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| OPTICAL
PROJECTION |
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| You
MUST take precautions to protect your eyes from permanent
damage caused by looking at the Sun with the naked eye or with any
optical device. Projecting the Sun's image is a good alternative.
The usual way that you are told to view the Sun is by building a pinhole
projector. Unfortunately, this method probably won't work for the
transit of Venus. Pinhole images are pretty dim and small. They also
lack the proper resolution to view the tiny disk of Venus. But there's
another projection method that uses a pair of binoculars. DO
NOT LOOK THROUGH THE BINOCULARS! |
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(Click the image for expanded instructions)
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| (1)
First, you should firmly fix the binoculars to a tripod. You can do
this with duct tape (what else?). |
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| (2)
Cut out a cardboard shield and tape it to the front of the binoculars
with the lenses sticking through holes. |
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(3) Put the lens cap
over one of the large binocular lenses or tape over one of the front
lenses with duct tape. (You really only need a monocular for this.) |
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(Click the image for expanded instructions)
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| (4)
Use the duct tape to seal any holes that leak light past the cardboard. |
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| (5)
Point the binoculars towards the Sun while holding a piece of white
cardboard about a foot behind the eyepiece. |
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| (6)
It will take a little effort to find the image of the Sun. Once you
do, you can focus the binoculars to create a sharp image of the Sun.
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| Be
careful not to put your hand or anything flammable near the eyepiece!
The concentrated sunlight exiting there can cause a nasty burn or
set something ablaze! |
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| Now
you can watch a beautiful, bright, magnified image of the Sun as the
transit proceeds. You will have to adjust the tripod to account for
the Earth's rotation. One possible warning here: You might give your
binoculars a cooling break now and then. The eyepiece can become overheated
and the lens elements may separate if you leave it focused on the
Sun too long. You've been warned! |
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