Transit of Venus 2012 in Hydrogen-Alpha, by Chris Warren (UK): Winner of the our solar system category. Perhaps the biggest astronomical event of 2012 was the transit of Venus, which took place in June. Transits occur when Venus passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, appearing as a small black disc passing across the face of our parent star. The next transit will not take place for 105 years, in December 2117. This is a single unprocessed raw frame shot using a hydrogen-alpha (Ha) filter. It was captured early on the morning of 6 June between second and third contact, the photographer’s first and only glimpse taken through a thin patch in the clouds at Blackheath in London. The image captures the excitement of the 2012 transit of Venus, and the delight of observers in the UK who managed to catch a fleeting view despite the British weather
© Chris Warren
