Clouds obscure Venus for hundreds in MetroParks Farm this evening

CANFIELD

Area residents hoping to see the rare Transit of Venus across the face of the sun through filtered telescopes at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm this evening were disappointed because the sun was obscured by clouds.

However, a Youngstown State University faculty member said the

silver lining in the clouds was that the transit gave him and other members of the university’s planetarium staff a chance to educate the public about the universe.

“We always hope that people are going to come out and not only see the transit, like we hoped that they would, but to learn about the transit” and other aspects of the solar system, said Dr. Patrick Durrell, associate professor of physics and astronomy and planetarium director.

The only people who saw the transit at the farm were those who watched it live on the Internet on their smartphones as seen from telescopes located where the sun wasn’t hidden behind clouds.

Unfortunately, the Transit of Venus won’t be repeated until 2117.

Had the clouds not interfered, the Tuesday viewing at the farm would have been facilitated by filtered telescopes set by YSU’s Ward-Beecher Planetarium staff and members of the Mahoning Valley Astronomical Society.

Some 200 people gathered at the farm by the 6 p.m. start of the transit, but most of them left within an hour after it became clear that any unobstructed view of the sun would be unlikely.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.