Author Archives: emily

Local transit celebrations

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

No doubt the explorers of the long transit expeditions of the 18th century found ways to entertain themselves while they waited to make their precious measurements. Here in Svalbard the locals are counting down the final hour to transit with … Continue reading →

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Transit minus 60 minutes

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

With an hour to first contact, the Svalbard ground teams are making their very last preparations and hoping the breaks in the clouds are favourable for viewing some – if not all – of the transit tonight. Appetites for Venus … Continue reading →

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Svalbard: home to satellite tracking station

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

Set far within the Arctic circle, the midnight sun makes Svalbard the perfect location to witness the whole of the transit of Venus tonight. But did you know that this location is also home to the Svalbard Satellite Station complex? … Continue reading →

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The transit of Venus, from Saturn

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

Tonight’s transit of Venus may be the last for observers on Earth for the next century, but the Cassini spacecraft will only have to wait a few months. On 21 December 2012, Saturn, Venus and the Sun will be aligned … Continue reading →

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Transit minus seven hours

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

It’s around seven hours to first contact and the Svalbard teams are uncovering their telescopes to make final checks and prepare for a night of observing. The sky is clear in places, but clouds currently hanging over the mountains could … Continue reading →

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Team Svalbard sail the Arctic seas

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

The Venus Express science working team and members of the press covering the 2012 transit at just after midnight on 5 June, exactly 24 hours before the start of the transit begins here in Svalbard.  

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Venus approaches the Sun

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

Venus appeared in the field of view of ESA/NASA’s SOHO satellite on 1 June, and has been fast approaching ahead of transit on 5-6 June. SOHO’s LASCO instrument won’t be able to see the transit because its coronagraph blocks out … Continue reading →

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ESA’s missions gear up for the transit of Venus

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

Here’s a quick-look summary of what we can expect from our space-based missions during the transit: Venus Express: solar occultation experiment – using the Sun’s light to analyse Venus’ atmosphere, an important technique for exoplanet studies. Proba-2: Watching for the … Continue reading →

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Voyage to the midnight sun

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

Last night the Venus Express science working team, along with ground-based observing teams and media crew here to cover the transit, took a break from meetings to enjoy a boat ride out to the glaciers of Spitsbergen under the midnight … Continue reading →

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The transit of Venus – live from the Arctic!

Posted on June 5, 2012 by emily

In Europe’s most northerly town of Longyearbyen, teams of scientists are preparing to observe the last transit of Venus of this century using ground-based telescopes. From ESA’s Space Astronomy Center (ESAC), Michel Breitfellner and Miguel Perez Ayucar – who are … Continue reading →

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