2004 Transit of Venus - Pittsburgh

Public Observing Session of
Transit of Venus
Across Image of Sun

Pittsburgh - 2004 June 8

Image of Venus Transiting Sun, as seen from Pittsburgh 2004 June 8 Transit of Venus image, projected on a white card

Photographs of the Transit of Venus across the solar disk, taken on the Observation Deck of The Duquesne Incline in the Mt. Washington/Duquesne Heights section of Pittsburgh on 2004 June 8. The first photograph (photograph on the left, on some browsers) was taken by Eugene Fink of Carnegie Mellon University. The second photograph (photograph on the right, on some browsers), taken by Francis G. Graham of Kent State University, shows the image of Venus transiting the Sun as projected onto a white card. Most members of the public viewed the transit event from a projected image.

(Click on an image, to see an enlarged view of the photograph.)

PittsburghFree.Net Authored By Glenn A. Walsh
Sponsored By Friends of the Zeiss

This Internet Web Page: < http://venustransit.pghfree.net >
Internet Web Cover Page: < http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail: < venustransit@planetarium.cc >

Internet Web Site Master Index for the History of
The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, Pittsburgh


Friends of the Zeiss and the Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline teamed-up to provide residents of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the only public viewing, with telescopes, of the rare Transit of the Planet Venus across the image of the Sun just after sunrise on Tuesday Morning, 2004 June 8.

The public observing session took place between sunrise in Pittsburgh (5:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time) and 7:26 a.m. EDST, on the Upper Station Observation Deck of The Duquesne Incline. Four members of Friends of the Zeiss staffed telescopes (including an 8-inch reflector telescope and a 16-centimeter refractor telescope) or binoculars to show the public this historic event, which had not occurred since 1882 December 6:

* Francis G. Graham, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Kent State University, and founder of the American Lunar Society. He is also Director of the Christine Alley Observatory, a private observatory in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Professor Graham operated his 16-centimeter (objective lens of approximately 6.5 inches aperture) f/15 refractor telescope, which is normally stationed at the Christine Alley Observatory (using projection method of display of image).

* Eric G. Canali, former Floor Manager, Buhl Planetarium: operated his 20 x 80 (20 power with 80 mm objective lenses) Celestron binoculars (using projection method of display of image).

* John D. Weinhold, former Astronomical Observatory Volunteer, Buhl Planetarium: operated his Meade ETX-125 4-inch reflector telescope [direct viewing through telescope using safe high neutral density, solar filter covering the objective lens--an entrance filter (Special Note: exit filters, at eyepiece end of telescope, are NEVER safe for any type of solar observing, including solar eclipses!)].

* Glenn A. Walsh, former Astronomical Observatory Cooordinator and Planetarium Lecturer, Buhl Planetarium: operated Professor Graham's Celestron 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain 8-inch reflector telescope (using projection method of display of image).

Photographs of this event, which can be seen on this web site, were provided by Eugene Fink, a Systems Scientist in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and Professor Graham. (Web pages with additional photographs taken at this event, currently under construction.)

There was a good turnout of members of the public (about 50 or so, over the course of the one and one-half hour event) for this event, considering the early hour of the morning when it occurred. Newspaper coverage of the event was quite good, including a cover story in Pittsburgh's new afternoon tabloid newspaper, Pittsburgh Trib p.m.. Here are links to the news coverage of this event:

From The Pitt News, Official Student Newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh - 2004 June 9:
Transit lifts eyes and spirits
By Adam Fleming, Managing Editor

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh - 2004 June 9:
Look! Up in the sky ... By Gwen Arbuckle

From the Pittsburgh Trib p.m., Pittsburgh - 2004 June 8:
Pittsburghers watch Venus cross the sun By Gwen Arbuckle
(Cover Story in Afternoon Tabloid Newspaper)

News Release - 2004 June 3:
SAFE PUBLIC VIEWING OF RARE ASTRONOMICAL EVENT WITH
8-INCH REFLECTOR TELESCOPE AT DUQUESNE INCLINE OBSERVATION DECK

For additional information about this event:

Notices and News Releases Issued *** Correspondence

Other Transit of Venus 2004 Internet Web Sites:

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

European Southern Observatory

Transit of Venus .org

Photographs of Transit of Venus as seen in Sydney, Australia
From the Sydney Morning Herald

Articles from Sky and Telescope Magazine
(forerunner magazine, The Sky, co-sponsored in early 1940s by
Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh and Hayden Planetarium in New York City):

Reanimating the 1882 Transit of Venus By Anthony Misch

Venus to "Eclipse" Sun for First Time in 122 Years

Your Guide to the Transit of Venus
By the Editors of Sky & Telescope

The Transit of Venus: Tales from the 18th and 19th Centuries
By William Sheehan

The Transit of Venus: Where to See It
By Paul Deans

Following the conclusion of the Transit of Venus across the solar disk, at 7:26 a.m. EDST, Professor Graham used the 16-cm refractor telescope to show the public the Moon, which was in the southern sky.

This Internet web site is being issued by Friends of the Zeiss, in commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the dedication and opening of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science in Pittsburgh. The fifth major planetarium in the Americas was dedicated on 1939 October 24 and opened to the public the next day. Buhl Planetarium included a Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, which, until its dismantling in 2002 October, was the oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world !

On the occassion of Buhl Planetarium's 60th anniversary, in 1999, an Internet web site was issued to provide the public with the rich history of this important part of the heritage of informal Astronomy and Science education. When first posted, this web site was sponsored by the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Friends of the Zeiss assumed sponsorship of this web site, with establishment of this friends organization in 2002.

Other Internet Web Sites of Interest

History of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, Pittsburgh -
Including the Oldest Operable, Major Planetarium Projector in the World !

History of the Astronomical Observatory of
The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, Pittsburgh

History of The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, Chicago -
America's First Major Planetarium !

History of Astronomer, Educator, and Optician John A. Brashear

History of Andrew Carnegie and Carnegie Libraries

The Duquesne Incline, Pittsburgh -
Historic Cable Car Railway Serving Commuters and Tourists since 1877 !

PittsburghFree.Net Authored By Glenn A. Walsh
Sponsored By Friends of the Zeiss

This Internet Web Page: < http://venustransit.pghfree.net >
Internet Web Cover Page: < http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail: < venustransit@planetarium.cc >

Internet Web Site Master Index for the History of
The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, Pittsburgh

Disclaimer Statement: This Internet Web Site is not affiliated with the
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory,
The Carnegie Science Center, The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Institute, or The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

This Internet, World Wide Web Site administered by Glenn A. Walsh.
Unless otherwise indicated, all pages in this web site are --
(C) Copyright 2004, Glenn A. Walsh, All Rights Reserved.
Contact Web Site Administrator: venustransit@planetarium.cc

This Internet Web Site created 2004 October 24.
Last modified: Saturday, 06-Nov-2004 20:36:17 EST.