I had been waiting since the last transit of Venus back in 2004 to see this rare sight again, and it looked like I was going to miss it entirely. A transit of Venus, superseded by a transit of clouds.

This was beginning to look a lot like the eclipse of the sun that was almost clouded out just a few weeks earlier.

Ellie was quite interested in hearing about what was happening and was disappointed that she was likely going to miss it. She wanted to do some reading up on Venus so she would know more about what was happening.

Reading my Peterson’s Field Guide: Stars and Planets

Just as we were sitting down for supper, I realized that there was a beam of light coming in the window, so I jumped up, grabbed my camera and solar filter and ran out the door. It was only a small “sucker hole” in the clouds, but I was thankful for at least a glimpse of Venus crossing the disk of the sun.

I set up the telescope and tripod for the camera and prayed for some more clearings so that the family and I could get a good look. After wolfing down my food, I headed back outside, and was treated again to some thinning clouds now and then. Naomi and the kids took turns looking through my pieces of welding glass and telescope.

Thick clouds move back in…

This was a longer exposure (1.6 seconds) taken through my solar filter. The reflections bouncing around off the glass and inside of the filter created an interesting image.

Finally, the sky opened up for a few brief moments and we even saw some blue sky, giving us a long look at this rare event. I don’t plan to be here for the next viewing in 2117.

“The last transit occurred in June 2004, and the next one won’t be until December 2117. Transits of Venus follow a peculiar pattern — two transits 8 years apart, then 105.5 years with no transits, then two transits 8 years apart, then 121.5 years with no transits, for a total cycle of 243 years” www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/Some-Details-About-Transits-of-Venus.html

When we had a truly clear shot of the sun, you could easily see the sunspots along with the spot of Venus.

Thank you, Lord, for an answered prayer for a glimpse of your marvelous creation.