The Transit of Venus in 2004 was a very rare event. The next transit will take place in 2012 and the nobody that is alive now will see the one after that unless there are some major medical advances to halt or bypass the aging process.

I've never taken any successful images of the sun and the only attempts I've ever made were at the disappointing eclipse in Cornwall in 1999 and of a partial eclipse in the UK in 1984. All I have is a Sony DSC85, a solar filter and a Sony TRV33. The pictures below represent a slightly feeble attempt to get some pictures of the event whilst doing a proper days work in the office.

I discovered that three arms are needed, one to hold the camera, one to hold the filter and the third one to hold a X5 video teleconverter.

Took some video too and would have liked a telescope to track the sun so i could film the whole event. Actually a pair of telescopes would be good, one for stills and one for video. Must start saving for 2012 and hope the hand luggage restrictions on flights are all over by then. If "Gordon Joseph fingernails Brown" has his way I'll have to go over land in a 4X4 at 8 MPG because it will be cheaper than paying his air flight tax. I wonder which country will take over and reap the rewards from our low cost air travel business once he has made the UK completely uncompetitive??

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Transit of Venus