2012 Events

Transit of Venus - 2012 June 5

Venus Transit videos from NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory - http://venustransit.gsfc.nasa.gov/

This is a rare astronomical event, when Venus passes directly between Earth and the Sun. Past transits of Venus helped astronomers determine the size of our Solar System, and explorers literally risked their lives and fortunes to observe one (see Prof. Richard Pogge—Astronomy 161, Ohio State University: An Introduction to Solar System Astronomy, Lecture 26). In modern times, determining the size of the Solar Systems is still an essential stepping stone to determining distances to objects in the farthest reaches of cosmos. See the video from the Royal Observatory "Measuring the Universe: from the transit of Venus to the edge of the cosmos." See also Science at NASA 4 minute video about the transit at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nXv9YvkNyA

Although the last transit of Venus was in 2004, it happened in the middle of the night for the West Coast, so it was impossible to observe directly without traveling. This time, the transit is visible from the Bay area, starting a bit after 3 p.m. PDT and going until sunset. Even though the last one was only eight years ago, the next one will not be until 2117. It will be your last chance to see it for over 100 years! Find out more about the Transit of Venus by visiting TransitofVenus.org or http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/transit/venus0412.html.

Transit begins: 3:06 pm. Mid-transit: 6:25 pm. . Sunset: 8:29 pm.

By the way, there will be a partial lunar eclipse early on the morning of Monday, June 4, from 3:00 AM until 5:07 AM, with the peak at 4:03 AM. The moon will be in the western sky. You may see this from your backyard.

Berkeley

The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley (1 Centennial Drive) will have solar telescopes for viewing the Transit of Venus safely on their main plaza Tuesday, June 5, 2:30-8:30 p.m. Plaza observation: Free. Indoor activities after 5:00 p.m.: $5 ($4 members. This event may be challenging to see without the use of technology. Please bring your eclipse viewing glasses if you got a pair at the solar eclipse event on May 20. We will have a limited number of glasses available for sale at the Discovery Corner Toy & Book Store. There will also be solar activities developed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and astronomers who will be available to answer many of your transit questions. There will be a few showings of the Planetarium show Transit of Venus where you can learn why transits are so rare, how they helped define the size of our Solar System, and how they’re helping astronomers find other “Earths” around other stars! The Hall normally closes at 5pm, but for the time of the transit, The Hall will be open until 8 pm. See: http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/visit/events/transit_of_venus

Colfax

Astronomers will be setting up telescopes to provide free, safe viewing to the public, 3-9pm, at the American River Canyon Overlook, also known as the Auburn Dam Overlook and the Auburn Skatepark. We will be providing safe instruments with which to view this event -- if you arrive between 3:30 PM and 8:00 PM you will see the black dot of Venus against the face of the sun. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the year 2117. To get to the Overlook, go to downtown Auburn, to the historic Courthouse. One of the roads branching from there is Auburn-Folsom Rd. Take that to the third stoplight (about 0.8 mile). This is Pacific Ave. Turn left at this stoplight and go about 0.6 miles to the American River Overlook, which is on your right. We are at the far end of the parking lot. You can find information about all of these astronomy activities, and the 2012 schedule of future astronomy events, at http://www.thecomethunter.com.

Cupertino

The staff at Orion Telescopes and Binoculars will have a couple of solar telescopes set up outside their store at 10555 S De Anza Blvd Cupertino, CA to watch the Transit of Venus.

Fremont Peak / San Juan Bautista

The Fremont Peak Observatory Association will conduct a program for the transit of Venus from about 2:30 PM to sunset at the observatory which is located in Fremont Peak State Park (6878 San Juan County Road, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045). You can obtain detailed directions to the Observatory from Google using this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/7pov2fu Members of the public must be sure to pay the park entry fee before walking up to the observatory. You’ll be able to view the eclipse through special solar telescopes. They will also be handing out a limited number of approved solar viewers for direct observation of the Sun. The transit begins at 3:06 PM.

