RASC eNews

The 2012 June 5-6 transit of Venus (ToV) is over, and there won't be another one till 2117! Many RASC members successfully viewed the ToV here and abroad, and the RASC ToV team would like your help in constructing a record of our ToV experiences from across the country and beyond. Send us your images and stories, and we'll share them with the rest of Canada and the world on a dedicated rasc.ca page. Even if you were clouded out, but have stories (and images of cursing astronomers) we'd like to hear (and see) them.

The Great 2012 Venus Transit

Well that magical moment is almost upon us. The anticipation of witnessing the planet Venus crossing the face of the Sun has been the buzz in the astronomical community for the past few months. It was eight short years ago on the morning of June 8, 2004 that the Sun rose in the north east, sporting a huge black spot. From Ottawa, the transit was past the halfway point with Venus ready to exit an hour later.

The Canada Wide Science Fair was just held in Charlottetown, PEI. The event was spread out from the arrival date of May 12, 2012 to the departure date of May 19, 2012 and had over 500 participants. The RASC "Award for Excellence in Astronomy"  for a Junior went to Patrick Fraser [13]  of Avon Maitland-Huron Perth, Ontario on "The Confinable Cosmos".

The RASC's transit of Venus website now features the web premier of a piece of new/old transit of Venus (ToV) music. Ever wondered where all the 17th-18th century ToV themed music is? There's some evidence that it might have been part of the casual improvisatory musical culture of the time. Wonder what that would sound like? The RASC Archivist has created an example based on the bass pattern of a dance from John Blow's Venus and Adonis (1683).