MydeaMedia

Could amphibious homes prove a solution to floods? Floating houses among ideas touted as answer to yearly inundations

• House is fixed in a dock and designed to rise as waters fill the foundations
• It is just one of a range of solutions being investigated by authorities
• In the recent days more then 900 homes have been flooded in the UK

By Damien Gayle

Houses that rise and fall with the level of groundwater have been touted as the latest solution to the now seemingly annual floods inundating portions of the UK every autumn.

Over the past week, days of torrential rain have flooded roads and more than 900 homes across the UK, leaving hundreds unable to return to their homes.

The Environment Agency has warned that the flood risk remains high across the country, with 277 alerts and 204 warnings in place in England and Wales.

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Amphibious living: This floating home, currently under construction on the banks of the Thames in Buckinghamshire, raises to safety when the river bursts its banks

Now authorities are looking at a range of solutions for dealing with ever more frequent floods, including homes which float as waters rise.

Baca Architects were earlier this year granted permission to build Britain's first amphibious house along the banks of the Thames in Buckinghamshire.

The house, which is a replacement for another property, rests on land, but in the event of the river bursting its banks, it is able to rise with the water to keep its inhabitants dry.

The floating house is just one idea being looked at by the Environment Agency as it investigates new technologies for dealing with floods, the BBC reported.

 

Flood risk engineer Tony Andryszewski said the agency is keen to look at how other countries deal with repeat flooding, particularly the Netherlands which is seen as a world leader in flood management technologies.

Homes are frequently built on stilts in countries like Thailand, Burma, India and Bangladesh, which all have regions notoriously susceptible to catastrophic flooding.

But the more elegant solution of homes that float is more rare, although examples of different designs exist in Germany, Canada, the U.S. and even Taggs Island in the UK.

Rustic look: How the finished house will look in the leafy environs of Buckinghamshire. Amphibious houses are just one of a range of solutions being looked at by the Environment Agency

All mod cons: How the house will look inside, with its panoramic views across the Thames

The Baca project currently under construction in Bucks will however be the UK's first fully amphibious house.

Part of the award-winning LifE (Long-term Initiatives for Flood-risk Environments) project, of which Baca is a partner, the house is designed as a free-floating pontoon resting in fixed foundations.

'The floating house is secured by four dolphins (permanent vertical posts) arranged close up to the sidewalls,' Baca explains.

'The assembly is sited within a wet dock comprising retaining walls and base slab. When flooding occurs the dock fills with water and the house rises accordingly.'

Every aspect is designed to stop any water penetrating inside so if  a flood strikes the owners can  stay put.

A carefully laid out garden will act as a natural early warning flood system, with terraces set at different levels designed to flood incrementally and alert the occupants well before the water reaches a threatening level.

The lowest terrace will be planted with reeds, another with shrubs and plants, another will be lawn and the highest step will be a patio with access into the dining room.

Floating mechanism: The house is sited within a wet dock comprising retaining walls and base slab. When flooding occurs the dock fills with water and the house rises accordingly

All the pipes, ducts and wires for water, gas, electricity and sewage disposal in such amphibious homes are flexible, designed to remain functional even when the house rises several metres from its usual position.

HOW DO THE DUTCH DO IT?

With most of the land mass of the Netherlands lying below sea level, it is perhaps no surprise that the Dutch have developed the world's best flood management technologies.

The inhabitants of the region of since the 12th century been draining delta swamps to create artificial dry land - areas known as polders - at first using pumps powered by their famous windmills, like those pictured below.

There are now about 3,500 low-lying polders in the Netherlands. Although enclosed by dykes, they easily collect water from rain, rivers and the sea so must be constantly pumped to keep waters at bay.

Dutch flood agency spokesman Jos Maccabiani told the BBC: 'Since the last major flood in 1953, in which more than 1,800 people died, this system has been upgraded to very high standards.'

Computer simulations have been used to demonstrate that the Netherlands' modern flood defences should be able to withstand an inundation so severe it would be expected only once every 10,000 years, he added.

'Nevertheless, with the ever-increasing urbanisation of our polders and flood plains, spatial planning is increasingly combined with flood resilience,' Mr Maccabiani said.

'There are projects under way where urban revitalisation of a city is combined with the widening of the river bed, lowering the peak water levels, and others that look into flood-proofing the country's highway infrastructure.'

With an estimated value of £1.5million, it will cost around  20 per cent more than building a conventional similar-sized home – but there should be major savings on insurance costs.

