Transit of Venus at the Obs

TRANSIT OF VENUS AT SYDNEY OBSERVATORY
Sydney Observatory was the ideal place from which to witness the historic transit of Venus on 6 June 2012 (weather permitting). We were equipped with solar telescopes and solar binoculars through which it is safe to look at the Sun. Our astronomers were on hand to help visitors get the most from this ‘last chance in a lifetime’ event.

A Sydney Observatory (mostly) blue sky view of the transit of Venus

The 2012 transit was visible from Sydney when the sky was clear for most of the transit from 8.16am to 2.44pm. There were three ticketed sessions: 7:30am to 9:30am, 10am to 12.30pm, and 1pm to 3pm. There were also a small number of limited day pass tickets which included all three sessions.

There was also a video feed to share experiences of the transit from other locations, and special displays and programs to provide a rich experience even during those times when we were unable to see the transit directly due to clouds.

Transit of Venus views were provided by a variety of solar telescopes and solar binoculars; photo by Vanessa Jacob

Prices for single sessions: Adult $36, Child $28, Member adult $30, Member child $26.
Prices for all day passes: Adult $85, Member adult $80.

On arrival, visitors were given a coloured wrist band valid for their chosen session, a pair of solar viewing glasses and a souvenir observation pass. Sydney Observatory had a number of telescopes outside the main observatory equipped for safe solar viewing and projection. First, Second, Third and Fourth contact were also shown on a screen and as a projection.

A young visitor experiencing the 'Wow!' moment of clearly seeing the transit of Venus through solar specs; photo by Irma Havlicek

Visitors were asked to record their observations and were advised they may be photographed during the event as there were media on-site.

Every session included:
- Free solar viewing glasses for each person booked
- An introductory talk on the transit of Venus
- A 3D Space Theatre session
- A special speaker to deliver a 30 minute presentation relating to the transit inside the marquee. Dr Andrew Jacob, astronomy curator, provided regular updates.
- Access to a telescope to view the transit of Venus (weather dependent).
- During inclement weather periods, direct feeds from another site in Australia or off-shore were shown.
- All visitors had access to Sydney Observatory exhibitions.

More about the transit of Venus at Sydney Observatory is available through our transit of Venus blog posts.