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The Venus Transit 2004 European Science & Technology Week 2004 Visit the websites of the VT-2004 organisers

The Venus Transit 2004

... Photos by Themes

The Phases of Venus

Moving around the Sun on an orbit inside that of the Earth, Venus displays phases like the Moon, cf. VT-2004 InfoSheet D3. The famous Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642) first observed Venus's phases in 1610 with the recently invented telescope. This contributed to convince him that Venus moves around the Sun and is illuminated by this body and that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the centre of the world.

On this page, photos of Venus's phases are displayed in chronological order, as they were photographed before and after the Venus transit on June 8, 2004 and are now shown at the VT-2004 website. Please note that the orientations of these photos depend on the equipment used and are therefore not uniform.

Early in 2004, Venus was about "half", but as it moved along its orbit between the Sun and the Earth, we began to see it more and more "from behind". Consequently, the illuminated part of the disc steadily diminished and right before the transit on June 8, Venus' crescent had become extremely thin. At the same time, some of the sunlight was refracted through the Venusian atmosphere, creating the effect of an illuminated, partial "ring". The same phenomenon was observed on some photos taken when Venus "entered" and "exited" the solar disc at the time of the transit.

An overview of the VT-2004 Photo Archive is available and a number of these photos have been elected "VT 2004 Photo of the Day".

All photos on this page may be downloaded and used, provided the photographers (authors) and the VT-2004 programme are indicated as source.


Venus' Phases (Composite Images)

Phases of Venus

Phases of Venus

[821 x 470 pix - 110k]

Zlatko Kovacevic
Celeston SC G-8 with ToUCam Pro
January 24 to May 4, 2004
Virovitica, Croatia
More images at this site

Phases of Venus

Phases of Venus

[565 x 255 pix - 10k]

Mike Cripps
Neatherd High School Astronomy Club
Orion ED 80mm Apo-Refractor + Philips Webcam
[Three images showing the phase change as Venus approaches us in its orbit]
March 13, April 11 and 22, 2004
Dereham, United Kingdom
More images at this site

Phases of Venus

Phases of Venus

[1500 x 418 pix - 223k]

Erling S. Nordøy
10-inch Meade LX 200
Philips ToUcam Pro 740k
[Frames Combined]
March 15 - May 13, 2004
Tromsø Norway
More images at this site

Venus' Phases [Montage]

Venus' Phases [Montage]

[400 x 348 pix - 9k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
Newton 254 120/2602mm
Mintron MS-168EP
April 8 to May 10, 2004
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

The Phases of Venus

The Phases of Venus

[600 x 600 pix - 37k]

Statis Kalyvas
4.5-inch Mizar telescope
Nikon Coolpix 750
February 27 - June 8, 2004
Thessaloniki, Greece

 

February - April 2004

Venus' Disc

Venus' Disc

[424 x 307 pix - 29k]

Tamás Ladányi
Planet Observers' Network,
Hungarian Astronomical Association
250/3550 C; webcamera
February 20, 2004, 17:04 UT
Hungary

Venus' Disc

Venus' Disc

[320 x 240 pix - 14k]

Dave Lills
Shannonside Astronomy Club
12-inch Meade Schmidt Cassegrain Lx200
Philips Toucam Pro camera
[Combining 150 images]
March 5, 2004
Limerick, Ireland

Venus' Disc

Venus' Disc

[384 x 277 pix - 30k]

Tamás Ladányi
Planet Observers' Network,
Hungarian Astronomical Association
250/3550 C; webcamera
March 6, 2004, 17:06 UT
Hungary

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[197 x 235 pix - 18k]

Laszló Zsiga
Planet Observers' Network,
Hungarian Astronomical Association
200/1000 Newton
ToUcam with UV+IR blocking filter;
March 18, 2004, 18:06 UT
Hungary

Venus in early April

Venus in early April

[227 x 340 pix - 29k]

Gábor Szendröi
Planet Observers' Network,
Hungarian Astronomical Association
355/1500 Newton
Philips ToUcam
April 3, 2004, 17:26 UT
Hungary

Venus in Daytime

Venus in Daytime

[476 x 388 pix - 13k]

G. Avila, F. Delplancke, C. Guirao, J. Rodriguez
Amateur Group for Astronomy Projects at ESO (AGAPE)
CGE-14-inch Celestron
Nikon D-100 with CCD RGB 12-bit (3kx2k)
[Test for Venus occultation on May 21]
April 22, 2004, 12:00 UT
Garching, Germany
More images at this site

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[165 x 195 pix - 18k]

Laszló Zsiga
Planet Observers' Network,
Hungarian Astronomical Association
200/1000 Newton
ToUcam with UV+IR blocking filter;
April 22, 2004, 18:14 UT
Hungary

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[640 x 480 pix - 24 k]

Olivier Maréchal
Spa Astronomy Group
Telescope TAKAHASHI CN 212 and webcam
April 23, 2004
Spa, Belgium

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[620 x 453 pix - 10k]
[With text - 620 x 453 pix - 10k]

Robert Wielinga
200/1600mm refractor
351 webcam images stacked
[Left: colours caused by atmospheric refraction; Right: corrected]
April 26, 2004, 19:38 UT
Utrecht, The Netherlands