There will be no communities built using Baca's floating homes, since regulations restrict new homes being built so close to the river (the Bucks house is a replacement for another which will be torn down), however the Environment agency and its partners are also looking at other solutions to rising water levels.

The LifE Project envisages a new approach to development that embraces water and allows for the increased risks posed by flooding as climate change raises water levels across the world.

With the UK currently in the grip of a housing crisis, it is hoped the project will unlock sites that are currently not considered suitable for development by managing and reducing flood risk overall.

By building in features to developments that can both help prevent flooding, and lessen its impact when it is unavoidable, the project focuses on managing risk that can help homeowners, and insurers, plan for the future.

A spokesman for Baca said: 'Amphibious houses or sometimes known as 'can-float' homes are a new phenomenon in the UK.

'As the cost of flood events start to have a more significant bearing on the public purse and the insurance secure demand higher levels of protection from the individual, flood resilient homes will become more common place.

'In the future communities that are holistically planned - that is to consider landscaping, urban design, energy and architecture simultaneously will be better prepared for flood events and climate change.

'Dwellings will be low carbon, and organized around multifunctional landscapes that will help control surface water flooding or act a large flood storage areas.

'New communities will be made up of streets of flood resilient dwellings located on the highest ground with amphibious homes located in the transitional zones between development and the natural environment.

'The long-term goal is to design communities that function as normal, preserving continuity of daily life during droughts and floods. Our intention, through our research and built work is that we can demonstrate that the future is not far away.'

Ajmal Kasab hanged at Pune's Yerawada Jail this morning

Ajmal Kasab hanged at Pune's Yerawada Jail this morning Mumbai: Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, was hanged to death at Pune's Yerawada Jail at 7:30 this morning, in a swift and secret execution. An hour later, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil announced the hanging and said the execution took place after sufficient chance given to the terrorist to prove his innocence. The minister recounted that the death sentence handed to him by a special trial court was upheld both by the High Court and the Supreme Court; Kasab faced charges ranging from treason to waging war against India. President Pranab Mukherjee had rejected Kasab's mercy petition on November 5, but the execution was kept under wraps and an announcement was made only after he was hanged. The Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist was shifted from Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to Pune's Yerawada Jail this Monday. Yerawada Jail is one of the two jails in Maharashtra where prisoners on death row are hanged. 4:13 Ajmal Kasab hanged at Pune's Yerawada Jail this morning 8:00 No mercy for Kasab, recommends Home Ministry in report to President 166 people were killed in the 26/11 attacks in 2008, when 10 men from Pakistan sailed into Mumbai. They split into pairs and spent 72 hours targeting the city's landmarks. A hospital was attacked; so was a Jewish centre. Kasab was the only terrorist who was caught alive. The execution comes one day before the Winter Session of Parliament begins. Since his arrest in 2008, Kasab was kept in a high-security bulletproof cell in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail. He had moved the Supreme Court on February 14 this year against the High Court verdict of October 10 last year, which upheld a lower court order sentencing the 25-year-old terrorist to death. The lower court had pronounced its judgement on May 6, 2010, 18 months after he was captured. Kasab's mercy petition was filed first with the Maharashtra Home Ministry, which rejected it in September, and forwarded it to the Union Home Ministry. Then, in October, the Home Ministry recommended that President Pranab Mukherjee reject his plea. In his plea before the Supreme Court Kasab had said that he had not been given a fair trial. But the Supreme Court had rejected that contention and Justice CK Prasad had observed, "I am more than certain that the planning and conspiracy to commit the crime were hatched in Pakistan, the perpetrators of crime were Pakistani trained at different centres in that country, and the devastation which took place at various places in the city of Mumbai, were executed by the appellant in furtherance thereof." There had been an overwhelming demand among people in India since 2008 that Kasab be executed for his role in the Mumbai attacks. Also, as Kasab's trial continued, the cost of keeping him alive had been a huge burden on the state exchequer. While the Government has spent over Rs. 5 crores on his high security cell at Mumbai's Arthur Road jail, his security, entrusted to the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), has cost the state over Rs. 19 crores

NEW DELHI: Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Ajmal Kasab, accused for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, was today hanged at Yerwada Jail in Pune at 7:30 am after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition. According to Maharashtra home minister R R Patil: "26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab's mercy petition was rejected on November 8. He also confirmed that Kasab was hanged at about 7:30am on Wednesday. Earlier, the Lashkar-e-Toiba operative was shifted from Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to Pune's Yerawada Jail. The entire process was excuted very secretly, the report added. The President's rejection came two months after the Home ministry rejected Kasab's mercy petition. Kasab and nine other Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had sailed into Mumbai on November 26, 2008 from Karachi and killed 166 people.

