Author Topic: Anybody watching the Venus Transit? (Read 4452 times)

zxcvbob · « **on:** June 05, 2012, 06:54:42 PM »

It started about a half an hour ago in North America. I'm not sure if I see it or not; is it supposed to start at the *top* of the sun and move down? I thought it went left to right. I'm in Minnesota, so that's pretty close to the arctic circle...

maybe that has an effect.

I'm using a #8 and a #5 welding goggle lenses stacked. It's still pretty bright; I may try a #10 and a 5. (the welding supply store doesn't stock 14's, they are cheap but special order and I didn't plan ahead)

bedlamite · « **Reply #1 on:** June 05, 2012, 07:04:09 PM »

Dark sunglasses under a #11 welding hood works.

birdman · « **Reply #2 on:** June 05, 2012, 07:09:08 PM »

Cloudy here...guess I'll have to watch it next time....with my post-singularity cyborg eyes
Stupid virginia weather.

Battle Monkey of Zardoz · « **Reply #3 on:** June 05, 2012, 07:23:28 PM »

Is there a young lady from Venus involved?

zxcvbob · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2012, 08:00:26 PM »

That little dot at the top has moved. It's clearly visible now (gotta wear your specs if you are nearsighted). The #10 + #5 filter works a lot better.

Not very impressive unless you know what it is.

Ben · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2012, 10:02:21 PM »

Dammit. I even had a reminder set. Sadly, it is cloud covered with potential for snow here in arco, id., town of the first atomically powered light bulb.

41magsnub · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2012, 10:09:09 PM »

No go... cloudy and raining

vaskidmark · « **Reply #7 on:** June 06, 2012, 07:04:18 AM »

The TV had great views. Spectacular filters. Closeups that made it look more like a pimple than a speck of dust. Plus, they are going to have reruns for the next 112 years.

Looking out the window all I saw were raindrops.

stay safe.

MicroBalrog · « **Reply #8 on:** June 06, 2012, 08:21:54 AM »

Quote from: birdman on June 05, 2012, 07:09:08 PM

Cloudy here...guess I'll have to watch it next time....with my post-singularity cyborg eyes
Stupid virginia weather.

Frankly if I were a post-singularity cyborg I'd just get a connection to a high-grade telescope (preferably one in orbit) and have it just feed the imagery to my eyes.

Or, [using technology that actually exists in prototypes] to my Google Glasses. :)

KD5NRH · « **Reply #9 on:** June 06, 2012, 10:26:37 AM »

Sony Alpha 200 through stacked polarizers and a welding hood.

Tallpine · « **Reply #10 on:** June 06, 2012, 11:01:55 AM »

Divine to survey

birdman · « **Reply #11 on:** June 06, 2012, 01:39:05 PM »

There's a little black spot on the sun today...

Sorry, someone had to.

230RN · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2012, 01:52:42 PM »

Slightly related but possibly of interest.

A friend sent me this vid of the International Space Station sailing over the Aurorae (Borealis and Australis).

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120305.html

Kind of interesting in a Star Wars sort of way.

Terry, 230RN

grislyatoms · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2012, 08:38:16 PM »

We missed it by ~20 minutes due to a traffic accident backing things up. Thanks for the pics, KD.

Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas · « **Reply #14 on:** June 08, 2012, 01:49:16 AM »

The gun is good. The Venus is evil.

AJ Dual · « **Reply #15 on:** June 08, 2012, 10:22:29 AM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4562TMhO8oQ

MrsSmith · « **Reply #16 on:** June 08, 2012, 11:00:52 PM »

Quote from: birdman on June 06, 2012, 01:39:05 PM

There's a little black spot on the sun today...

Sorry, someone had to.

Bwah ha ha ha! That's what I was humming under my breath when I saw my brother's pics of it.

230RN · « **Reply #17 on:** June 09, 2012, 09:08:03 PM »

Say, what is that gun Connery's got? I blew it up 200% but the best I can tell, it's a Charter Arms 22. I couldn't make out how the cylinder crane worked, though. It doesn't have the flavor of a pencil-barreled Model 10. H & R?

This is of course of astronomical importance.

zxcvbob · « **Reply #18 on:** June 10, 2012, 12:39:09 AM »

Quote from: 230RN on June 09, 2012, 09:08:03 PM

Say, what is that gun Connery's got? I blew it up 200% but the best I can tell, it's a Charter Arms 22. I couldn't make out how the cylinder crane worked, though. It doesn't have the flavor of a pencil-barreled Model 10. H & R?

This is of course of astronomical importance.

I thought it was a Webley. Not an ordinary Webley, but that weird autoloading one.

KD5NRH · « **Reply #19 on:** June 10, 2012, 12:43:58 AM »

Quote from: zxcvbob on June 10, 2012, 12:39:09 AM

I thought it was a Webley. Not an ordinary Webley, but that weird autoloading one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webley-Fosbery_Automatic_Revolver

230RN · « **Reply #20 on:** June 10, 2012, 08:05:42 AM »

Aha. Thanks for the leads.

From the above-cited site:

Quote

The Webley-Fosbery also makes an appearance in the motion picture Zardoz, where it is used by Sean Connery's character "Zed". The two-handed method of manually cocking the revolver can be seen several times in the film. As a movie prop firing blanks and not live ammunition, the absence of adequate recoil would not allow for automatic recoil cocking.

I guess that was one of those cases where marketing overrode engineering. Less than 5000 built, jammed a lot in service, according to Wiki.

An early example, perhaps, of the "Why not go with the latest and greatest technology?" syndrome so common nowadays.

If there's a bell, we must ring it. If there's a whistle, we must blow it.

Terry, 230RN

Image source:

Quote

Source:http://www.adamsguns.com/

"You are welcome to copy images from my site - Please give credit if you use it online. If you publish an image from my site - You must give credit."

Early Webley-Fosbery .455 Automatic Revolver serial No 689.

freakazoid · « **Reply #21 on:** June 10, 2012, 03:41:03 PM »

Quote

If there's a bell, we must ring it. If there's a whistle, we must blow it.

If there is a red button that says "don't push", it must be pushed.

News:

Author Topic: Anybody watching the Venus Transit? (Read 4452 times)