Post: #1

Not to be gay or anything but this is a once in a lifetime chance tomorrow and Wednesday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus,_2012

Post: #2

What's gay about it? Astronomy is dope as fuck.

Post: #3

(06-04-2012 12:31 PM)chyamor Wrote:  Not to be gay or anything but....

Yeah, looking at astronomical phenomena clearly means you enjoy taking it up the ass!



But seriously. I plan on watching it tomorrow. Luckily in my part of the world it will be sunset so hopefully I can see this with the naked eye.

Post: #4

Nothing homo about this at all. Astronomy is one of them things a dude can only appreciate I find tho. I had a telescope as a kid and being on the plains you had go view of the stars, it was a chill way to spend a night.

Plus telescopes make it easy to peeve on chics:


^ "Ye bitches numbering two frolicking with thy bosoms out on ye mountain"


^ "Damn... two bitches are changing out together"

Shit don't change!

Post: #5

Can you get a decent telescope for $100? I've always loved astronomy and space...is this beta??

Post: #6

The Transit of Venus is important because by timing how long the transit takes as observed from different latitudes and using a bit of trigonometry, you can find out the distance to the sun in miles. The larger the distance between observation points, the less error.

Only problem is Venus has a fuzzy atmosphere, so observers can differ in when they time the start and stop of the transit.

Done Pettit will be taking photos from the ISS from its famous cupola.

And there's an Android App that you can download for free that tells you exactly when it's predicted to start and stop from your GPS location. It also has the ability to collect when you see the transit start and stop from your GPS location, which will allow future predictions to be more accurate, so if you want to contribute to science, here's an easy way Tuesday.

Post: #7

Yeah, gayest post ever.

Gazing into the heavens is one the manliest, reflective, grounded things you can do. Instead of deluding yourself with trifling bullshit on Earth (like a woman), you look into the distance and ponder your place in the grand scheme. There's a reason explorers and thinkers were always dudes. I'm glad you posted about this, actually, since I would have missed it.

I own a telescope but don't have the necessary filters to view this thing tomorrow without blinding myself. I don't think I can get it in time either. Sucks.

Post: #8

(06-04-2012 11:35 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  I own a telescope but don't have the necessary filters to view this thing tomorrow without blinding myself. I don't think I can get it in time either. Sucks.

Not to sound gay, but check the box if you still got it. I just did and mine's got all kinds of little filters.

Apparently, from where I am, this thig is gonna go on for around five hours tomorrow.

Aloha!

Post: #9

Houston $200 will get you an entry level Celestron. I recommend it for people starting out.

Post: #10

If you guys want to watch the live webcast, it's happening RIGHT NOW. The link is kind of hard to find on the NASA website, so here it is:

http://sunearthday.gsfc.nasa.gov/transitofvenus/

Post: #11

If this doesn't remind you how insignificant all this shit is, you're

   

   

Post: #12

shit.. I wanna see this..but im in germany.

how exactly does it work

* it looks like i can catch it at sunrise...aka almost 5am
...

Post: #13

Tried to see it today but it was cloudy, bummer. Not to mention the huge ass rain and lightning storm that came after I left the observatory.

Post: #14

I saw it. It was pretty cool. The first time in my life I've seen a planet as anything but a point of light. Seeing it as a little back-lit dot was pretty awesome.