The Transit of Venus

For the First Time in 122 years - Venus transited the Sun
and TravelQuest along with Sky & Telescope were there to see it.


	Among the great scientific undertakings of the 19th century were the long journeys made by astronomers to witness and study cosmic phenomena. The rarest of these were Venus’s two passages across the Sun’s disk in 1874 and 1882, historic events with much at stake scientifically. Armed with precise timings of Venus’s transits, astronomers were finally able to determine a fundamental quantity — the Earth-Sun distance — with unprecedented accuracy.
	On June 8, 2004, for the first time in 122 years, Venus once again crossed the Sun’s brilliant face. This long-anticipated spectacle was not visible in its entirety from the Western Hemisphere. Instead, eager skywatchers made plans to view the transit from locations in Europe, Africa, and Asia — journeying to distant lands much as their predecessors did.

	Under an exclusive arrangement with the Vatican, *Sky* *& Telescope* and TravelQuest International journeyed to the Eternal City of Rome and nearby Castel Gandolfo (home to the Pope’s summer residence and Vatican Observatory) to witness the historic transit of Venus. We took a step back in time to view this extremely rare celestial spectacle while steeped in astronomical history and surrounded by Old World charm. On the following pages, you can enjoy the trip reports by our participants, and photographs from those travelers who attended this rare event.

Press the Image (below) of Venus appearing before the Sun
for an animation of the Transit of Venus.

On Transit Day to our delight,
the Sun broke dawn with constant light.
Then Venus crossed the solar face,
an orb pitch-black in glowing lace.

The sixth time in our history,
a sight no longer mystery!
In times gone by, 'twas timed by men,
to measure space, unknown to them.

From Earth we watched in wondrous awe,
it was God's spectacle that we saw.
Faith taught us where to look, to see!
A miracle of God shall be!

Text written by Transit of Venus tour members Pastor Bob Merrill and Elder Bob Koester. First sung by the congregation of Kearsarge Community Presbyterian Church, New London, New Hampshire on June 13, 2004 to the tune PUER NOBIS NASCITUR.

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Revised: April 06, 2009.
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