Observing this rare astronomical event was almost a challenge for myself! Since I've moved recently to work in Greece, so all what I have of my observational equipment is my 7X50 binoculars, without even a stand! Also, as new comer to Greece I still don't know where to buy some equipment that would really make my observation easier!

Anyhow, at around 07:45 (The beginning of the transit was at 08:20) I was at the roof of my office's building, and I spent about 30 minutes just trying to fix binoculars and thinking how to make the projection! A friend of mine joined this 'challenge'! He helped me in holding the paper and I took the photo! Important point to mention, is that I got my digital camera just two days ago, this means I'm not that expert in using the camera, too!

We went down to continue our work, and after about two hours I went back to the roof with another friend, the Sun was higher at that time! Therefore, the challenge was more challenging! Together we were able to take a second set of photos! However, still not satisfied by the result!

Once again, we went down, and after about another two hours, I went back to do my third observation! This time I insisted on getting a good photos! Ops! The Sun was almost at zenith! The situation now is more complicated! I had a quick look at the whole roof hoping to find a good idea to do the projection!!

Wow! I saw a steel frame! I kept inspecting every part of it, trying to figure out how I can use it! Until I thought of a good idea! I mounted the binoculars! and as usual I hold the paper by my hand! It was partly cloudy and windy! So when the Sun appears and I feel so happy, the wind blows and shakes the paper or even the binoculars mount! Oh my god! Shall I think of the clouds or of the wind or how to use the camera, or to keep adjusting the focus! Since I can't hold the paper exactly at the same distance from the binoculars!

While I was waiting the sky to clear up, suddenly I saw the projection of the Sun on the ground! I know this is not a surprising thing! But what is surprising was that the projection of the Sun felt on a shaded area because of the nearby stones :-)! So I directly put the paper on the ground and fixed it by my shoes! However, the strong wind was able to move or shake it! Oh I remember that I have a tape with me! So I fixed the paper on ground from its four endings! After that, the Sun appeared, and only now I could take reasonable pictures :-)! Does it sound like a film story :-)!?

It was a very special event. We were four from JAS at the beginning of the transit ; Khaled Tell, Marwan Shweaki, Radwan Abu Hilalah, and me of course. I scarified of my day so I didn't go for my work at school! Marwan was on the Jordanian TV explaining the event using his flash model which he prepared it on Omani TV too! Quickly he arrived just before 6 minutes. Two telescopes were used in Haya Center; one for projection and the other with filter. Soon we watch the first contact. That was a very special moment, the first one to see that was Radwan, and soon I called JAS member Dr. Hanna in Al-Azraq Camp by mobile to be on line!!

The chief of Haya center and some employers shared us our observation and some people. After one hour there were many people specially pupils who finished their final exams. It was so nice to meet some families, even very old people. There were a girl with her mother came from Irbid City (80 Km to the north of Amman) by bus!! Marwan told them that he made a planetarium there but they don't know about any activity there so they came after reading the newspaper.

JAS member Emad Ashi came for a while and took some photos and one of the Sun filters too :-)! Really we appreciated what JAS member in Saudi Hani Dale made. Thanks a lot Hani for your sunglasses. JAS members; Maher Nammari and Heba Khalayleh were very helpful in explaining for public people. JAS member Ibrahim Khader arrived after he made an observation in his school. His pupils shared us too. We called Hani by mobile who was busy with his people. His voice was so happy!

What about media ?
There was a journalist photographer Nader Dawood who took many nice shots for the people and the event . There was another camera from Jordanian TV which was with one of the artist, so Marwan persuade them to take some photos. There was a TV report appeared three times in the news. We recorded it for history !

JAS member Dr. Moh'd Awadalla made an observation with 40 persons in his university. JAS member Sana' Abdo shared her school and sent some pupils to Haya center .

