The Transit of Venus occured on June 8th 2004. These transits are RARE! No living human being had seen the previous one (in 1882). Venus was seen as a black spot crossing the face of the Sun for several hours on that day.
Patricia Carroll projected the solar image (left) in Dublin. She used a 20cm reflector. Imaged with a digital camera.
James O'Connor, observed it from Dublin. He sketched (centre) it from a projected image from a 15cm reflector. It was then almost at 3rd Contact (leading edge of Venus nearly leaving the Sun). Partly cloudly and breaks with cirrus cloud.
John O'Neill observed it from Greek island of Crete where conditions were a mixture of blue sky and passing cloud. In the image (right) Venus is the black dot at the five o'clock position. Telephoto Lens working at a focal-length 420mm. Kodak Elite Chrome 100. 1/250 second exposure. Thousand Oaks Solar Filter. 07.14 UT.
Members observing the Transit from Sandymount, Dublin
(photo Patricia Carroll), and Liam Smyth readies his camera at the same site (photo
Deirdre Kelleghan).
We are already over half way to next one - on 5th/6th June 2012!. However, only the very end of the transit at sunrise will be visible (very low on the horizon).
Read about the 1882 event.
Mercury passing in front of the Sun. Photographed with a 20cm Schmitt-Cassgrain (Celestron 8) full aperture with Tuthill's Solarscreen, intermittent cloud (which shows) Scanned from a print. About 08.00 UT on May 7th 2003. Taken by Liam Smyth.
The 2006 transit was not visible from Ireland, but he following one of 9th May 2016 will be.