[2012-06-08] Subway to Venus

I was trying to think of a fancy/funny/generally not boring title for this post, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Then the Red Hot Chili Peppers song 'Subway to Venus' came on, so I thought that'd do. And what better way to transit to another planet than a subway? I was also trying to think of a fancy/funny/generally not boring introduction to this post, so I thought explaining the title that I'd chosen only 2 seconds earlier seemed appropriate, which in case you haven't realised, is referring to the transit of Venus that happened on June 6. The transit of Venus is when Venus' orbit passes between the sun and Earth, similar to a Solar eclipse.  If you missed, not to worry, you can always see it next year. LOL JK! It won't happen again until 2117. Venus transits happen in pairs, with the second occurring 8 years after the first. The pairs are separated by alternating periods of 105.5 and 121.5 years, creating a pattern that recurs every 243 years. And since the one that just happened was the second in it's pair...chances are you'll die before the next one comes around.

So here's a really bad compilation I found...it's just like seeing the real thing!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to physically watch it myself. There was a special viewing event at the uni, where they gave you the special glasses (like the old cardboard 3D glasses, but with special filters for looking at the sun), but I didn't have time to go in for that. I tried to improvise at home by looking through my t-shirt, but that just turned out to be a bright, fuzzy mess. You can also use a welding visor (very darkly tinted glass), but I don't have any of that lying around. So instead, I sat inside and watched live streams of of on my laptop.

That's right, not 1, but 2 live streams, simultaneously! This was my view at 10.30am

As awesome as it is to see, the transit takes place over several hours, so it moves rather slowly and isn't overly exciting after the first 30 seconds or so. So I created a playlist to accompany it:

Sing for Absolution - Muse

Exogenesis Part 1: Overture - Muse

Exogenesis Part 2: Cross-Pollination - Muse

Exogenesis Part 3: Redemption - Muse

Sunburn - Muse

Subway to Venus - Red Hot Chili Peppers

They're not necessarily about anything to do with the sun or Venus, but they've just got a spacey feel to them. There's many other songs I could've chosen, but I didn't. So if you want to suggest your own, better playlist for next time - oh wait.

And that's what my screen looked like after my playlist had finished.

If you look on the left screen, the black spot of Venus has moved bugger all in relation to the sun, while the sun itself has moved considerably. In reality though, the only thing moving was the camera, after scientists/journalists presumably left it in the hands of a monkey upon realising that nothing was going to happen any time soon. The right screen on the other hand, has changed completely. I believe the good fellows at UQ also realised that not much changes in the course of a long time, but rather than abandon their equipment, they decided to make things interesting by changing the feed every now and then. With Venus being a popular topic at the moment, it got me thinking; if women are from Venus, how did they get here?

Well that explains it. Although judging by the trajectory of that spaceship (trust me, it's not a plane...), I'd say some women are on their way home.

And what better time to arrive (or leave) than on a transit past Earth. the planets are nice and close, the sun provides good lighting, and considering how often (or rarely) they occur, I'd take advantage of it. Not me personally, since men are from Mars apparently...I wonder what an Earth transit past Mars would look like?

I'll leave you with a very nice video put together by NASA. Some really good footage taken through various filters. It's kinda cool...kinda amazing...kinda will never see again in your lifetime (unless you hit replay).

I've got a new poll up, asking your favourite planet. Results from the last poll put Iron Man as the #1 Avenger, with no one else getting any votes - not even the Black Widow. That's all for now.

Chris