In early June the planet Venus will be visible in the daytime as it crosses in front of the sun. Unless medical science invents some way to extend human life well beyond 100 years, the June 5-6, 2012 transit of Venus will likely be the last one anyone alive today will ever see; the next Venus transit won’t take place until December 2117 — 105 years from now.
This month’s GAAC guest speaker, Robert Naeye, Editor in Chief of Sky & Telescope magazine, will highlight the rare geometric alignments that must take place for transits of Venus to occur, and why they occur so infrequently. Also included will be an historical overview of Venus transits, which scientists used to discover Venus’s atmosphere and measure the distance between Earth and the Sun. Mr Naeye, who watched the entire 2004 Venus transit from the tomb of Cyrus the Great (founder of the Persian Empire) in Iran, will describe how to view the transit safely, and what you can expect to see when Venus crosses the disk of the Sun.
GAAC will meet at 8:00 on Friday, April 13 at St Paul Lutheran Church in Lanesville. The public is welcome; there is no cost.
Schooner Adventure Spirng Lecture
April 19th – Don Cheney, Marine Science Center, Northeastern University “The Growing Problem with Seaweed Blooms and Their Newly Discovered Potential Harmful Effects”
May 17th – Thomas French, Ph.D., Asst. Director, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Westborough, MA, “Protecting Biodiversity on Northeast Massachusetts”
Jurek Schreiner’s photo exhibit ‘The Splendor of Asia’ is up at Cape Ann Coffees for the months of April and May. This is the opening for the show. Jurek will be present, offering additional explanations to the photographs. Spread the word!
Good Morning Gloucester 