Thousands gather to glimpse Venus

More than 5,000 people headed to Mount Stromlo Observatory to view the Transit of Venus last week. The rare astronomical event, where the planet Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun, will not occur again until 2117. To celebrate the Transit, Mount Stromlo staff organised a day of celebrations with seminars, demonstrations and shows by Questacon group The Excited Particles. Academics from the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics were on hand to answer questions and help visitors view Venus through telescopes and the newly repaired Heliostat, which was damaged in the 2003 bushfires. Director of the School, Professor Harvey Butcher, said the event was a huge success. "On behalf of the School, I would like to thank all of those who volunteered their time and energy to make this a great day. A notable mention goes to Gary Hovey who, without a minute to spare, was able to get the Heliostat up and running again for the first time since the bushfires.