Our Shop and Office will be closed until 2pm Tuesday (we'll be at the Phoenix Park Transit Watch selling filters, magazines, etc so just think of it as a temporary re-location of the Shop!) You can now see Venus in the cameras of the SOHO spacecraft! http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/realtime-update.html Click on the LASCO C2 image for a bigger image. Venus is the bright object to the left of the Sun (before the Transit). The MDI image shows there are just a few small sunspots at present also. Venus should pass near them. Tomorrow, Transit Day, Venus will NOT pass in front of the Sun as seen from the SOHO spacecraft's viewing point 1.5 million km from Earth! See http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/ for an explanation and how it will still be visible against the corona. In case you cannot access our website www.astronomy.ie for the Astronomy Ireland Venus Transit Watch nearest you, here is a list of all TEN: Venues: Boyle: The Horseman Boyle to Sligo Road - Betty Meyler (086)8341218 Carlow: IT Carlow - Gerry Moloney (087) 9184000 Castlebar: Ashwood Estate - Paul Gannon (087) 2595400 Clare: Kilmihil, Ennis - Angus J. Sealy (065) 9050883 Cork: UCC Cork -JJ Keating (086) 8131286 (021) 4902912 Dublin: Papal Cross Phoenix Park - Tom Finnegan (086) 8105155 Dundalk: Millenium Statue Blackrock, Derek Watters (086)0806908 Downpatrick: Greenfields Michael McAleenan (028) 44614455 Letterkenny: Kilpeak, Glenswilly, Seamus Byron (087) 2203312 Waterford: Venue TBA - Liam Walsh (087) 2329130 Date: From 6:19 am till 12:24 pm June 8th. All Welcome. Remember to bring along a few euro to buy a copy of our magazine with that article by Sir Patrick Moore and a full guide to the present and past Transits e.g. find out how Captain Cook found Australia when sent to Tahiti to observe the 1769 Transit! You can still order the magazine online at http://www.astronomy.ie/VTshopcart.html It would make an excellent souvenir of the event. Let's hope for clear skies, and whatever the forecast do get outside and watch, we have 6 hours for the clouds to break and just a few seconds is all you will need to witness the event of a lifetime. NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. Use our AstroSolar filter (still on sale in the Phoenix Park) or the projection method - bur be careful. The next Venus Transit is in 2012 but it ends just as the Sun rises as seen from Ireland. Indeed as we say in the magazine, we won't get another full Venus Transit like this month's one for another 243 years! Best wishes for clear skies, David Moore, Astronomy Ireland, P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Astronomy Shop, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel (01) 847 0777 www.astronomy.ie info@astronomy.ie