Annular Phase of Venus
Taken by Mirko Harnisch on June 7, 2012 @
Sydney, Australia
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Camera Used: Canon Canon EOS 50D
Exposure Time: 1/100
Aperture: f/1.4
ISO: 200
Date Taken: 2012:06:07 01:22:10
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Details:
This image of Venus was captured on 7 June 2012, 21 hours after 4th contact of the last Transit of Venus. The planet's separation from the Sun was 1.67 degrees. The back lit planet displayed an annular phase thanks to its atmosphere. It is a stunning sight. There are not many photos in existence (yet) of this event, and few observation reports. I was lucky enough to witness, and photograph it. On 3 June 2020, Venus will make another close approach. This is very much a preview of what is going to happen. There is no "maybe". The horns of the crescent will touch once separation reduces to about 2° or less.
The image was obtained hand-held through the eyepiece of a 60mm refractor operating at 100x magnification. Metiuculous care had been taken to stop the sun's light from reaching the objective.
For perspective, I add another shot taken 46h before the Transit, at 3.13° separation (lower power), showing a crescent, not a circle.
The upcoming inferior conjunction of Venus is the closest until the next Transit of Venus in 2117. This is a significant event.
Photographer's website:
No URL provided.
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