 

May 2004

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[388 x 288 pix - 35k]

Jean-Luc Mairlot
Spa Astronomy Group
Camera Vesta Pro with CG11 telescope and Barlow Televue Powermate 2,5x
[composite of 299 images]
May 2, 2004
La Fosse, Belgium

Venus' Crescent Getting Slimmer

Venus' Crescent Getting Slimmer

[338 x 432 pix - 30k]

Zlatko Kovacevic
Celeston SC G-8 with ToUCam Pro
May 4, 2004, 19:48 UT
Virovitica, Croatia
More images at this site

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[900 x 630 pix - 126k]

Erling S. Nordøy
10-inch Meade LX 200
Philips ToUcam Pro 740k
[300 frames combined]
May 7, 2004, 15:41 UT
Tromsø Norway
More images at this site

The Crescent of Venus

The Crescent of Venus

[640 x 449 pix - 56k]

Frank Brandl
8-inch SC telescope; f/30; ToUCam Pro
Baader IR/UV-cut filter; 300 images combined
[Venus only 10.5° above horizon]
May 16, 2004, 20:42 UT
Steinheim, Germany

Daytime Venus

Daytime Venus

[640 x 480 pix - 27k]

Dave Storey
16-inch Meade + ToUCam
May 18, 2004, 13:56 UT
Isle of Man, UK

Daytime Venus

Daytime Venus

[640 x 480 pix - 25k]

Dave Storey
16-inch Meade f/10 + ToUCam
[Processed image] May 18, 2004, 14:04 UT
Isle of Man, UK

The Very Thin Crescent of Venus

The Very Thin Crescent of Venus

[300 x 300 pix - 12k]

Herbert Raab
[Linzer Astronomische Gemeinschaft]
50cm Cassegrain telescope; f/10
Wratten 29 (deep red) filter
Mintron 12V1C-EX B/W video camera
25 frames (of 1500) averaged
May 20, 2004, 09:11 UT
Linz, Austria

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[239 x 244 pix - 10k]

Dán András
Planet Observers' Network,
Hungarian Astronomical Association
6-inch ApoF20
Webcam
May 21, 2004, 15:40 UT
Hungary

Venus' Very Slim Crescent

Venus' Very Slim Crescent

[205 x 213 pix - 14k]

Timo-Pekka Metsälä
Atik ATK-1C Camera
[Composite of 2145 images]
[In daytime - Venus 20° and the Sun 5° above the horizon, respectively]
May 23, 2004, 18:14 UT
Espoo, Finland

Venus' Crescent

Venus' Crescent

[140 x 133 pix - 4k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
Newton 120/2602mm
Mintron MS-168EP
B/W Camera UV + MV-1 filter + dark-green filter
May 24, 2004 - UT 13:00
[Illuminated fraction 7.2%]
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

Venus' Slim Crescent

Venus' Slim Crescent

[720 x 576 pix - 58k]

Daniel Crussaire
[Paris Observatory]
4-inch Takahashi fluorite refractor
PixeLINK CMOS 1260x1024/10 bit camera; f/16
Composite of 18 frames; each 0.008 sec
May 28, 2004, 10:40 - 10:45 UT
Meudon, France

Venus' Extremely Narrow Crescent

Venus' Extremely Narrow Crescent

[300 x 300 pix - 10k]

Herbert Raab
[Linzer Astronomische Gemeinschaft]
50-cm f/10 Cassegrain reflector
Wratten 29 (deep red) filter
Mintron 12V1C-EX B/W video camera
2-min video sequence processed
May 31, 2004, 09:35 UT
Linz, Austria

June 2004 - Before the Transit

Venus' Extremely Thin Crescent

Venus' Extremely Thin Crescent

[428 x 417 pix - 19k]

Rob Johnson
[Liverpool Astronomical Society] 14-inch GOTO reflector with 3X Barlow lens
Red (#25) filter
Philips ToUCam Pro 740K
1-min sequence in "boiling" seeing
Processed with Registax and Photoshop
June 1, 2004, 17:46 UT
Liverpool, UK
More images at this site

Venus' Very Slim Crescent

Venus' Very Slim Crescent

[114 x 128 pix - 1k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
Newton 120/2602mm
Mintron MS-168EP
MW-1 and dark-green filter
June 2, 2004, 13:01 UT
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

Venus' Very Slim Crescent

Venus' Very Slim Crescent

[445 x 444 pix - 4k]

Carsten A. Arnholm
Vixen 90mm refractor
Philips ToUcam 740k with Baader IRB filter
June 3, 2004, 18:00 UT
Norway

Venus Approaching the Ring Phenomenon

Venus Approaching the Ring Phenomenon

[300 x 166 pix - 5k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
120-mm refractor f=2000mm
Mintron MS-168EP
MW-1 filter
[Left: original image; Right: processed to better see the full extent of the crescent]
June 5, 2004, 06:30 UT
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

Venus' Approaching the 'Ring' Shape

Venus' Approaching the "Ring" Shape

[128 x 128 pix - 2k]

