On June 5th Venus transited the Sun's disk for the second time in 4 yrs. This event will not be seen again in our lifetime. Below are some images of our setup at Ocean Springs front beach and some images of the Transit and a short video of the transit. Unfortunately, thunderstorms and clouds cut our imaging a bit short but the disk of venus could still be seen through the clouds. We were able to image for about an hour and a half prior to running for cover.
The setup included my astrotrac and portable pier with a 3" refractor and 350D DSLR. On the tripod I used a Vixen Polarie tracker with a Canon 5D and 200mm Lens. The scope in the back was used to visually look at the sun. All optics used Baader solar filters.
A closer view of the Vixen Polarie tracker and Canon 5D with a 200mm zoom lens
Venus in front of the suns disk taken through high clouds with the Stellarvue Blackhawk and 350D. You can also see small black sunspots below venus near the center of the sun's disk.

Video of Venus transiting the Sun's disk during the first 90min's of the transit

The June 5 2012 Transit of Venus

Image Details

  • Optics : Stellarvue SV80 Blackhawk with a SFF7-21 Field Flattener
  • Mount: Astrotrac and portable Pier
  • Camera: Canon 350D
  • Filters: Baader solar filter film
  • Exposure: 1/250 sec
  • Camera/Mount Control: None
  • Location: Ocean Springs front Beach, Ocean Springs, MS
  • Date: 5 Jun 12