Venus Transit of the the Sun

The transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on 05-06 June 2012 UTC was an amazing sight. Even more amazing is the rarity of this event. Transits of Venus occur in pairs approximately eight years apart then not repeated again for over one hundred years. Since this was the second transit of the pair the next will not occur until the year 2117. So, if you wanted to see a transit, this was your last best chance!

NASA has compiled some stunning video and images of the transit. The SpaceWeather site also has information and a user gallery of images.

Venus transiting the sun at 1523 MST (2223 UTC). The full disk of the planet is visible at this time.
Venus transiting the sun at 1523 MST (2223 UTC). The full disk of the planet is visible at this time.

I was able to capture several images of the transit including first contact at ~2206 UTC and when the full disk first became completely visible in front of the sun.

Venus transiting the sun as the sun sets behind the low mountains west of Flagstaff. Image shot using a ND3 filter.
Venus transiting the sun as the sun sets behind the low mountains west of Flagstaff. Image shot using a ND3 filter.

As the sun began to set behind the mountains west of Flagstaff I was able to capture this image with the lower portion of the sun already behind the trees.

Composite image of (1) filtered image of the sun and Venus in transit and (2) the darkening sky a few minutes after sunset.
Composite image of (1) filtered image of the sun and Venus in transit and (2) the darkening sky a few minutes after sunset.

This image is a composite of a filtered image of the sun followed a few minutes later by a standard exposure showing the colors in the evening sky as well as numerous birds.

(Edit: Fixed typo in year of next transit.)

The many moods of the San Fransisco Peaks

Living near the mountains and at a high elevation in Flagstaff has its benefits. One of them is the opportunity to capture amazing images of the San Francisco Peaks as the seasons and weather change.

Recent snowfalls provided two very different views of the Peaks. First we have the peaks obscured by clouds. A laminar wave cloud floats above the peaks while other clouds cloak the summits. Skiers and hikers at the top of the mountain are hidden in the clouds and fog only to drop out of the bottom of the cloud as they descend.

Wave clouds above the San Francisco Peaks.
Wave clouds above the San Francisco Peaks.

Another image captures the final moments of sunset as the snow turns red across the peaks. These colors might only last for a minute or two before quickly fading away.

Sunset colors on the San Francisco Peaks.
Sunset colors on the San Francisco Peaks.

The price we pay for these incredible views? Long winters, cold temperatures, and roads that don’t seem to get plowed quickly enough — or at all.

A fair trade.