The transit of Venus across the face of the Sun yesterday was a big attraction around Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, MN late yesterday afternoon. My brother and I set up on the east shore of the lake to watch the rare astronomical event, which started at 5:04pm and continued even after the Sun sank below the horizon. Swarms of people were at the lake enjoying the beautiful weather, and surprisingly many of them had a high level of interest in viewing the event. Luckily there were several telescopes, including my brother's Celestron, set up along the lake paths available to see it.

View through the Celestron: Venus (upper right) and several sunspots were visible on the Sun's surface.Courtesy Mark Ryan

Everyone wants a look: Crowds gathered to get a view of the last transit of Venus until 2117.Courtesy Mark Ryan

Another way to look at it: The Solarscope, which the owner said he had purchased in the early 1980s, is a cool viewing device that projected an image on the Sun and Venus.Courtesy Mark Ryan

One final look: Venus was still in transit as the sun disappeared below the horizon.Courtesy Mark Ryan

Tags : astronomy, inner planet, planet, solar, sun, transit, Venus

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