Flamsteed AS Venus Gallery 1

Warming to his theme, David explained that the entire 'NGC catalogue' was at his disposal. Feeding one of these references in to the hand controller, the enormous Meade telescope suddenly burst into life surprising the reporter and endangering life and limb close by.

Robert Massey was chasing between the BBC, ITN, Sky and Channel 4. Being interviewed by one TV channel and with two questions successfully fielded, he suddenly found himself mobbed by schoolchildren. Robert was interviewed by Adam Hart-Davis on the set of a considerable BBC initiative 'Stardate: Transit of Venus', reports going out live during BBC1 during the morning and a programme later in the evening on BBC2.

Adam Hart-Davis showed considerable stamina and an obvious rapport with the public. Not batting an eyelid when told by a member of the public that the Transit was to finish shortly after 10am, he replied that he would be willing to wager a bet that it would last longer!

Eddie Yeadon, who had organised the Flamsteed Astronomy Society's programme for the day, was interviewed by Adam Hart-Davis for the BBC inside the Observatory courtyard. This interview was included in the programme shown later in the evening.

Flamsteed members looked after the telescopes from soon after 6am until 1230 including Brian, Eddie, David, Lesley, Stan, Ralph, Mike, Ian, Ralph and Julie. Jane circulated between each telescope ensuring that the public were able to see the Transit and generally helping the event on its way. Eddie dealt with the press and kept a technical eye on all the telescopes ensuring they were all pointed the right way. Janet steadfastly kept the Flamsteed members manning the telescopes supplied with water and suncream. Mike Dryland, often behind a camera, found a picture of himself posted on the BBC website in the afternoon!

David Redfern. experimenting with taking digital photographs through the eyepiece of some of the telescopes at 6.30am, returned before midday with prints of the pictures taken earlier. He had also visited Edmund Halley's tomb in St Margarets churchyard, Lee Terrace on the way back to the Observatory. It was Halley who first predicted that observing a Transit of Venus could be useful scientifically. He couldn't have predicted the man controlling the Blackheath Gate to Greenwich Park before 6am on 8 June 2004.

Michael Bradley

12 June 2004