Last Call if You Ever Wish to Witness the Transit of Venus!

At the most basic level, a Transit of Venus occurs when the orbit of Venus comes directly between the Earth and the Sun. Venus appears as a small dot against the backdrop of the far larger Sun as it continues its path. In duration it takes a maximum of eight hours to completely pass.

What this simple description belies however is that this is one of the rarest planetary alignments, with only seven having occurred since the invention of the telescope. Actually witnessing a planetary transit requires the planet in question to be closer to the Sun than Earth, which limits us to Mercury and Venus. Because the orbit of Venus is considerably larger than that of Mercury, it is a far rarer sight. For example, there will typically be around 13 transits of Mercury each century, while there can only be a maximum of two transits of Venus in the same period of time. For Venus they occur in pairs separated by eight years - these pairs are over one hundred years apart in a cyclical pattern however. The last time it occurred was in 2004, and so after June of 2012 it will not be visible again until 2117.

Much like a solar eclipse, the incredible sight of a planet crossing directly in front of the sun was a source of wonder and speculation to earlier civilisations, as well as our more recent forebears. It is not only the rarity of the Transit of Venus that makes it an important phenomenon, but also because it’s been an incredibly useful tool to Astronomers in calculating the size of the solar system. Interestingly, bringing the same principles to the modern day, ‘apps’ will be available for most smart phones that allow you to photograph the Transit from your location and contribute to the calculation.

Astro Trails will be observing the Transit of Venus from Hawaii for a combination of reasons. Continental North America will only be able to see the beginning of the transit, whilst South Asia, the Middle East and most of Europe will only be able to observe the end of the transit. As you can see from any diagram of the transit path, Hawaii’s prominent location amongst the Polynesian islands means that the entire transit will be visible. What’s more, we have chosen a specific observation point on the leeward side of Kona, which thanks to a favourable trade wind is the most likely to have ideal weather conditions.

A visit to Hawaii is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people in the first place. If you want to make it extra special and take in a stunning Astronomic spectacle on top of the gorgeous surroundings, then Astro Trails offer an assortment of itineraries starting from £875.

For more information please visit:  www.astro-trails.com

or contact Nick Whitfield at:   nick.whitfield@stt-uk.com