Venus Transit 2004, A New Experiment For Education And Communication

Abstract

On June 8, 2004, the Venus transit in front of the Sun took place. It was a rare astronomical phenomenon, because the last Venus transit took place in 1882 and was only partially visible in Europe. Such a rare phenomenon mobilized all who are curious about the sky, but it also was a good opportunity for specialists to spread some knowledge about the universe in public. IAAR adhered to the International Consortium Venus-2004 acting as a National Node. The Romanian researchers in astronomy, together with the amateur astronomers and teachers, set up an ambitious national programme addressed to the school young people as well as to the public. National meetings and conferences, activities for informing the public, contests with astronomical subjects for children were organised in order to make known the Venus transit event. Organisms with large impact on the public (mass media) and even factors of decision were contacted in order to get a correct understanding of the phenomenon. We try to show here how a such a event become a new experiment for education and communication, ending with some particular conclusions.