Rob, I beg to differ. The science is being done where people with a talent and a passion are collecting and sharing data and putting in the effort. (That would be you.) I doubt Cindy Foote is a Ph.D astronomer, but she sure as heck contributes extremely valuable research to the science of Astronomy, ditto for Patrick Wiggins. That's the beauty and the frustration of discovery and science. Sometimes it happens when you least expect it, and we never know enough. I have had the pleasure of knowing a few "big-name" researchers in my life, and most of them say that they "got lucky, and had a great team". Without those factors, they say they would not have gotten to where they were. So... you are part of the team, and that makes you a critical part of the science, even if you are not pushing the "go" button. Jo Quoting Rob Ratkowski <ratkwski@gmail.com>:

Jo

I am a photographer, the science is being done at an upper site, I am below at the old Baker-Nunn site. I am using 2 white light scopes (ES152,C14) and 2 Ha scopes ( Lunt 152 Ha,Coronado 60 DS) and then documenting the event. We'll have 100-125 on site where normally we have 5. I have been coordinating places,equipment,support for this transit and I still have more folks coming in wanting mounts HA!!, scopes,filters, cords, laptops. I am tapped out as UH does not have much free gear to use.

Aloha Rob

Sent from Rob's iPad

On Jun 1, 2012, at 8:00 AM, Josephine Grahn <bsi@xmission.com> wrote:

...

Hi Rob,

That's fantastic, I did not know you were part of Widemann's group. I am excited to hear what the results of the experiments are. (Perhaps a nice Science mag article, with you as one of the authors?)

Glad you were able to find a sheltered area, and really appreciate the amount of effort that has to go into getting ready for such an important "one-shot" chance at gathering critical data.

Jo

Quoting Rob Ratkowski <ratkwski@gmail.com>:

...

Hi Jo

We began the deployment of the coronagraph yesterday. We assembled the Paramount, got it operating and tonight do the 1st polar align. We also mounted the coronagraph and 4 tele lenses and that too will be aligned tonight and tomorrow. Tests will be simulated Sunday and Monday?? To verify tracking. We have had winds in the 30-35mph range now for 3+ weeks. I found a nice sheltered area behind one of our summit buildings with a full view of the transit though C1 and C2 offer the most science.

Thomas Widemann is a great guy, we had fun a few weeks ago. He then flew to Mauna Kea/CFHT to deliver a coronagraph to Christian Viellet going to the Marquesas. I then get an email from my friend Hong My inTahiti stating she has been w/ Christian and our friend Philipe will accompany Christian. Thomas is off to Norway, burrrrr.

Aloha Rob

I will post photos from 2 South Pacific trips and the transit when this is all finished. Whew!!

Sent from Rob's iPad

On Jun 1, 2012, at 7:30 AM, Josephine Grahn <bsi@xmission.com> wrote:

...

Science had a nice article in the May 11 magazine. If you have access to them, or a subscription. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6082/660.short The part that addresses your question is:

"In 2004, scientists observed the transit in white light, he says. This time, Widemann and colleagues will have nine portable 10-centimeter telescopes at sites including Japan, China, Australia, and Hawaii?some of the best places to view the entire transit (http://venustex.oca.eu). Each telescope will observe the transit through a variety of color filters."

If you have no access, contact me offlist, and I will send you the article offlist, I just don't want to publish the entire thing.

Jo

Quoting Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com>:

...

I'm guessing that a Venus transit from the close vantage point of earth would produce a brightness drop somewhat similar to a giant exo-planet orbiting it's star very closely, as seen from here.

If we could record the transit from the edge of the solar system, it might be useful for comparisons, but we are too close to Venus for it to be similar to an exo-planet situation. It subtends too large an angle.

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 9:01 AM, Rodger C. Fry <rcfry@comcast.net> wrote:

...

All,

I was wondering if anyone has heard of any university or observatory that have research planned around the transit of Venus. It seems to me that it would be a great time for a comparative study of the change in light curve of the Sun at the Venus transit and compare this with Earth-like exo-planet transits. Also, I think it would be a good time to do spectroscopic studies of Venus' atmosphere with the sun behind it with today's technology. Has anyone heard of this being done?

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