These photos of Venus transiting the Sun were obtained just after sunrise on June 8, 2004, by John Thigpenn from Jacksonville Beach, Florida. John noted that as the Sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean, there was enough cloud cover on the horizon that he didn't need his solar filter during the first few minutes. (First image). This resulted in a brilliant display of natural colors surrounding the transit in progress.
John used a Celestron 4-inch reflector, with a 25mm eyepiece and a medical endoscopy camera attached. For further information contact John directly at: thigpenn@comcast.net.