Drinking even small amounts of alcohol while pregnant 'can affect child's IQ'

By author mail

PUBLISHED: 21:28 GMT, 14 November 2012 | UPDATED: Mydea Media

Even small amounts of alcohol consumed during pregnancy can adversely impact the IQ of a child, new research shows.

Drinking by pregnant women has been a controversial topic, with no scientific unanimity. While some experts propagate total abstinence from alcohol, others have favoured moderate consumption

The new study, which used a genetic approach to study the impact of alcohol, has concluded that children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy had lower IQ when they were eight, compared to kids who were not exposed to any alcohol in the womb.

Even small amounts have adverse affect on kids IQ

Researchers from the universities of Bristol and Oxford used data from over 4,000 mothers and their children to arrive at the conclusion. The study will be published in scientific journal PLOS ONE on Thursday.

In order to separate the impact of alcohol from other lifestyle factors such as smoking and diet, the researchers used genetic data.

They found that four genetic variants in alcoholmetabolising genes among 4,167 children studied were strongly related to lower IQ at age eight.

There was no effect seen in children whose mothers abstained during pregnancy, Dr Ron Gray from University of Oxford who led the research said.

When a person drinks alcohol, ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde by enzymes.

Variations in the genes that 'encode' these enzymes lead to differences in the ability to metabolise ethanol. In 'slow metabolisers', peak alcohol levels may be higher and persist for longer than in fast metabolisers', scientists explained.

It is believed that the fast' metabolism protects against abnormal brain development in infants because less alcohol is delivered to the fetus.

Firefly squid is a Bioluminescent squid

Firefly Squid is a bioluminescent squid

DR.Hari Muraleedharan
MydeaMedia

Firefly Squid is a bioluminescent squid growing to a length of only three inches. The squid is equipped with special light-producing organs called photophores that emit a deep blue light. Large photophores can be found on the tips of the tentacles as well as around the eyes. Thousands of tiny photophores can be found throughout the squid's body, giving it the ability to emit light along its entire form. In the Toyama Bay, in the central Japan Sea, the squid are found in fantastic abundance. Normally living at 1200 feet underwater, waves in the Toyama bay pushes the squid to the surface in massive numbers where they are fished by tons from March to June.

The spawning season of the firefly squid also runs during the same period. Millions of squid come together to fertilize and to drop their eggs in the Toyama Bay. The big reunion of these squids is one big light show that you can admire and it attracts thousands of tourists. This event is very important for other sea creatures and sea birds who enjoy eating the dead bodies of the firefly squid. Firefly squids is also considered a delicacy in Japan.

Early in the morning, after 3 AM, sightseeing boats depart the Namerikawa fishing port (Namerikawa is also home to the world's only museum dedicated to the firefly squid) in Toyama prefecture, making a short journey to fixed nets located about 1 to 2 km offshore. As the fishermen haul in their nets, the light emitted by the firefly squid causes the sea surface to glow a cobalt blue, evoking squeals of delight from the tourists.

The lights from thousands of firefly squid can flash in unison or alternated in an endless number of animated patterns. These light shows are thought to serve several functions. They can be used to communicate with potential mates or rivals. They may also be used to disguise the squid's shape and confuse predators, allowing it to escape. On the other hand, it is believed that the squid can also use their blue lights to attract prey. By flashing the lights on and off, they can attract small fish and then pounce on them with their powerful tentacles

 

Sources: 1, 2
Also see: Bioluminescence in Gippsland Lakes, Australia

The super-yacht so big it's almost a ship

The super-yacht so big it's almost a ship: First look at former F1 boss Eddie Jordan's luxurious floating palace that even boasts a nightclub (but it still doesn't quite measure up to Roman's!)

• F1 mogul commissions construction of a £25million super yacht that is 155ft-long
• But luxurious vessel pales in comparison to the 536ft-long, £272million yacht owned by Roman Abramovich

By Graham Smith, Idea By MydeaMedia

F1 mogul Eddie Jordan has bought a £25million super yacht that is so big it is almost classed as a ship.

The 155ft-long vessel has been commissioned by the 58-year-old and will blow his current 120ft-long boat out of the water.

But it pales in comparison to the Eclipse, the world's largest private yacht.

Owned by Chelsea football club oligarch Roman Abramovich, that vessel is a staggering 536ft-long and cost £272million. It has two swimming pools, two helipads, a gym, hair salon, dancefloor and a 007-style submarine.

