Venus Transit Imaged by John Moore

Third Contact - no black drop!

Transit of Venus – 8th June 2004. There had been much discussion before this event as to whether the previously reported ‘black drop’ effect was real. It was supposed to become visible as the two discs touched at second and third contacts. Some said it was real and others that it was an artefact of poor seeing and or poor optics. This image which is of quite high resolution (taken with a webcam attached to an Intes Micro MN78)  shows no sign of  it, and convinces me that it is an artefact.