Despite the cloudy condition in Armidale last week, PLC students hosted Dr Terry Bohlsen and his telescope to observe the Transit of Venus.
Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena, the event occurring only twice in our lifetime, one eight years ago and again last week on June 6.
The pattern repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The next transits of Venus will be December 10-11, 2117, and in December 2125.
The cloudy conditions challenged the enthusiastic students and meant they repeatedly came running out from class to see nothing; however, this just added to the excitement. At lunchtime, the skies opened briefly and students from Kindergarten to Year 12 witnessed the little dot of Venus passing across the surface of the Sun.
PLC Armidale wish to thank Dr Bohlsen for giving up his time and allowing the students to use his equipment. This was a much appreciated example of the PLC Community donating from their expertise.
