Analemma Rising Sun with Venus transit

An analemma is shaped curve "8" you get to mark the position of the Sun at the same time every day of the year Earth. In this case, the 17 photographs taken at 02:31 TU between 2 April and 16 September are half the analemma curve. The photos look east, toward the rising sun and the Caspian Sea, from the harbor promenade of Baku in Azerbaijan.

Dates mentioned, covering roughly the period between the equinoxes of 2012 (pictured at right), ie, between March 20 and September 22, match the shots in which the Sun was closer the horizon. The solstice in the northern hemisphere summer, occurred on June 20, corresponds to the upper left of the "8" when the sun was at its maximum declination north.

A solar observation opens to the public

The Basque Biodiversity Center, placed in the town Busturia Vizcaya, has organized for this Sunday, in collaboration with Biscayne Astronomical Association; a solar observation will take place outside the center and is open to all public. The day will begin at 11:30 am with a short talk in the auditorium of the center, to explain to people attending some basics about the Sun and clarify questions about what you are going to see later. At noon, start solar observation through telescopes equipped with both white light filter to observe sunspots as hydrogen-alpha filter to see the bumps of the Sun For observation, Biscayne Astronomical Association will make available to the attending a minimum of four telescopes.

Disclosed images of space photography contest

The winner in 2011 showed the phenomenon of Whirlpool Galaxy, and this year, the focus is on the phenomenon of Venus and the transition between the Earth and the Sun.

The fourth version of the Astronomy Photographer competition, sponsored by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, and Night Sky magazine, chose the best images of the universe, which took place in the last contest of 2011 and can be seen from today and until February 5, 2013, at the headquarters of the observatory, in London.