Timo-Pekka Metsälä
102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain f/13
ATK-2HS camera
Composite of 700 frames
[Venus only 5° from the Sun]
June 5, 2004, 10:28 UT
Espoo, Finland

Venus Before the Transit

Venus Before the Transit

[578 x 358 pix - 71k]

Paolo R. Lazzarotti
Astrophysics AP130 f/6 telescope with 2x Barlow APO
BW sensor Vesta PRO
[Composite of 250 frames] More images at this site
June 5, 2004, 13:33 UT
Massa, Italy

Venus Approaching the 'Ring'

Venus Approaching the "Ring"

[301 x 317 pix - 23k]

Carsten A. Arnholm
10-inch SC f/6.8
MX916 CCD camera
June 5, 2004, 14:20 UT
Norway

Venus' Approaching the 'Ring' Shape

Venus' Approaching the "Ring" Shape

[640 x 512 pix - 24k]

Pic du Midi Observatory
50 cm refractor - Coupole Tourelle
[Venus only 3° from the Sun!]
June 6, 2004, 06:22 UT
Pic du Midi, France
More images at this site

Venus Approaching the 'Ring'

Venus Approaching the "Ring"

[513 x 513 pix - 5k]

Carsten A. Arnholm
Vixen 90mm refractor
Philips ToUcam 740k with Baader IRB filter
June 6, 2004, 07:46 UT
Norway

Venus Before the Transit

Venus Before the Transit

[578 x 358 pix - 74k]

Paolo R. Lazzarotti
Astrophysics AP130 f/6 telescope with 2x Barlow APO
BW sensor Vesta PRO
[Composite of 600 frames] More images at this site
June 6, 2004, 11:07 UT
Massa, Italy

Venus - 240-deg Crescent

Venus - 240-deg Crescent

[677 x 337 pix - 166k]

Ivan Majchrovic, Roman Piffl, Miroslav Grnja and Pavel Rapavy
[members of the VT-2004 observations group of the Slovak Union of Amateur Astronomers]
160/2450mm refractor + 2x Barlow
CCD color camera SHT
Exposure 0.002 sec
[Composite of three frames; Left: Original view; Right: Negative print to show better the extent of the crescent]
June 6, 2004, 12:43 UT
Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia

Venus' Crescent Nearing the 'Ring'

Venus' Crescent Nearing the "Ring"

[500 x 480 pix - 139k]

Zsolt Kereszty
Corona Borealis Observatory
14-inch f/10 LX200GPS with 20mm Meade eyepice (projection)
FUJI Finepix S-7000 camera
Exposure 1/1000 sec
June 6, 2004, 15:12 UT
Gyorujbarat, Hungary

Venus Approaching the 'Ring'

Venus Approaching the "Ring"

[649 x 540 pix - 39k]

Pete Lawrence
VIXEN FL-102s 4-inch refractor; f/9
Canon 10D; ISO 100; 1/350 sec
June 6, 2004, 15:23 UT
Selsey, UK

 

After the Transit

Venus After the Transit

Venus After the Transit

[578 x 358 pix - 84k]

Paolo R. Lazzarotti
Astrophysics AP130 f/6 telescope with 2x Barlow APO
BW sensor Vesta PRO
[Composite of 600 frames] More images at this site
June 10, 2004, 12:28 UT
Massa, Italy

Venus After the Transit

Venus After the Transit

[578 x 358 pix - 78k]

Paolo R. Lazzarotti
Astrophysics AP130 f/6 telescope with 2x Barlow APO
BW sensor Vesta PRO
[Composite of 700 frames] More images at this site
June 11, 2004, 10:43 UT
Massa, Italy

Venus  Grows Again

Venus Grows Again

[187 x 214 pix - 5k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
Newtonian telescope 150/2602mm
Mintron MS-168EP
Omag Yellow Filter + MV-1
July 1, 2004, 08:26 UT
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

Half-Venus

Half-Venus

[89 x 135 pix - 3k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
Newtonian telescope 120/2602mm
Mintron MS-168EP; no filter
August 17, 2004, 09:12 UT
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

'Half-Venus' in the Morning Sky

"Half-Venus" in the Morning Sky

[650 x 540 - 71k]

Ralph Vandebergh
250mm Newtonian telescope; f/38.4
ATC-2C Colour CCD
IR filter
Composite of 56 frames at 1/100 sec
[Through turbulent atmopshere]
August 17, 2004, 04:19:51 UT
The Netherlands

'Half-Venus' in the Morning Sky

"Half-Venus" in the Morning Sky

[650 x 540 - 68k]

Ralph Vandebergh
250mm Newtonian telescope; f/38.4
ATC-2C Colour CCD
Composite of 285 frames at 1/100 sec
[Through turbulent atmopshere]
August 18, 2004, 03:56:58 UT
The Netherlands

Half-Venus

Half-Venus

[296 x 326 pix - 18k]

Hans-Göran Lindberg
Newtonian telescope 100/2602mm
Mintron MS-168EP with filters
September 13, 2004, 07:15 UT
Kärrbo Observatory
Skultuna, Sweden
More images at this site

 

[VT-2004 Photo Archive Top Page]



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