The Ellis College of Arts and Sciences 1100 Henderson Street Arkadelphia, AR 71999-0001
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Arkadelphia, AR 71923 Permit No. 60
Physics professors share once-in-a-century view Dr. Rick McDaniel, chair of the physics department; Dr. Jules Mollere, retired professor of physics; and Mr. Jim Duke, along with other physics department faculty, hosted a public observance of the transit of Venus across the face of the sun June 5. The event occurs in pairs eight years apart, once every 121 years. This spring’s transit was the second of a pair; Dr. Mollere and Dr. McDaniel saw the first of this pair together eight years ago. Working with Jim Duke, planetarium manager, they provided an 8-inch telescope with a filter that cuts out 99.99 percent of the sun’s rays to enable public observation without damaging the human eye. Dr. Mollere noted that Galileo had destroyed his eyesight looking at the unfiltered sun to discover sun spots. The department also provided a wooden device called a sun spotter (see photo) to allow the crowd to witness the event. The next transits of Venus will occur Dec. 10–11, 2117, and again in December 2125. Perhaps Henderson’s physics department will enable public viewing of these as well.
MASS TRANSIT – Venus enters and slowly crosses the sun’s disk as a black dot in these images from the sun spotter and telescope.
Below – Dr. Jules Mollere is shown manning the telescope.