Nearly 300 persons shared our observation. At evening , I received a telephone call from JAS friend Ramadan Bin Lolo from Algeria. He said they observed only the beginning because it was so cloudy!

JAS has organized the 4th International Astronomical Camp to observe the transit of Venus on 7-9 June 2004.

There were about 40 participants of JAS members and friends in addition to participants from UK, Oman, Lebanon and Syria.

The camping was hold at Hamzah Astronomical Camp in the desert of Al Azraq, (150 km to the south east of Amman) The Coordinates of the observing site are: - 37:06:45 E, 31:42:58 N, h=555 m, Time Zone = UT+3.

We started our activities at the evening of 7 June 2004 by two lectures:

1. Transit of Venus, by Dr. Hanna Sabat, Institute of Astronomy and Space Sciences (IASS), Al al-Bait University.
2. Venus Transit, European point of view, by Mr. Kelvin Stevens.

At the morning of the transit day, I woke up early, actually I didn’t sleep more than one hour, where I spent the whole night in the accompany of the 10" LX200 telescope ;-) looking here and there in the dark sky :-) I observed more than 60 of Messier objects!

Back to the morning of this historical day; the 8th of June. I started my day trying to receive the time signals from Moscow radio station at 10 MHz in order to time this event accurately. I used our Yaesu VR-5000 receiver with 15-meter long unipolar antenna. WoW! The signals were very clear :-).

We used the 10" LX200 telescope with a solar filter to observe Venus directly. I was looking through the eyepiece and listening to the time signals simultaneously! It was at 08:19:55 LT when I glimpsed Venus touching the Sun’s disk!

We kept looking through the eyepiece one after one during the whole 20-minute period that Venus spent to completely cross the Sun’s disc! At that time we tried to notice if the black drop effect will occur! But no body was able to see it through any of our instrument! Yet it was difficult to tell the exact time of the 2nd contact!!

We also observed Venus through 4" reflector telescope by making a projection of the Sun on a white screen, which is the safest way to observe the Sun, in addition many people can observe the transit at the same time.

The weather was very hot that day! And it got hotter and hotter as the Sun rose in the sky! The temperature was more than 35 C!! Actually some of the observers who spent the whole six hours observing Venus were burnt by the shiny Sun ;-)

AT 14:00 LT we were ready to say goodbye to that black disc which really looked like a 3-dimention ball in front of the Sun! At 14:04:00 LT the 3rd contact occurred and again we didn’t see any black drop effect! At that time the weather was changing very rapidly! The wind became very strong to the extent that I was not able to face the wind with opened eyes due to the sand!!

As soon as the 4th contact took place at 14:23:00 LT, we packed our equipment and went to a place to protect ourselves from the strong sandy winds!

In addition, many of the participants took pictures for this whole event through telescopes and other techniques.

After that we listened to the last two lectures:

1. Astronomy without Telescope, by Mr. Colin Henshaw.
2. Venus and the Transit, by Mr. Mazen Adleh

The participants were:

1. Eng. Khalil Konsul
2. Dr. Hanna Sabat
3. Marwan Shwaiki
4. Dr. Tarek Katbeh
5. Dr. Mashhor Waradat
6. Waleed Sobhi
7. Ammar Mashor Waradat
8. Ahmad Alnaimat
9. Jihad Lafi
10. Eiad Mostafa
11. Yousef Abd Alqader
12. Ibrahim Odwan
13. Jamal Soman
14. Belal Awwad
15. Fares Habashneh
16. Ameera Al hemsi Hajaj
17. Ibrahim hajaj
18. Ali Al Taani
19. Zuhair Elqsoso
20. Nazeeh Elqsoso
21. Dr. Naser Ali
22. Ehsan Alfaqeeh
23. Bassam Abu Sa'od
24. Eias Doar
25. Husain al Taweel
26. Ahmad Asha
27. Mohd Abu El Haj
28. Ahmad Asha
29. Rami El Selwadi
30. Husain Aiesh