news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-01/21/content_1286212.htm I am having
difficulty uploading and thought you may be able to find out what the board thinks about this bit where Venus will be passing in font of the moon...then the sun. This is supposed to take place this year. Is this possible?

[Edited on 21-1-2004 by Kano]

Astronomical events forecast for Year of Monkey

www.chinaview.cn 2004-01-21 15:05:56


BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- As the Chinese Lunar New Year draws near, the Beijing Planetarium's "Amateur Astronomer" magazine on Wednesday told Chinese people of major astronomical events that will take place in the "Year of Monkey".

According to the chief editor of "Amateur Astronomer" Qi Rui, atotal lunar eclipse will occur at 2 to 4 a.m. (Beijing time) on May 5. It will be visible over Asia, South America, Europe and Africa.

The total eclipse would be a spectacular sight when the Moon iswell within the Earth's shadow and deeply colored by the Earth's atmosphere, said Qi.

And when the eclipse happens that night, several planets -- Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter will shine brightly together in the western sky. Two comets -- C/2001Q4(NEAT) and C/2002T7(LINEAR),will appear in the darkness too.

Mid and late May will be the best time to observe NEAT in the Northern Hemisphere and mid-May is best for LINEAR observation in the Southern Hemisphere. The Beijing Planetarium would organize people to observe LINEAR in Australia, said Qi.

On May 21, Venus will be seen passing across the Moon. Northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces will be the best place to watch it.

The rarest event in 2004 will occur at 1:13 to 7:25 (Beijing time) on June 8, when the planet Venus crosses the Sun as seen from Earth.

"The last occasion when this happened was 1882, over a century ago. The next time will be 2012 and the time after, 2117," Qi said.

Observers will be able to see it from most Chinese provinces. The planetarium will arrange observers to go to Dunhuang and Jiayuguan in Gansu Province.

Moreover, five meteor showers will be visible in 2004, namely Lyrids on April 21 to 22, Perseids on August 12, Orionids on October 21, Leonids on Nov. 17 and Geminids on Dec. 13, according to their forecast. Enditem

It's impossible for Venus to pass in-between the Earth and moon. For 1, they are on different orbital paths, and 2, Venus probably wouldn't be able to make it through the gap without colliding with either earth or the Moon.

Thankyou..I wasnt so sure anout this

Jeez, Don't let Nancy Leidner see that!




I don't think that they meant that venus was going to pass between the moon and the Earth.

According to the article, they make it sound as though these things will happen only over there and not in the U.S., Hopefully we can get a glimpse of at least some of these things.

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

This made me laugh when I saw it.

Yeah... the moon and the sun are very different things.

A NOTE FOR WHOEVER PENNED THAT ARTICLE:

The moon is the round white one that looks like a toenail clipping sometimes. The sun is the big yellow one that goes away inexplicably at night, and hurts when you look at it.

If Venus passed between Earth and the Moon twice per century, then we would never have existed... it'd create a gravity well that would suck most everything off both planets...

Don't cross the streams.

Originally posted by Xenographer
Yeah... the moon and the sun are very different things.

A NOTE FOR WHOEVER PENNED THAT ARTICLE:

The moon is the round white one that looks like a toenail clipping sometimes. The sun is the big yellow one that goes away inexplicably at night, and hurts when you look at it.

If Venus passed between Earth and the Moon twice per century, then we would never have existed... it'd create a gravity well that would suck most everything off both planets...

Don't cross the streams.

LMAO
No, this would not be a good thing.

It would, however, make for some AWESOME viewing of Venus through my scope.

BG

Venus is going to pass between the moon and earth, and no one's really worried about it slamming into us or anything, right?

(It's a venusian vacation from it's orbit, it wanted to see the Bahamas)

Would be a good time for a trip to venus you could take a plane

Interesting...there's that 2012 date again !

Easier for Venus to pass between the Earth and Moon than for a rich man to get into heaven.

But then again, it's easier for a rich man to become president than get a camel to wipe it's butt.

What's really hard is getting eye of needle, camel, Venus, moon, rich man, President and butt all in one sentence.

Oh I just did.

Originally posted by RANT
Easier for Venus to pass between the Earth and Moon than for a rich man to get into heaven.

But then again, it's easier for a rich man to become president than get a camel to wipe it's butt.

What's really hard is getting eye of needle, camel, Venus, moon, rich man, President and butt all in one sentence.

Oh I just did.

Er...good job?

Venus is at about magnitude -3.8 right now, and is steadily rising in the western sky. In April, with the apperarance of comet (NEAT C/2001 Q4), venus will be at about magnitude -4.5!!!!!! It will be visible in daytime as a hazy white patch.

[Edited on 23-1-2004 by TheConservative]

Venus is infact "standing on the moon" that day. And it looks as if it is held up by the constellation of Kesil (Orion). Quite interresting when we have China telling us it's gonna happen in some quite remarkable hocus pocus way. Would be interresting to know where all their satelite spaceships are..... Probably just a prophetic confusion about their ongoing space program.

Blessings,
Mikromarius

[Edited on 23-1-2004 by mikromarius]

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
It's impossible for Venus to pass in-between the Earth and moon. For 1, they are on different orbital paths, and 2, Venus probably wouldn't be able to make it through the gap without colliding with either earth or the Moon.

And isn't Venus so hot there are lakes of glowing lead there.... Could be quite a damning experience if the Chinese astrologers were right. If something passes between the Moon and Earth that day, it sure isn't Venus. But maybe some kind of ship?

Blessings,
Mikromarius

mikromarius, you are right. Venus is actually even hotter than Mercury. The green house gases in the atmosphere hold in so much heat that the planet is a couple hundred degrees warmer than mercury.