Information technologies and science: Photo of Venus passing along the disc of the Sun goes Online

Astronomers, working with the Japanese satellite HINODE, have published photos of Venus’ passing across the solar disk. Pictures and their descriptions are available at the web site of NASA.

The transit of Venus (as the event is called) is of considerable interest to scientists. Astronomers have used it to confirm the certain data. The first large-scale observations were made in 1761 and 1769.

The frequency of transit of Venus across the solar disk is due to the peculiarities of the orbits of the planet and the Earth. A suitable configuration of celestial bodies occurs four times in 243 years. Time intervals between transits are 8 years, 121.5 years, 8 years old and 105.5 respectively.

On September 23, 2006 HINODE was launched into space from the Japanese Uchinoura spaceport. The main purpose of the spacecraft is to study the Sun. Installed at the observatory instruments allow the satellite to observe the solar corona, as well as to measure the speed and direction of the solar wind.