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Under construction: A computer-generated artist's impression of what Eddie Jordan's £25million yacht will look like when it is completed later this year

Sunseeker boss Robert Braithwaite stands in the enormous hull that is currently being built at his company's headquarters in Poole, Dorset

But even the Eclipse will soon be dwarfed by a yacht currently being built for the Saudi royal family. Known only as Project Azzam, it will be 590ft-long and cost £400million.

Still, Mr Jordan can take comfort in the fact his yacht will have four decks to house 12 close friends as well as ten crew members.

Construction recently began at Sunseeker headquarters in Poole, Dorset, and floor-plans have hinted at what will be contained within.

The sky deck could boast a giant hot tub and bar and the upper deck will feature a luxurious dining area.

An on-board nightclub will be built and, after a tiring night of partying, Mr Jordan and his guests will be able to relax in the lower deck day-room.

There will be a ‘beach club’ stern and ‘panoramic viewing platforms’ down the side, giving guests a front row seat for the Grand Prix at Monaco.

 

The yacht will have an on-board garage complete with small boats and jet skis.

It will cost approximately £30,000 to fill up the super yacht with fuel for her 4,500-mile range.

A team of workers began building the 500-tonne vessel in April. Construction is expected to be finished by December next year.

It will be the largest ever built by Sunseeker, a firm that has long been a favourite with F1 drivers including Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

Robert Braithwaite, founder of Sunseeker, said: 'She will not be owned by many but those that do will be buying a craft of exceptional style, quality and innovation.'

Mr Jordan owns a 120ft vessel named ‘Snapper’, which is currently moored in Monaco.

Now a commentator at the BBC, he is a member of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland and has keen interests in extreme sports outside of sailing, including skiing.

Last month, stunned photographers captured images of the Project Azzam vessel as it was transported out of the 170-metre dry dock at the yard of German shipbuilder Lurssen. It had because too large to build inside.

The yacht, which was minus its bow section, was quickly moved to the larger 220-metre dock so engineers could continue with their work.

Peter Seyfferth, from TheYachtPhoto.com, said: 'The photographers who took the pictures of Azzam were overwhelmed by the size of it.

'It is difficult to say at this stage but I think it will be a very elegant yacht and more interesting looking then Eclipse.

'There appears to be a special propulsion system which should make it one of the fastest yachts out there.

'In terms of length, we think it will be around 180-metres which makes it longer than some cruise ships.

'If it has been commissioned for the Saudi Royal Family it is unlikely it will leave its dock very often. It is more of a question of prestige, to have the world's largest yacht.'

The yacht's 'beach club' stern. It will also have 'panoramic viewing platforms' down each side side, giving guests a front row seat for the Grand Prix at Monaco

Yacht fans: Mr Jordan (left) may live a life of luxury, but his yacht is almost like a toy when compared to the private boat owned by Roman Abramovich (right)

Huge: Eclipse, owned by Chelsea Football Club owner Mr Abramovich, has two swimming pools, two helipads, a gym, hair salon, dancefloor and a 007-style submarine

Official details on mega yachts, such as Project Azzam and Mr Abramovich's Eclipse, are notoriously sketchy due to confidentiality agreements set up between the builders and their customers.

But they are known to have incredible security systems and it is not uncommon for them to be flanked by smaller yachts and submarines which help make up a billionaire's flotilla.

It is thought a yacht this size will cost its new owner around £400million - and that is just the initial payment with the yacht having astronomical running costs.

The yacht's fuel tank will be able to hold a staggering one million litres while the owner will have to pay 50 of the best staff in the world to man it 365 days of the year.

Lurssen, which is building Azzam, has refused to discuss the top secret yacht although rumours in the industry are that is being build for Saudi billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal.

Al-Waleed, 57, is worth around £10billion and a member of the Saudi royal family.

If he is the owner, he is thought to have ordered the new toy as a replacement for his Kingdom 5KR yacht, which he has enjoyed for the past 20-years.

When the yacht is completed next year it is most likely to be moored on the French Riviera but there will be just two locations which can accommodate a boat of such size - Monaco and Antibes.

Ousted: But Mr Abramovich is about to lose his title as the owner of the world's largest private yacht - after this incredible vessel was spotted in Germany last month

On the move: The yacht, which was minus its bow section, was quickly taken to a larger 220-metre dock so engineers could continue the awesome project

Super-secretive: The £400million megayacht, known only as Project Azzam, is rumoured to have been commissioned by the Saudi Royal Family

Once in a lifetime: Transit of Venus puts on spectacular show for the last time until 2117

Once in a lifetime: Transit of Venus puts on spectacular show for the last time until 2117

MydeaMedia

 My Idea by Dr.Hari Muraleedharan

Stargazers from across the globe gathered together to watch one of the rarest astronomical spectacles today.

