Public Observing Session of
Transit of Venus
Across Image of Sun

Pittsburgh - 2004 June 8

2012 June 5 - Safe Public Viewing of Rare Astronomical Event

The public observing session took place between sunrise in Pittsburgh (5:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time) and 7:26 a.m. EDST, on the Upper Station Observation Deck of The Duquesne Incline. Four members of Friends of the Zeiss staffed telescopes (including an 8-inch reflector telescope and a 16-centimeter refractor telescope) or binoculars to show the public this historic event, which had not occurred since 1882 December 6:

* Francis G. Graham, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Kent State University, and Founder of the American Lunar Society. He is also Director of the Christina Alley Observatory, a private observatory in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Professor Graham operated his 16-centimeter (objective lens of approximately 6.5 inches aperture) f/15 refractor telescope, which is normally stationed at the Christina Alley Observatory (using projection method of display of image).

* Eric G. Canali, former Floor Manager of the original Buhl Planetarium and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers (SHBA): operated his 20 x 80 (20 power with 80 mm objective lenses) Celestron binoculars (using projection method of display of image).

* John D. Weinhold, former Astronomical Observatory Volunteer of the original Buhl Planetarium: operated his Meade ETX-125 4-inch reflector telescope [direct viewing through telescope using safe high neutral density, solar filter covering the objective lens--an entrance filter (Special Note: exit filters, at eyepiece end of telescope, are NEVER safe for any type of solar observing, including solar eclipses!)].

* Glenn A. Walsh, former Astronomical Observatory Cooordinator and Planetarium Lecturer of the original Buhl Planetarium: operated Professor Graham's Celestron 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain 8-inch reflector telescope (using projection method of display of image).

Following the conclusion of the Transit of Venus across the solar disk, at 7:26 a.m. EDT, Professor Graham used the 16-cm refractor telescope to show the public the Moon, which was in the southern sky.

Photographs of this event, which can be seen on this web site, were provided by Eugene Fink, a Systems Scientist in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and Professor Graham.

There was a good turnout of members of the public (about 50 or so, over the course of the one and one-half hour event) for this event, considering the early hour of the morning when it occurred. Newspaper coverage of the event was quite good, including a cover story in Pittsburgh's new afternoon tabloid newspaper, Pittsburgh Trib p.m.. Here is a bibliography to the news coverage of this event:

* North Hills High School, West View, Allegheny County - North Hills High School Planetarium Director Sue Batson and Tim Manka, a member of the Amateur Astronomers' Association of Pittsburgh, operated five telescopes (four Astroscan reflector telescopes and one Dobsonian reflector telescope) on the baseball field in front of the school. This public event was attended by about 40 to 50 students, parents, and teachers from the time the sun rose above the school building until the transit concluded. Students in Ms. Batson's Astronomy class helped her build solar viewers using rear-projection screens mounted on funnels attached to the eyepieces of the telescopes, according to plans provided at the 2003 October meeting of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association. She also had a couple pairs of Solar Eclipse Glasses that a few people preferred. Programming prior to the event included showings of a planetarium show regarding the transit event (seen by hundreds of high school students and junior high school students) and a student lesson on measuring changes in light curves of extra-solar planets.

* St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Westmoreland County - A public open house was held on the roof of the Physics Building, coordinated by Assistant Professor John Smetanka.

This Internet web site is being issued by Friends of the Zeiss, in commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the dedication and opening of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science in Pittsburgh. The fifth major planetarium in the Americas was dedicated on 1939 October 24 and opened to the public the next day. Buhl Planetarium included a Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, which, until its dismantling in 2002 October, was the oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world !

On the occassion of Buhl Planetarium's 60th anniversary, in 1999, an Internet web site was issued to provide the public with the rich history of this important part of the heritage of informal Astronomy and Science education. When first posted, this web site was sponsored by the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Friends of the Zeiss assumed sponsorship of this web site, with establishment of this friends organization in 2002.