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Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Overcast skies and rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of 250 guests, scientists, amateur astronomers, school students and visitors at the Gingin Observatory and Gravity Discovery Centre this morning to celebrate the 2012 transit of Venus.

The Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, Professor Paul Johnson, welcomed the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency Dr Malcolm McCusker, to the Gingin Gravity Precinct, to inaugurate the celebration of the rare astronomical event.

A transit of Venus occurs when the planet passes between the Sun and the Earth, appearing as a small black disc moving across the face of the Sun.

Although rain and clouds obscured direct observation at Gingin of today's transit, spectators watched the passage of Venus across the Sun projected onto a big screen via a live feed from a solar telescope in Hawaii.

Other guests at today's celebration included the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and State Member for Moore, the Honourable Grant Woodhams; the Federal Member for Moore, Dr Mal Washer; Italy's Scientific Attache to Australia, Professor Oscar Moze; and the Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Professor Lyn Beazley.

Professor Johnson said Britain's discovery of Australia was linked historically to the 1769 transit of Venus when Lieutenant James Cook sailed HMS Endeavour on a scientific expedition to Tahiti to observe it and continued on to explore Terra Australis Incognita.

Earlier yesterday, the Director of the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre, UWA Winthrop Professor David Blair, spoke live on ABC Radio to describe the scene at dawn from atop the 45-metre tall "Leaning Tower of Gingin" at the Gravity Discovery Centre, which is adjacent to the UWA-affiliated observatory.

Today's transit also prompted an article titled ‘ A Tale of Two Expeditions' in The Conversation by ARC Research Fellow and UWA Associate Professor David Coward about the misfortunes of French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil at the time of the 1769 Cook expedition.  Alas - as at Gingin yesterday - Le Gentil's carefully planned observation from Pondicherry, in India, was obscured by clouds.

The next transit of Venus will occur in December 2117.

Media references

Winthrop Professor David Blair (UWA School of Physics,  (+61 8)  6488 2736  /  (+61 4) 09 687 703
Director Australian International Gravitational Research Centre)
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783

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