Astronomical talk at conservation society
The meeting will take place on April 21 in Modderfontein Town Hall
When planet Mercury passes between Earth and the sun, the phenomenon is known as the transit of Mercury (TOM).
The same applies to planet Venus (TOV). These are rare events, with TOM happening about 13 times in 100 years and TOV occurring every 120 years.
On Monday, May 9, planet Mercury will pass between Earth and the sun and to prepare you for this, Prof John Shochot will make a presentation at the next evening meeting of Modderfontein Conservation Society.
The meeting will take place on April 21 in Modderfontein Town Hall, 1 Casino Road, at 7.30pm.
When the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, we are well aware of the full or partial eclipse, but the TOM phenomenon is visually underwhelming and can’t even be seen. Prof Shochot will discuss why TOM and TOV are important, some of the tales of their observations and the South African connection.
“The first observation of TOM was in 1631 but astronomer Johannes Kepler predicted this event some time before that,” explains Shochot. “Many famous astronomers have participated in these observations and there are interesting stories about them.
“South Africa has a proud history of astronomy starting with the Royal Observatory Cape of Good Hope up to the present with the South African Large Telescope (SALT) at Sutherland and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in the Northern Cape Karoo.”
Shochot, a resident of Thornhill Estate in Modderfontein, lectured at Wits University for 30 years during which time he was a part-time narrator at the Johannesburg planetarium for about seven years. He has conducted many astronomical tours to some remote places in his observance of the heavens above.
Visitors are welcome to attend this talk. An entrance fee of R30 is charged to help cover expenses.
For more information, call Peter Olive on 011-608-2799 or 083-461-6221.
