After waiting and planning for the past 8 years for the next Venus Transit since 2004, it was still “touch and go” right up to the last minute to see anything at all.

Locations for viewing this rarest of rare astronomical events continued to change almost up to the viewing date, but was finally settled on a location on top of Mohawk Mountain, Cornwall, Connecticut.

At an elevation of over 1600 feet it was the best bet to get a shot at seeing the transit. Now, it was up to the constantly changing weather.

As ASNH members arrived, clouds and a few rain showers were circling the area, as people were shaking their heads noticing breaks in the clouds to the north and south of our location.

That did not stop anyone as telescopes and other viewing equipment made their way on up, to an impromptu scope “mountain top camp”.

Within minutes a large sucker hole started forming right were the sun was going to be, were Venus would begin it’s slow march, never to be seen in our lifetime again.

Oohs, ahhs, and squeals of delight echoed into the Litchfield Valley below as first contact was made, visable to all who made the almost religious astronomical pilgrimage to the top of the mountain. The Mohawk Mountain.

Here are some of the images that I made that evening of June 5th, 2012. Never to be forgotten, as the first one I witnesssed 8 years ago as the sun rose out of the ocean to show off Venus to me for the first time.

Venus, well into first contact.

Getting a great last look at Venus as it is well into it’s transit as it sinks over the horizon.

Setting up on the top of Mohawk Mountain, in Cornwall, Ct.

Viewing by projection. A rare look at the transit!

Looking for those elusive sucker hole views.

Last but not least. Probably the most popular view of Venus.

The official “Venus Transit Cookie”. I made these sugar cookies just in case everything got washed out, and people had to to see something that looked like Venus.

They all must have been desparate. Even after seeing the transit,  48 cookies had their own transit into peoples mouths. Was it the transit, or the cookies they were smiling about for the rest of the evening?

Finally, a clip from FOXCT this morning during the morning news, as my co-workers show off my image of the transit.