From the U.S. and UK to South Korea, people around the world turned their attention to the daytime sky to make sure they caught the planet Venus passing directly between the sun and Earth - a transit that won't occur again for another 105 years.

The transit of Venus happens in pairs eight years apart - but then with more than a century between cycles.

During the pass, Venus appears as a small, dark round spot moving across the face of the sun, like a bug on a dinner plate.

Enthralling: Venus is silhouetted as it crosses in front of the sun as it sets behind the Kansas City, Missouri skyline on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Planet Venus is seen as a black dot as it transits across the Sun during sunrise in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 6, 2012

The transit of Venus taken from Burton Dassett between Stratford Upon Avon and Banbury, UK

Venus is seen transiting across the Sun on June 6, 2012 outside Sarajevo

The planet Venus passes in front of the Sun as seen during the sunrise behind the Bratislava Castle in Bratislava, Slovakia, 06 June 2012

'If you can see the mole on Cindy Crawford's face, you can see Venus,' Van Webster, a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, told anyone who stopped by his telescope for a peek on Mount Hollywood.

For astronomers, the transit wasn't just a rare planetary spectacle. It was also one of those events they hoped would spark curiosity about the universe and our place in it.

Sul Ah Chim, a researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in South Korea, said he hoped people see life from a larger perspective, and 'not get caught up in their small, everyday problems.'

'When you think about it from the context of the universe, 105 years is a very short period of time and the Earth is only a small, pale blue spot,' he said.

While astronomers used the latest technology to document the transit, American astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station attempted to take the clearest-ever photos of the event and post them online.

A composite sequence photo of the steps of the entire transit of Venus seen over the sky of Seoul, South Korea, 6 June 2012

Dramatic: This image provided by NASA shows the Solar Dynamic Observatory's ultra-high definition view of Venus on it's transit, an event which will not occur for another 105 years

Impressive: This image provided by NASA shows the Solar Dynamic Observatory's ultra-high definition view of Venus, black dot at top center, passing in front of the sun on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Bright: This is just one frame of an astonishing short video put online by NASA of Venus passing the sun

Monumental: The planet Venus passes in front of the sun as it begins to set behind the Goddess of Liberty atop the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, left, and near the KCPL building in downtown Kansas City, Mo, right

Scene: A view of the Sun as the planet Venus passes in between the Sun and the Earth in New York, New York, USA, 05 June 2012

Meanwhile, terrestrial stargazers were warned to only look at the celestial event with a properly filtered telescope or cardboard eclipse glasses. If the sun is viewed directly, permanent eye damage could result.

In Los Angeles, throngs jammed Mount Hollywood where the Griffith Observatory rolled out the red carpet for Venus. The last time the city witnessed a Venus transit was 130 years ago in 1882. A 2004 transit was not visible from the western U.S.

 

Telescopes with special filters were set up next to the lawn and people took turns peering at the sun before and during the transit. Astronomers and volunteers lectured about the rarity of a Venus pass to anyone who would listen.

Minutes before Venus first touched the outer edge of the sun, Sousa's 'Transit Of Venus March' blared through. The crowd turned their attention skyward. For nearly 18 minutes, Venus appeared as a black spot.

Jamie Jetton took the day off from work to bring her two nephews, six and 11, visiting from Arizona to the observatory. Sporting eclipse glasses, it took a little while before they spotted Venus.

'I'm still having fun. It's an experience. It's something we'll talk about for the rest of our lives,' she said.

The transit of Venus taken from Burton Dassett between Stratford Upon Avon and Banbury, UK - Venus has made a spectacular transit across the sun in a rare event that wont be witnesse again for over a hundred years

Venus crosses the sun from an observation point in Pakistan on June 6, 2012

Worldwide fascination: The planet Venus makes its transit across the Sun as seen from Kathmandu on June 6, 2012

Morning breaks: An observer looks through a telescope during sunrise in Vienna

Mesmerising: Spectators at Edgewater Park in Cleveland watch the sun set as the planet Venus crosses the upper right portion of the star, Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The U.S.: The planet Venus makes a transit as a person watches the sun set over the Great Salt Lake outside Salt Lake City, Utah, June 5, 2012

Bo Tan, a 32-year-old software engineer took a half day off from work and went with his co-workers to the observatory. He admitted he wasn't an astronomy buff but could not miss this opportunity.

