Fran & Richard Geek Out!

 

So, here we are in Anacortes, viewing the transit of Venus.  We both feel like real junior astronomers.

The photos show an early stage of the transit, and the maximum transit (maximum distance from the edge of the disc of the sun).  We watched the first and second contact (when Venus first was visible on the disc of the sun) on NASAEdge from Mauna Kea, (slurping up the wifi here at the marina).  And that’s how we’ll watch the exit contacts as the sun will be below the horizon here in Washington, or at least below the hills to the west.

It’s been a great way to spend the day – probably won’t be around for the next one.  Oh, and note the image from our cool new monitor for the ship’s computer – they said it couldn’t be done!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After becoming slightly uncomfortable with using ALL the wifi, we decided to view the transit ourselves (that, and the sun came out).  How’d we do it?  We took our Cannon 15ximage stabilized binoculars, an old tripod, and some good old GCI Corporate Development graph paper and watched it “in person”!  No eclipse glasses needed.

 

 

On a less geeky note, tonight we’re harvesting our very first shitake mushrooms!  They will be cooked in butter…..yes, butter, onions, and a little garlic.  And paired with salmon Teriyaki, if I can figure out what mirin is….Hmm, maybe it’ll be fine without it.

Yup, it was!