Half Moon Bay

Cameron’s Campground, Inn, and Restaurant (1410 Cabrillo Highway South Half Moon Bay, 1.3 miles South of Hwy. 92) is hosting an afternoon of astronomy viewing 3pm to 7pm, June 5. Host is Steve White (650-726-5705; cameronsinn@comcast.net) of Scope City, San Francisco, who will have a special telescope that can show solar flares and prominences. Cost: Free. Technical information contact for reporters; Steve White, ph# 415-421-8800. Email astrostevewhite@gmail.com

Lafayette

Join the Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the June 5th viewing of Venus transit of the Sun. You will be able to safely see Venus cross the face of the sun. The transit starts at 3:00 PM and ends at sunset about 8:30PM. Mt Diablo Astronomical will have safe solar telescopes available for viewing. We will be setting up at Lafayette Library, 3491 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549. Check our web site www.mdas.net

Los Altos

Peninsula Astronomical Society is hosting a Venus transit event June 5, 3:30 PM - 7:00 PM at Foothill College Observatory, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA. Information: http://www.pastro.org/dnn/Observatory/FoothillObservatory.aspx and http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Event_ID=37166

Mountain View

Transit of Venus event on June 5th at the NASA Ames Exploration Center (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/exploration.html) is from 1:30pm – Sunset, around 8:00pm--the transit begins about 3:15pm, but Solar Observing and opportunities to learn more about the sun (sun spots, how a solar filter works, etc.) starts at 1:30. 2:00 pm there will be a speaker from the Kepler mission (http://kepler.nasa.gov or http://www.nasa.gov/kepler ). 2:30 – 4:30: Hands-On activities. Also 2:45 – Sunset: Live stream from Mauna Kea, hosted by Kepler with prerecorded and live interviews with scientists.

Mt. Diablo

Join Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the June 5th viewing of Venus transit of the Sun. You will be able to safely see Venus cross the face of the sun. The transit starts at 3:00 PM and ends at sunset about 8:30PM. Mt Diablo Astronomical will have safe solar telescopes available for viewing. We will be setting up at Juniper Campground parking area of Mt Diablo State Park. Although there is no fee for this program there is a $10 park entrance fee. Check our web site http://www.mdas.net, or call the park.

Oakland

From 2:00 - 10:00 pm on Tuesday, June 5, Chabot Space & Science Center at 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, will have hands-on activities, live broadcasts from NASA, floor demonstrations and of course viewing through our special solar scopes and sun spotters. Activities are free with General Admission. Call (510) 336-7373 to purchase tickets. http://www.chabotspace.org/calendar.htm?date=6-5-2012&p=1439355

Petaluma

Transit of Venus viewing Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 4:30 PM until about 7:00.Cost: Free! Location: Behind PRBO (Pointe Reyes Bird Observatory in Petaluma) at 3820 Cypress Drive, Petaluma, Ca. Parking: Please park on Cypress Drive and walk in 100 yds. or so. The building is leased to many small businesses and they would not be happy about Venus Transit seekers occupying their parking spots. Co-sponsored by: Sonoma County Astronomical Society (SCAS), Robert Ferguson Observatory (RFO), and The Petaluma Museum

Pleasanton

Join Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society for the June 5th viewing of Venus transit of the Sun. The transit starts at 3:00 PM and ends at sunset about 8:30PM. Mt Diablo Astronomical will have safe solar telescopes available for viewing. We will be setting up at East Bay Parks Shadow Cliffs, 500 Stanley Boulevard, Pleasanton, CA 94566. Although there is no fee for this program there is a $6 park entrance fee. Check our web site www.mdas.net

San Francisco

Weather permitting, San Francisco Amateur Astronomers plan to be at Ocean Beach on the boardwalk, across from the Beach Chalet. There will be a 6" reflector with a sun filter for safe viewing.