HOW NASA WILL USE THE MOON AS A TELESCOPE

During the transit of Venus across the sun's face, the Hubble Space Telescope looked in the opposite direction - at the moon.

Hubble cannot look at the sun directly due to the intensity of the sun's light, so astronomers are planning to use the images of the moon as a mirror to capture reflected sunlight.

They will then isolate the small fraction of the light that passes through Venus's atmosphere.

Imprinted on that light are the fingerprints of the planet's atmospheric makeup. This is an experiment to see how well Venus's atmosphere can be studied spectroscopically, which will help prepare us for transit observations of extrasolar planets.

He pointed his eclipse glasses at the sun and steadied his Nikon camera behind it to snap pictures. 'It makes you feel like a small speck in the universe,' he said.

In Mexico, at least 100 people lined up two hours early to view the event through telescopes or one of the 150 special viewing glasses on hand, officials said. Observation points were also set up at a dozen locations.

Venus, which is extremely hot, is one of Earth's two neighbors and is so close in size to our planet that scientists at times call them near-twins. During the transit, it will appear as a small dot.

This will be the seventh transit visible since German astronomer Johannes Kepler first predicted the phenomenon in the 17th century. Because of the shape and speed of Venus' orbit around the sun and its relationship to Earth's annual trip, transits occur in pairs separated by more than a century.

It's nowhere near as dramatic and awe-inspiring as a total solar eclipse, which sweeps a shadow across the Earth, but there will be six more of those this decade.

In Hawaii, hundreds of tourists and locals passed through an area of Waikiki Beach where the University of Hawaii set up eight telescopes and two large screens showing webcasts of the transit as seen from telescopes at volcanoes on other Hawaiian islands.

But minutes after Venus crossed into the sun's path, clouds rolled overhead and blocked the direct view.

'It's always the challenge of being in Hawaii - are you going to be able to see through the clouds,' said Greg Mansker, 49, of Pearl City, as he stood in line at a telescope.

The intermittent clouds didn't stop people from looking up through filters, but it did drive some to crowd the screens instead.

Spectacular: The planet Venus can be seen on its transit of the Sun, from Beijing

Last-in-a-lifetime: In this photo made using a red filter, Venus begins to pass in front of the sun, as visible from from Overland Park, Kan. on Tuesday

Impressive: A bird sits atop one of the domes of the landmark Taj Mahal as Venus, top left, begins to pass in front of the sun, as visible from Agra, India, Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The planet Venus makes its transit across the Sun as seen from Kathmandu

Venus is seen as a dot as it transits across the Sun on June 6, 2012 outside Sarajevo

Show: The planet Venus crosses the upper right portion of the sun as seen from Edgewater Park in Cleveland on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Rarity: A view of the Sun as the planet Venus passes in between the Sun and the Earth in New York, New York, USA, 05 June 2012

Drawing near: In this handout image provided by NASA, the SDO satellite captures the approach of Venus before it transits across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012 from space

Rare: Handout image courtesy of NASA shows the planet Venus at the start of its transit of the Sun, June 5, 2012. One of the rarest astronomical events occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday when Venus passes directly between the sun and Earth, a transit that won't occur again until 2117

Jenny Kim, 39, of Honolulu, said she told her 11-year-old son the planet's crossing would be the only time he'd get to see the transit in person. 'I don't know what the future will be, so I think this will be good for him,' Kim said as she snapped photos of the webcast with her smartphone.

Astronomers also planned viewings at Pearl Harbor and Ko Olina.

NASA planned a watch party at its Goddard Visitor Center in Maryland with solar telescopes, 'Hubble-quality' images from its Solar Dynamics Observatory Mission and expert commentary and presentations.

Most people don't tend to gaze at the sun for long periods of time because it's painful and people instinctively look away. But there's the temptation to stare at it during sky shows like solar eclipses or transits of Venus.

The eye has a lens and if you stare at the sun, it concentrates sunlight on the retina and can burn a hole through it. It's similar to when you hold a magnifying glass under the blazing sun and light a piece of paper on fire.

It can take several hours for people to notice problems with their eyes but, by that time, the damage is done and, in some cases, irreversible.

