Did you watch the transit of Venus last night? Clouds threatened, but it sounds like they cleared in time for most to see the transit.
Check out the photos above and to the left to see how others saw it. Or if you have your own to share, upload them here.
Was it all you thought it would (or wouldn't) be? E-mail me at sdance@baltsun.com or tweet to @MdWeather with your reaction.
Read more about the transit in my story from Sunday's paper:
When Venus passed between Earth and the sun 251 years ago Tuesday, scientists scribbled downobservations that helped calculate a rough estimate of the size of our solar system. Using crudetelescopes, they watched the yellow planet move across the sun's face as a tiny black disk.
There is little more the same rare phenomenon, known as a transit of Venus, will reveal about ourclosest neighbors in space when it occurs again Tuesday. But astronomers will be watchingnonetheless, hoping it will teach them to better discover and investigate planets that are much fartheraway and could sustain life.
That's not to mention that it will be the last transit of Venus visible in these parts for 113 years,offering a rare perspective of the heavens above. Scientists and backyard astronomers around theworld will gather Tuesday to watch the celestial event.
"It's sort of an exciting thing to be able to see," said Dan Richman, a physics graduate student atthe Johns Hopkins University. "It's nice to be reminded sometimes that we're part of this group ofplanets spinning around the sun."
