Once Every 100 Years or so...

(Elsah, IL) A view of Venus as it starts to transit across the space between the Earth and the Sun.  Venus is the larger dark circle at approximately 8:00 on the image of the Sun.  You can also see sunspots on the face of the sun.  They are the smaller dark spots visible across the face of the Sun.

Venus just crossed the face of the Sun.. that is if your vantage point is someplace on Earth.  Won't happen here in the Midwestern US again until 2117.  Thought I really should try to see it this time rather than next.

(Elsah, IL) Dr. Thomas Fuller, the man in charge of the telescope at the Principia College observatory, adjusts the focus of the telescope that was used to provide the image above.

(Elsah, IL) The Principia College observatory sits atop a high concrete and steel platform so that it has an unobstructed view of the sky.

Images were shot with Leica digital rangefinder with Leica and Voigtlander lenses.  The Leica lens was used to place up against the telescope eyepiece to capture the Sun and Venus image.  The Summicron lens dates from 1958.  The other two images were shot with a Voigtlander 12mm Ultra-Wide Heliar.  Great lens for tight spaces.

More pics at: http://www.michaelrweaver.com/p663271124

Opening Day at the Stadium!

The much anticipated opening of the Stadium Theater in Jerseyville Illinois has finally taken place.  The Theater was closed by AMC in 2011 and now has been renovated and reopened.  New screens, new sound and digital projection create a much better viewing experience than the previous film based system.

Link to Stadium Theatre website

(Jerseyville, IL) Patrons line up for opening night at the newly renovated Stadium Theater.

(Jerseyville, IL) Two young boys reach up to the counter with money in hand to pay for their tickets.  The new cash register had failed and transactions were kept track of by a tally sheet.

(Jerseyville, IL) Patrons jam the lobby of the newly renovated Stadium Theater on opening night waiting for the early showing of "The Hunger Games" to conclude.

(Jerseyville, IL) Three friends ready for a movie on opening night.

(Jerseyville, IL) The newly renovated Stadium Theater has new technology installed to created a better viewing experience for the audience.  The orange case to the left s delivered by a courier service as the features change at the theater.  The case holds a hard drive containing the digital movie files that are then installed into the server that is directly below the projector.  The server housing has a slide out keyboard unit that is used to program the digital projector.  This particular system uses Dolby software to manage the files and the LCD display attached to the server giver the operator a visual representation of what has the system has been programmed to do.  Attached to the front of the projector is a special polarizing screen that makes 3-D movies possible.  The 3-D system slides back and forth on a rail so it can be moved into place when showing 3-D movies.

(Jerseyville, IL) A view out of one of the windows in the projection booth of the Stadium Theater.  In the center of the image is a view of what is on the theater screen.  To the left is a rack holding the multichannel sound system components.  To the right you can see part of the digital projector.

(Jerseyville, IL) Theater patrons with 3-D glasses watch "The Lorax" on opening night at the newly renovated Stadium Theater.