Exploratorium will be streaming the transit of Venus live online. Complete info and embed code for live player is available on our website, The Rarest Eclipse: The Transit of Venus http://www.exploratorium.edu/venus

San Mateo

College of San Mateo Observatory will be a Transit of Venus observing site on June 5th, from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. The observatory is on the 4th floor of Building 36, where our planetarium is located. Just take the elevator to the 4th floor. Free parking will be in the adjacent Marie Curie lot. No charge for parking. We will have a full aperture, white light equipped scope, as well as several hydrogen-alpha (Ha) equipped solar scopes. In addition, you will be able to link to our live webcam during the transit. For further details, go to: http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/observatory.asp

San Jose

The San Jose Astronomical Association will have Transit of Venus viewing on Tuesday June 5 from 2:30 to at least 6:00 pm near the intersection of Twilight and Rupert Drives in San Jose, CA. After reaching the intersection, go about 150 feet north. Turn right into the driveway immediately north of the tennis court fence. See Google-supported routing at <http://www.sjaa.net/directions.shtml>. Please car-pool if practical, as parking is somewhat limited. After 1 pm, a short weather message will be available at 408-559-1221. There will be SJAA members with solar gear ready to observe and measure the transit of our second planet from the Sun, Venus. There will be filtered binoculars, project boxes affixed to telescopes, white light filters and H-alpha filtered scopes. Someone might even bring some eclipse glasses. GPS: 37.2575, -121.9423

Santa Rosa area

Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Robert Ferguson Observatory. 2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood, CA, The Robert Ferguson Observatory will be offering free opportunities to view the transit of Venus. Scopes will be prepared with special filters for safety and protection. Solar Viewing glasses will be available for sale at the gift counter. State Park Use Fee ($8.00) per vehicle entering the park. Handicapped parking is available at the observatory entrance, and wheel chair access is also available. Mostly viewable locally, this is the last chance of our lifetimes to view this phenomenon as Venus passes in front of the sun's disk. WARNING: Do not view the sun by naked eye or regular scopes/binoculars! Use only approved safe filters/methods for solar viewing. Event sequence: 3:06pm Venus contacts edge of solar disk; 3:24pm Venus disk fully enters solar disk; 6:26pm Maximum penetration of solar disk. See map: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=2605+Adobe+Canyon+Road,+Kenwood,+CA

Stockton

For the general public, a number of SAS volunteers plan to set up in Oak Grove Regional Park...same location as for our monthly Astronomy in the Park public viewing sessions (http://www.stocktonastro.org/DirectionsOakGrove.html. The difference this time will be the time of day, from around 3 p.m. till sunset.

Yosemite

San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers will be at Glacier Point amphitheater with safe solar telescopes to view the Transit of Venus. https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club/club-address-view.cfm?Address_ID=4279. Also Camp Mather.

Public Viewing of the Partial Eclipse of the Sun

May 20, 2012

In the San Francisco Bay Area

Compiled by Andrew Fraknoi (Foothill College & Astronomical Society of the Pacific)

For eclipse information, see: http://www.astrosociety.org/2012eclipse

Albany

Viewing of the partial solar eclipse with at least one solar-filtered scope between about 6 and 7 p.m. at the rear of the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany.

Berkeley

The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley (1 Centennial Drive) will have several solar telescopes for viewing the eclipse safely on their main plaza. There will also be special programming inside the Hall’s Planetarium throughout the evening. The program goes from 5 to 8 pm. See: http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/visit/events/partial_solar_eclipse

Half Moon Bay

Cameron’s Campground, Inn, and Restaurant (1410 Cabrillo Highway South Half Moon Bay, 1.3 miles South of Hwy. 92) is hosting an afternoon of astronomy viewing. Host is Steve White of Scope City, San Francisco, who will have a special telescope that can show solar flares and prominences.

Los Altos

Foothill College Observatory (12345 El Monte Rd.) will be open, with telescopes in and outside the dome, from 5:30 pm to about 7:30 pm. Join the members of the Peninsula Astronomical Society for free eclipse observing and explanations. For a map and webcam, see: http://www.pastro.org/dnn/Observatory/FoothillObservatory.aspx

Mt. Diablo

The Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society will have safe solar telescopes available for viewing on Mt. Diablo (Park in the Lower Summit Parking Lot, Summit Rd, Clayton, CA 94517). Starting at 5 pm until 7:30 pm, they will be setting up at Juniper Campground parking area. Although there is no fee for this program, there is a $10 park entrance fee. For more more information visit http://www.mdas.net or email us at outreachinfo@mdas.net .

