Thanks so much, John, for your photo. What a rare event this was -once every 8 years. Valerie and I are going to remember it for an awfully long time to come. In our home in Ranelagh, we set up the 6.2" apochromatic refractor at 10pm Irish time. We had totally overcast skies for a whole hour. There was even a bit of hail and twice it rained. But we waited patiently, and finally at 11pm, Valerie called out loud that there was a clearance coming. So from 11.10 to 11.30, we observed Venus and the Pleiades using a 2" 38mm eyepiece which gives 30X and 2 degrees 22 minutes field of view.
The objects were getting low in the west, but we were treated to a most wonderful spectacle -one we will remember for many years. We could see the 3 faint stars beside Alcyone and the faint double in the dead centre of M45, and less than 50% illuminated Venus all in one field of view. Did anyone else this dramatic event anywhere else in the world?
Aubrey.
  