Fascinated: Eight-year-old Alex Olling smiles as he uses makeshift sunglasses to watch Venus crossing the sun's face on June 5, 2012 as seen from College Park, Maryland

Stunned: A man uses a sun observation glass to watch the transit of Venus across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012, in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia

Curious: People use solar glasses to view the transit of Venus across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012 from Riverside Park on the west side of Manhattan in New York

Technique: Astronomer Raminder Samra attempts to get the view of Venus crossing the Sun using a shadow on a piece of paper and the telescope at the MacMillan Southam Observatory in Vancouver, British Columbia June 5, 2012

Preparation: Hong Kong stargazers use a special telescope to observe the transit of Venus along the Victoria Habour

During the 1970 solar eclipse visible from the eastern U.S., 145 burns of the retina were reported, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Experts from Hong Kong's Space Museum and local astronomical groups were organizing a viewing Wednesday outside the museum's building on the Kowloon waterfront overlooking the southern Chinese city's famed Victoria Harbor.

The transit is happening during a 6-hour, 40-minute span that began just after 6 p.m. EDT in the United States. What you can see and for how long depends on what the sun's doing in your region during that exact window, and the weather.

Those in most areas of North and Central America will see the start of the transit until the sun sets, while those in western Asia, the eastern half of Africa and most of Europe will catch the transit's end once the sun comes up.

Hawaii, Alaska, eastern Australia and eastern Asia including Japan, North and South Korea and eastern China will get the whole show since the entire transit will happen during daylight in those regions.

Spectacle: Venus begins to pass in front of the sun, as visible from New York, Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Vision: Venus, upper right, transits the sun as seen through a dark glass from Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Sight: Venus (top, R) crosses the sun's face as seen from Havana on June 5, 2012

Special: The small black dot seen at the top right of the sun is the planet Venus, as it transits across the face of the sun Tuesday, June 5, 2012, as seen from Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach, Va

See video of the transit here:

 

FROM CAPTAIN COOK TO NASA: HOW VENUS HAS WATCHED US TRANSIT INTO AN AGE OF SCIENCE

From sea adventurer to space explorer: NASA explorer Don Pettit will follow a prestigious list of travellers who turned their eyes upwards to follow the transit throughout history

In 1768, when James Cook sailed out of Plymouth harbor to observe the Transit of Venus in Tahiti, the trip was tantamount to a voyage through space.

The remote island had just been 'discovered' a year earlier, and by all accounts it was as strange and alien to Europeans as the stars themselves.

Cook's pinpoint navigation to Tahiti and his subsequent observations of Venus crossing the South Pacific sun in 1769 have inspired explorers for centuries.

High above Earth, astronaut Don Pettit is preparing to photograph the June 5th Transit of Venus from space itself.

'I've been planning this for a while,' says Pettit, who serves as Flight Engineer onboard the International Space Station. 'I knew the Transit of Venus would occur during my rotation, so I brought a solar filter with me when my expedition left for the ISS in December 2011.'

Because transits of Venus come in pairs that occur once every 100 years or so, humans have rarely had the chance to photograph the apparition from Earth, much less from Earth orbit.

The view from space: Expedition 31 astronauts will view the transit from the hub of the ISS

'The Expedition 31 crew will be the first people in history to see a Venus transit from space, and Pettit will be the first to photograph one,' says Mario Runco, Jr. of the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Runco, an astronaut himself who flew aboard three shuttle missions, is an expert in the optics of spacecraft windows. Along with his wife Susan Runco, who is the coordinator for astronaut photography at JSC, Mario is helping Pettit gather the best possible images of the transit.

Pettit will be pointing his camera through the side windows of the space station's cupola, an ESA-built observatory module that provides a wide-angle view of Earth and the cosmos. Its seven windows are used by the crew to operate the station's robotic arm, coordinate space dockings, and take science-grade photos of the Earth and sky. It's also a favorite 'hangout' for off-duty astronauts who find the view exhilarating.

'For this transit, Don will be removing the non-optical quality, internal protective window panes known as 'scratch panes,' which really make crisp, sharp, and clear images impossible,' says Runco. 'Removing those panes is a huge plus when it comes to details that will be seen in the imagery of the sun.'

Pettit describes the camera system: 'I'll be using a high-end Nikon D2Xs camera and an 800mm lens with a full-aperture white light solar filter.'

'Even with this great camera system, the images would be quite soft if the scratch panes were not removed,' notes Runco. 'This is only the third time that we'll be [shooting through] the Cupola's optical quality windows. I'm hoping this becomes routine in the future.'

This month's transit is the bookend of a 2004-2012 pair. Astronauts were onboard the ISS in 2004, but they did not see the transit, mainly because they had no solar filters onboard. Tiny Venus covers a small fraction of the solar disk, so the sun is still painfully bright to the human eye even at mid-transit. Pettit's foresight to bring a solar filter with him makes all the difference.