Mount Hamilton

Lick Observatory, 7281 Mount Hamilton Road, Mount Hamilton, CA 95140 (18 miles east of San Jose on State Route 130) will be providing access to a solar telescope (SolarMax II) for safe, up-close viewing, and the gift shop will also have eclipse viewing glasses available for purchase for a nominal charge.

Oakland

Chabot Space and Science Center (10000 Skyline Blvd) will have an eclipse viewing party on the observatory deck. Engage in hands-on solar projects, make a pin-hole camera, enjoy solar viewing, and converse with experienced astronomers. The Center will close at 5 pm, but there will be special extended hours on the observatory deck until 8pm! Buy tickets online http://www.chabotspace.org/triple-play.htm or call (510)336-7373.

Pleasant Hill

Diablo Valley College Observatory (321 Golf Club Road) will have one or more telescopes available from about 5 pm until the Sun goes behind the trees. The best access is from Viking Drive with free parking in lots 4 and 4a. A campus map can be obtained at: http://www.dvc.edu/org/campuses/ The observatory is the circular building in the middle of Science Center. The planetarium will not be open. The observatory has a WHITE dome and can be accessed following the path on the west side of the Life Sciences Building and then the spiral path to the left. NO stairs are required, but it is a fairly steep climb on a paved path.

Sacramento

The Discovery Museum Science & Space Center (3615 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento 95821) will have an eclipse party, 5:30 - 7:30 pm. The evening includes a program explaining eclipses and safe viewing techniques (each participant will receive a special eclipse viewer). During the actual eclipse, families are invited to enjoy their own picnic dinners in our nature area. Then there will be a planetarium show featuring the planets and constellations visible as darkness falls. You may register at the Museum or over the phone by calling 916-808-3942.

San Carlos

San Carlos Library (610 Elm St.) will have a solar eclipse event from 4 - 7 pm. Indoor and outdoor activities, telescopes, eclipse and lunar-phase models. Call 650 591-0341.

San Francisco

The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park (55 Music Concourse Dr.) will be setting up some telescopes and other viewing apparatus from 5 to 7:40 pm in front of the Academy on the Music Concourse side, where the angles should allow participants to see most, if not all, of the eclipse.

Two members of the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers will set up telescopes for public eclipse viewing at Sunset Reservoir Park, on the path above 28th Avenue and Ortega Street, from 5:15 - 7:30pm, weather permitting.

San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will have special telescopes with safe solar filters at San Francisco’s Marina Green, between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Sunday, May 20th, along with the Exploratorium. The peak eclipse will be at 6:28 pm. There is no charge for this event. Bring friends and family and enjoy!

San Jose

The San Jose Astronomical Association will have eclipse viewing from 5:00 to 7:40 pm near the intersection of Twilight and Rupert Drives in San Jose, CA. After reaching the intersection, go about 150 feet north. Turn right into the driveway immediately north of the tennis court fence. See Google-supported routing at: http://www.sjaa.net/directions.shtml. Please car-pool if practical, as parking is somewhat limited. After 1 pm, a short weather message will be available at 408-559-1221. GPS: 37.2575,-121.9423

San Juan Batista

The Fremont Peak Observatory Association will conduct a special solar program from 5 pm to sunset at the observatory which is located in Fremont Peak State Park (6878 San Juan County Road, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045). You can obtain detailed directions to the Observatory from Google using this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/7pov2fu Members of the public must be sure to pay the park entry fee before walking up to the observatory. You’ll be able to view the eclipse through special solar telescopes. They will also be handing out a limited number of approved solar viewers for direct observation of the Sun.

Stockton

Stockton Astronomical Society members are planning to set up telescopes for solar viewing for the annular eclipse on Sunday May 20 starting around 5 PM. Volunteers welcome...the more the merrier. Location is the waterfront promenade on the south side of the channel on West Weber, between Center Street and the Warehouse. There is ample curbside parking along W. Weber and at the Warehouse. Maximum eclipse will be about 6:33 P.M.