Amazing interest

Greg Crinklaw wrote in message ...

I don't know what's worse--this guy's troll or that someone actually
seriously seems to agree with him...

Agreed Greg. Just another troll and not particularly inventive at
that.

A planet the size of the Earth seen against the Sun at such rare
intervals is not to be dismissed so lightly.

I was lucky to have 6 hours of decent visual altitude from N.Europe.
7.20-13.20 CET and managed several hundred digital images despite fast
moving cloud throughout.

You've either got the imagination to appreciate it for the sense of
scale and historical drama. Or you're just brain dead media fodder
growing fat in front of the TV.

Chris.B

I take it you're referring partially to me. I hardly watch TV, I do a lot
of observing, more now than at any time in my life, and I offered the
explanation why some find this transit exciting, and why some don't. There
are many who don't think much of this transit who are active (more than one
observing session a month, usually far more) observers that I personally
know of. So you believe taking the time, effort, and money to view this
transit is worth it. That's your feeling and opinion. I don't agree. But
don't try and make it non-objective and personal by questioning the mental
capacity of those that don't agree with you.
--
Sincerely, intellectually, and not personally,
--- Dave

----------------------------------------------------------------------
A man is a god in ruins.
--- Duke Ellington
----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Chris.B" wrote in message
om...
Greg Crinklaw wrote in message
...

I don't know what's worse--this guy's troll or that someone actually
seriously seems to agree with him...

Agreed Greg. Just another troll and not particularly inventive at
that.

A planet the size of the Earth seen against the Sun at such rare
intervals is not to be dismissed so lightly.

I was lucky to have 6 hours of decent visual altitude from N.Europe.
7.20-13.20 CET and managed several hundred digital images despite fast
moving cloud throughout.

You've either got the imagination to appreciate it for the sense of
scale and historical drama. Or you're just brain dead media fodder
growing fat in front of the TV.

Chris.B

"David Nakamoto" wrote in message ...

I do
understand, intellectually, the feeling that you're watching something that
has happened so long ago that no one alive remembers the last time it
happened. However, since the west coast of the US gets to see most of the
next one in 2012, and since it IS only a dot slowly traversing the face of
the Sun, I'm not too gung ho in seeing this thing.

I sympathize; I probably wouldn't have traveled far to see this transit.
But the actual event exceeded my expectations by a long shot -- a sentiment
that has been echoed by just about everyone who saw it. Venus is much
larger and much blacker than I had imagined, and the emotional impact of
seeing a really big planet in front of the Sun is much stronger than I
would have guessed.

In other words, make darned sure you see the 2012 transit!

- Tony Flanders

Tony Flanders wrote:

I sympathize; I probably wouldn't have traveled far to see this transit.
But the actual event exceeded my expectations by a long shot -- a sentiment
that has been echoed by just about everyone who saw it. Venus is much
larger and much blacker than I had imagined...

Truth! When I envisioned the event, in my minds eye, I was concerned
that just spotting Venus might be a tad hairy, but obviously that was
not the case. For some reason my brain fixated on this event as
something on the order of a Galilean satellite transit, but the
emotional impact was even greater, and I go a bit loopy for the former.

While I can appreciate that some passed on this event due to the stress
of awakening early from their required beauty sleep, or because they
thought it would be rather ho-hum, I'd have to give this event very
high marks. Even absent the historical significance, and the ease of
making the observation (for many of us), it was a wonderful show.

Some of the posted pics, many of which are truly extraordinary -- and a
blanket thank you to all who worked so hard to document the event --
come very close to capturing the overall flavor, but *nothing* eclipses
that live view through the eyepiece. It's just really cool to see
celestial mechanics in real time, and Mr. T I pity the poor fool who
slept in! /Mr. T

As an added bonus, I slept as soundly as a bear in hibernation last
night. Hey, anybody got any honey they can spare?

As many of you may already know, I am the 15th of 21 children that my
momma had (she threw out the ones who didn't have at least twelve
fingers) and yesterday was a day I counted my twelve digits and thanked
my lucky stars over and over again.

--
-John Steinberg
email: lid

-= I link therefore I'm spammed =-

I don't find it at all surprising or "laughable" that there are plenty of
early morning astronomers, I'm just not one of them.

Between 1AM and 7:30AM, don't wake me up unless there's an extinction level
event. Now _that_ would be something worth seeing live from the backyard.
;-)

--
-Stephen Paul

"skypilot" wrote in message
...
I think it's almost laughable at how people can get so charged up over
a large dot moving in front of the sun. I can just imagine the many
who spend hours looking at the Venus dot. I spent about 10 minutes on
the internet and it was the same old dot no matter where in the world
it was seen.

I'm no Morning person either.. I usually get up around 10 and Start
doing something around 11 or 12 after 3 cups of coffee. but I lucked
out on the Transit ..

http://home.woh.rr.com/directoryww/0...itOfVenus.html

The best part was, I only had to fall backwards to go back to bed
after 4th contact!

skypilot wrote in message . ..
I think it's almost laughable at how people can get so charged up over
a large dot moving in front of the sun. I can just imagine the many
who spend hours looking at the Venus dot. I spent about 10 minutes on
the internet and it was the same old dot no matter where in the world
it was seen.

In between viewing naked shots of your mother out there on the net.
-Rich

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 18:13:57 +0000, skypilot wrote:

I think it's almost laughable at how people can get so charged up over
a large dot moving in front of the sun. I can just imagine the many
who spend hours looking at the Venus dot. I spent about 10 minutes on
the internet and it was the same old dot no matter where in the world
it was seen.


I can't imagine why so many people play golf or bowl but they do anyway.
Guess it's because they like doing it....

"Fred Garvin" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 18:13:57 +0000, skypilot wrote:

I think it's almost laughable at how people can get so charged up over
a large dot moving in front of the sun. I can just imagine the many
who spend hours looking at the Venus dot. I spent about 10 minutes on
the internet and it was the same old dot no matter where in the world
it was seen.


I can't imagine why so many people play golf or bowl but they do anyway.
Guess it's because they like doing it....


The real significance of this event goes beyond just seeing a dot or even
the idea of another planet.
The significance hasn't even been mentioned yet by anyone including the
media so I will now do that.
The real significance is the fact that Venus was made visible as it moved
from it's evening position or 'even star'
point in the sky, to it's upcoming 'morning star' position as it travels
east of the sun. For 6 months Venus has been a dazzling object as the sun
set and something we all got used to. Now it's gone till next fall and
winter unless you get up early of course.

I think it's almost laughable at how people can get so charged up over
a large dot moving in front of the sun. it was seen.


Had the event been visible from the Seattle area then I probably would have
viewed it if for no other reason than to obtain another punch on my "seen
astro things" card. I forget how many punches it takes, but surely the
right number of them will get a free latte at Starbucks.

--
Martin
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell