Contrary to a widespread belief, the Venus transit will also be the occasion for front-line research by professional astronomers. At some large solar telescopes, notably the 70-cm Vaccum Tower Telescope operated at Izaña (Tenerife, Canary Islands) by the Kiepenheuer Institute for Solar Physics ( VT-2004 National Node in Germany) and the 60-cm telescope installed in the "Einsteinturm" of the Astrophysical Institute Postdam (near Berlin, Germany), spectral studies will be made to investigate the chemical composition of Venus' upper atmosphere, a region poorly observed until now. This kind of observation is also of particular interest for the study of (transiting) exoplanets and their atmospheres. More details in a NSF Press Release (June 3).

Today, a big press event around the Venus transit takes place in Varna, Bulgaria (cf. the VT-2004 National Node in Bulgaria.

A major public event is planned in Frognerparken (Oslo) at the time of the transit by the VT-2004 National Node in Norway. The last time Norway was in a favourable position for viewing a Venus transit was in 1283.

Venus is now visible in the field of the LASCO instrument on SOHO, see the new image at the "Central Display".

A new page has been added to this website that facilitates the establishment of "Observing Partnerships" between geographically widely separated observers who would like to exchange observational data in order to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun (the "Astronomical Unit") by comparing their data. This page also includes a useful map that indicates the duration of the transit, as well as the beginning and end (UT) at different geographical locations. A step-by-step calculation form is now also available, with both Halley's and Delisle's methods.

Don't take any risks when observing the Venus transit on June 8th! Be sure to protect your eyes in the proper way! Read the Safety Instructions which have just been updated with more information and links!

VT-2004 Press Communication 05 has just been released. It will also be distributed through the usual media information channels.

One more week to go! And things are really warming up now! Yesterday, 126 new observing teams registered with the VT-2004 Observing Campaign, bringing the total to 1083, of which 431 are school classes with the teachers. The northernmost observer is on Svalbard (Norway) and the southernmost is in Antarctica - see the latest map of the geographical distribution here. There is still time to join this unique programme, but don't wait too long! At this moment, observers in Africa and Siberia are particularly needed.

A new page (reachable via the corresponding button at the "Central Display") has been set up that contains links to other websites at which photos and webcasts of the Venus Transit are expected to appear in (near-)real-time. Many of the organisations responsible for these pages are VT-2004 Network Members. If information is received in time, there will also be (links to) information about radio and satellite-based TV transmissions. Note also the plan to organize HAM radio operators around the world to communicate live via amateur radio on their observations of the Venus Transit.

Ten more days to wait until the Day of the Transit! Don't forget to prepare for this unique event!

Moving ever closer to the Sun in the sky, Venus has become a very difficult object to observe. Today the angular distance is only 15° and only 3% of Venus' disc is seen illuminated by the Sun. The planet's distance from the Earth is 45.5 million km and its diameter in the sky is 54 arcsec. Photos showing Venus' extremely thin crescent are still being obtained by experienced amateur astronomers, e.g., by Hans-Göran Lindberg (Sweden) on May 24 and Michael Zimmermann (Germany) on May 25.

There are now 907 registered observers with the VT-2004 Observing Campaign.

Basic Image Processing - available to everybody! Digital images frequently contain more information than is obvious at first glance. We want to help you in getting the most out of your digital camera images, also those of the Venus transit. An easy-to-use facility has therefore been set up at the Ondrejov Observatory (The Czech Republic) where you may submit your images and have a variety of well documented operations performed on them. The results are immediately displayed on your screen.

The Central Display area has now been opened. At this moment, only the links are functional, but we will soon begin to show images.

It would appear that the southernmost observations of the Venus Transit are being planned at the Australian Casey Station in Antarctica (latitude 66.3° South). From here, the Sun will be only two solar diameters above the horizon at the moment of the Second Contact. It is important to have as large a geographical dispersion as possible of the observers - this will improve the determination of the Astronomical Unit. Let us hope that the weather is co-operative!

Venus is now moving rapidly towards the Sun in the sky and observations are becoming increasingly difficult. Today, at 12 hrs UT, the angular distance between Venus and the Sun (the "elongation") is about 22°, Venus' diameter in the sky is 51 arcsec and the distance from the Earth is 48 million km. The crescent is getting slimmer from day to day - at this moment only 7% of the disc is illuminated by the Sun. Venus is seen as a -4.2 magnitude bright point, low in the western sky right after sunset. Higher in the sky, Mars and Saturn have moved closer together, they are now only 2° apart and about 16° from Venus.

Yesterday, the young Moon passed in front of Venus for observers in a broad geographical section across Europe and Asia. This event is refered to as a "Venus Occultation" and was followed by many amateur astronomers; some of their images and animations are now available in the Photo Archive. Today's "Photo of the Day" is a "video" of the disappearance of Venus behind the dark limb of the Moon (the "ingress phase"); it is based on images obtained every 5 seconds and covers a period of 70 seconds in real-time.

VT-2004 Press Communication 04 has just been released. It will also be distributed through the usual media information channels.

Two days after New Moon, the Moon today passed in front of Venus for observers in a broad geographical section across Europe and Asia. This event is refered to as a "Venus Occultation" and was followed by many amateur astronomers; the first images were received from the Public Observatory in Hradec Kralové (Czech Republic). See also the short video of the disappearance of Venus [the "ingress phase" - Animated GIF - 688k - real-time duration 70 sec] that was prepared by Herbert Raab of the Linzer Astronomische Gemeinschaft (Austria).

The "Day of the Transit" page now contains useful advice for anybody who is not a professional or amateur astronomer and who wants to partake in the unique celestial event. Read the step-by-step join-the-transit explanations, with plenty of ideas and suggestions for how to get the most of this occasion!.

Observations of the Venus transit will also be made from the SOHO spacecraft. It will see Venus passing in front of the solar corona - see the special webpage.

The introductory page for amateur astronomers has been updated with more useful links towards the many pages at the VT-2004 website that descibe fine opportunities for observations and interaction with the general public around the Venus Transit event.

Four more animations are now available at the corresponding page, demonstrating the (small) difference of view when observing the four "contacts" between Venus and the solar limb from different geographical locations (Helsinki and Faro).

A 40-sec video (VT-2004 Animation F) is now available that shows the "ingress" and "egress" phases of the occultation of Venus by the Moon on May 21, i.e. the disappearance of the planet's crescent behind the dark edge of the Moon and its re-appearance at the bright limb.

Two new, extremely hot exoplanets have just been found with the transit method, cf. ESO Press Release 11/04. This discovery provides a very timely demonstration of the power of this method, shortly before the Venus Transit next month. More information about exoplanets is available in VT-2004 InfoSheet E1 and the related talk given by Gero Rupprecht during the Brandys meeting.

VT-2004 Press Communication 03 has just been released. It is also being distributed through the usual media information channels and contains, among others, a brief report about the VT-2004 meeting in Brandys, with a link to a new page with many of the reports delivered there.

From today till Sunday, about 40 amateur astronomers from 30 countries meet with the members of the VT-2004 Interntional Steering Committee in Brandys near Prague (Czech Republic). This encounter will serve to discuss in depth how observations of the Venus passage can best be done. A report on this meeting will follow in VT-2004 Press Communication No. 3 and the Amateurs' webpage will be updated right thereafter.

Venus is at its brightest during these days, at visual magnitude -4.4. It is now about 8 times brighter than Jupiter and over 20 times brighter than the brighest star in the sky, Sirius. From now on, Venus will slowly begin to fade as it moves closer towards the Western horizon in the evening sky. And Venus' crescent now diminishes rapidly, as we see it more and more "from behind".

Tomorrow evening's total lunar eclipse will be transmitted live from several sites. You will find a list of webcast addresses at the Astronet website (The Netherlands).

A special easy-to-use Teachers' Guide ( Word, 160 k - PDF, 95k) has been prepared for busy teachers who would like to introduce their students to the Venus transit event but have little time to spare, both in preparation for this and in class.

VT-2004 Press Communication 02 has just been released. It is also being distributed through the usual media information channels.

Detailed "Guidelines for Observers" are now available. They have been prepared so that they will also be very useful for school classes.

VT-2004 Press Communication 02 has just been released. It is also being distributed through the usual media information channels.

How much do you know about the Venus Transit ? Try the VT-2004 quiz!

Very useful guidelines for observations of the Venus Transit within the VT-2004 Observation Campaign (e.g., by school classes) are described in a Power-Point presentation prepared by Rostislav Halas (Czech Republic).

Today, Venus and Mars are only 5.6° apart in the sky - this is the closest they come this time. The Moon has moved on and is now seen above Saturn. On May 4, beginning at about 20 hrs UT (i.e. in the evening in Europe), the Full Moon will take on a deep-red colour when it moves through the Earth's shadow during a "Total Lunar Eclipse".

A 28-min TV-programme about the Venus Transit and the VT-2004 Programme is being produced in the Czech Republic (Czech and English versions). Interested media representatives will find more information here (Word).

The first in a series of VT-2004 Press Communications ( VT-2004 Press Communication 01) is now available at this website. It is also being distributed through the usual media information channels.

In a few days' time, there will be a beautiful view of the Moon and four planets (Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter) in the Western sky. On April 23, the Moon will be close to Mars, and Venus - see how this will look like here.

An excellent presentation of the Venus Transit by Robert Wielinga (The Netherlands) is now available ( PPT - Quicktime).

The meeting between the VT-2004 National Nodes and the International Steering Committee on April 17 at the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany) was very useful. Participants from Norway to Malta and from Portugal to Bulgaria discussed all possible aspects of the VT-2004 programme. An enormous number of activities and events are planned in all of the countries. Many VT-2004 Node websites (in the local languages!) are already very well developed and certainly worth a visit. More details will be announced in a "VT-2004 Press Communication" to be issued in the coming week.

A meeting is held today between the VT-2004 Nodes and the International Steering Committee at the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany).

A new VT-2004 Top Page has been installed which provides a quick overview of the large number of opportunities at this website. There is also a "Photo of the Day" which will feature some of the best images around this event. At the same time, the navigation buttons on the left side have been re-arranged.

A Kids' area has been opened with information about the Venus Transit 2004, related stories and nice drawings and photos.

A Photo page has been opened that with photos related to Venus and the transit event. Proposals for entries are welcome. Send them to vt-2004@eso.org.

The official launch of the VT-2004 website and the simultaneous publication of a comprehensive Press Release has just taken place.

Visit the new VT-2004 website on that day and discover many exciting aspects of this large-scale public education programme!

A meeting took place in Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg) during the week-end (January 23-25,2004) with participation of about 30 physics teachers from secondary schools in about 25 European countries and members of the VT-2004 International Steering Committee. It served to define in some detail the content and format of the educational material that will be published at this website and help teachers and students to engage in activities in connection with the Venus Transit. More news about this important issue will follow soon.

The VT-2004 Network (January 22, 2004)

Please note the series of pages that provide access to current lists (by countries/regions) of the many educational institutions, organisations, associations, planetaria, astronomy clubs, etc., which are officially associated with the VT-2004 programme as members of the VT-2004 Network . The links to their websites will help you to learn more about the activities around the Venus Transit event in the corresponding geographical areas. If your organisation plans activities in connection with the Venus Transit on June 8, 2004, and wishes to join the VT-2004 network, please send an email with the name and address, together with information about those activities as well as your URL for the link from the corresponding (country/region) page, to the VT-2004 programme organisers at vt-2004@eso.org.