongside Venus.
This year should be even better as cameras and solar telescopes have improved. Moreover, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is going to be watching too. SDO will produce Hubble-quality images of this rare event.
For more news and information as the date of transit approaches, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Firefighters battle early morning structure fire
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters were called to a structure fire in Clearlake Oaks early Saturday morning.
The fire was first dispatched shortly after 2:30 a.m. in the 12000 block of The Plaza, according to radio reports.
Firefighters arriving at the scene reported finding a mobile home on fire.
The fire was located in the rear of the home, radio reports indicated.
The fire was reported contained at approximately 3:19 a.m.
The cause of the fire and details about the resources on scene were not immediately available early Saturday morning.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
AMIA gets grant to help keep Anderson Marsh State Historic Park open
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association has received a $5,450 grant from the California State Parks Foundation to aid the association's efforts to prevent the closure of Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
The grant is part of CSPF’s Park Operations Challenge Grant Program.
“We are pleased to announce these grants as part of our integrated effort to help keep threatened parks open,” said CSPF President Elizabeth Goldstein. “The grantees that have come forward to assist parks need our help now, and more organizations will have similar needs in the future.”
“This is an example of the value of public-private partnerships,” said California Department of Parks and Recreation Director Ruth Coleman. “We thank CSPF for mobilizing donors and resources to assist our nonprofit partners to get through this budget crisis.”
“We look forward to the moment when the ink dries on the deals between these nonprofits and the state,” said Goldstein. “They are very much in the process at the moment, and we think these grant announcements are an important milestone toward their completion.”
“The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association is grateful for this financial support,” said AMIA Treasurer Henry Bornstein. “This grant will help us to meet our fundraising goals and enable us to be ready to move ahead with confidence in negotiating an operating agreement with Department of Parks and Recreation. We appreciate everything that the California State Parks Foundation is doing to assist the nonprofits that are working to prevent park closures.”
For information about Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, AMIA and how you can help, go to www.andersonmarsh.org or contact AMIA at either
Mendocino College Foundation announces 'Gala on the Green' details
UKIAH, Calif. – This year’s “Gala on the Green,” Mendocino College Foundation’s annual fundraiser to benefit Mendocino College students and programs, will take place Saturday, June 23, at Campovida, 13601 Old River Road, Hopland.
The dinner will feature DK Catering and fine wines provided by Destination Hopland wineries.
The annual fundraiser includes appetizers and wine pairings, dinner, live and silent auctions, music by the George Husaruk Jazz Trio and dancing.
The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be preceded by optional activities including an informational talk by Hubert Germain-Robin of Germain-Robin Distillery and a tour of the Campovida gardens between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
“This year’s line up of food pairings and fine wines prior to dinner, and the dinner itself, will not disappoint,” said Richard Cooper, foundation board member and chair of the Special Events Committee. “The entertainment also promises to be outstanding, and we look forward to having fantastic offerings in the live and silent auctions. Guests should also plan to arrive early to see Campovida’s gardens prior to the event. The garden tour is a real treat.”
Tickets for the event are $100 per person. Tables, with seating for eight people each, may be reserved for $700.
More than half the tables have sold, according to Katie Fairbairn, the foundation’s executive director; individuals wishing to attend should purchase their tickets soon, she said.
Additional information about tickets and table reservations is available on the foundation’s Web site, http://foundation.mendocino.edu .
Proceeds from the event are used to fund scholarships for students and provide support for college programs as recommended by the administrators.
Last year’s Gala on the Green raised more than $60,000 for scholarships and educational programs.
Expanding the “footprint” of the event by utilizing more of the Campovida grounds, the foundation’s Special Events Committee is planning for 400 guests this year for the largest gala ever.
“The Foundation is proud to be able to grow this event annually to help build awareness and raise funds to benefit the students of Mendocino College,” said Cooper.
DK Catering will prepare this year’s dinner. Event coordinator Travis Scott worked with the catering company’s husband and wife team, Dave and Patricia Huerls, to create “a wonderful menu of family-style dishes for the main dinner.” DK Catering also will produce four appetizer reception stations, Scott said.
The meal will consist of a Caesar salad, grilled chicken penne pasta with roasted mushrooms, red onions, sweet peppers and Chardonnay cream, plus Tuscan ravioli with tomatoes, herbs, Parmesan and light cream served with bread and butter. Dessert will be the chef’s choice.
The gala’s welcome reception is an added feature this year, according to the Mendocino County event planner and tour coordinator.
Eight wineries from Destination Hopland are scheduled to pour varietals during the wine and appetizers reception.
Participating wineries include Weibel, Parducci, Nelson Family Vineyards, Campovida, Cesar Toxqui, and Terra Savia, according to Scott.
Mendocino and Lake County food purveyors, including Stan’s Maple Café and Nicholas Petti of Mendocino College’s Culinary Arts Program, will join DK Catering in providing the appetizers.
Foundation board member and Mendocino Sheriff Tom Allman is tapped as the master of ceremonies for the evening’s presentations and live auction.
Several sponsors are lending their support to the foundation to present the Gala on the Green. Campovida LLC is a “Presenting Sponsor” for the event. Use of Campovida, the setting for the annual event the last four years, is provided by owners Gary Breen and Anna Beuselinck.
Additional sponsors for this year’s event are Mendo Lake Credit Union, the Skunk Train, TLCD Architecture, Richard Cooper, SHN Consulting and Gary Smith.
Wells Fargo Advisors has offered to sponsor the appetizers for the event while the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College is sponsoring the Gala’s Dessert Bar.
Midstate Construction is the sponsor for the martini bar. Kit Elliott and George Husaruk have once again signed up to sponsor the live music, which is provided by Husaruk and his band.
Most recently, Ukiah Valley Medical Center, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Wright Contracting, Jared Huffman for Congress, Gary Nix, and State Farm Insurance agents Jay and Lisa Epstein signed up as sponsors, Cooper reported. Also, Tri County Certified Inspections has donated its inspection services.
For more information about the annual Gala on the Green or about the Mendocino College Foundation, call the foundation office at 707-467-1018 visit the foundation’s Web site, http://foundation.mendocino.edu .
