Clouds and rain greeted visitors to the Cronyn Observatory for the Saturday evening Open House, June 2nd, 8:30 p.m. Professor Jan Cami made his digital slide presentation, “Transit of Venus, June 5, 2012,” before 11 visitors. Besides the visitors, Henry Leparskas from Western’s Physics and Astronomy Department was there along with RASC London Centre members Bob Duff, Peter Jedicke, Charlie Moher and Richard Gibbens. Faculty member Professor Paul Wiegert gave a tour of the 25.4cm refractor to some of the visitors but rain ruled out opening the dome.
Plans for the Transit of Venus public outreach event, including an art, science and historical display in the Cronyn Observatory lecture room, and observing the transit by solar projection using a Herschel wedge with the 25.4cm refractor in the dome and through amateur telescopes set up on Springett Parking Lot, were discussed. Everybody was pretty well gone by 9:40 p.m. and the Observatory was closed around 10:00 p.m.
Bob Duff
Higher Education Liaison
RASC London Centre