How would Cook feel about all this?

'I don't think James Cook should be too envious,' says Runco. 'After all, he did get an all-expense paid trip to Tahiti out of the deal.'

Don's photos will be posted to the web during the transit beginning on June 5, 2012 through-out the transit

Click here to view Don's photos on Flickr.

Images and information courtesy of NASA

HOW THE TRANSIT OF VENUS ANSWERED THE MOST PRESSING ASTRONOMICAL QUESTIONS IN HISTORY

Visionary: Edmond Halley, a member of The Royal Society, predicted that on June 6, 1761, Venus would traverse the burning disc of the sun for about six hours

For centuries, Venus held the key to the most pressing astronomical quest of the age: the size of the solar system.

In 1716, British astronomer Edmond Halley had called upon scientists to unite in a project spanning the entire globe. He predicted that on June 6, 1761, Venus would traverse the burning disc of the sun for about six hours.

If several people at different locations across the globe measured and timed this celestial rendezvous, they could calculate the distance between Earth and sun: the base unit for all distances in the solar system and the holy grail of astronomy.

The only problem was that transits of Venus only occur in pairs, eight years apart, but with an interval of more than a century before they are seen again. After this year, the next transit is not until December 2117.

When Halley asked his international colleagues to rally, only one transit had ever been observed.

Knowing he would not be alive to orchestrate this global cooperation – a fact he lamented ‘even on his deathbed’ while holding a glass of wine – all he could do was place his trust in future generations.

His gauntlet was taken up when hundreds of astronomers joined the transit project in the 1760s.

At a time when it took six days to travel from London to Newcastle, dozens of them travelled to remote outposts of the world to observe the phenomenon, laden with clocks, huge telescopes and other instruments.

Many risked their lives. With the Seven Years’ War tearing Europe apart, they were even sent into war zones.

They made for strange adventurers: most of their lives were an endless round of dull routine, spending nights under the open sky or engaging in complex computations.

The scientific world was electrified. The observations were the most ambitious scientific project ever planned, because the astronomers needed to watch the transit simultaneously from both the northern and southern hemispheres.

Venus’s path would be shorter or longer across the sun according to each viewing station. With the help of relatively simple trigonometry, the distance between sun and Earth could be calculated, but only if the astronomers shared their results afterwards.

The expeditions were organised by the scientific societies of Europe including the Royal Society in London. They sent Nevil Maskelyne, later Astronomer Royal, to St Helena – a lone speck of land in the South Atlantic.

With him he took an assistant, trunks full of instruments and more than 100 gallons of wine and rum.

Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, later famed for the Mason-Dixon Line, left Britain for Sumatra, but within four days they were attacked by a French warship.

The two refused to continue but the Royal Society threatened they would be prosecuted as mutineers ‘with the utmost Severity of Law’ unless they pressed on.

Even Captain James Cook got involved, taking the Endeavour into the uncharted emptiness of the South Pacific

Some astronomers waded waist-deep through icy rivers; others saw their ships wrecked by tropical storms. On the day of the transit, June 6, 1761, about 250 official observers at more than 100 locations pointed their telescopes to the sky.

But instead of swiftly moving across the sun, Venus lingered at the edge for up to a minute, making exact timing impossible.

They had one more chance, on June 3, 1769. Once again astronomers were dispatched across the world. Catherine the Great mounted eight expeditions across the vast Russian empire.

Astronomers from Britain, Austria, Switzerland and Russia travelled to the Arctic, where their brandy froze and clocks stopped.

The British even sent Captain James Cook and the Endeavour into the uncharted emptiness of the South Pacific to follow the transit from Tahiti.

Five astronomers died and many more faced unimaginable hardship. One French scientist travelled thousands of miles, facing bloody battles, dysentery and hurricanes only to be defeated by clouds.

When he returned home after 11 years, he had twice failed to see the transit, his heirs had declared him dead and divided up his estate, and he had lost his job.

It took years to collect the global data, but eventually the distance between Earth and sun was determined within a range of 92,900,000 to 96,900,000 miles – very close to today’s figure of 92,960,000 miles.

Impressive, but even more importantly, it was the beginning of international scientific collaboration - and an important landmark in scientific history, when astronomers faced enemy attacks, deadly diseases and all kinds of adverse conditions when they united to measure the heavens.

MydeaMedia -DR.Hari Muraleedharan @ 2012