Transit of Venus Burns Your Eyeballs?

The time has come.. for another Transit of Venus. That’s right, on Tuesday 6/5/2012, starting at 3:30 PM in Portland OR, Venus will pass between us and the sun, as it did 8 years ago, but won’t do again for another 105 years, in 2117.  I may not be around as a Portland OR Chiropractor for that next one, but I intend to see it this time.  However, when this transit has occurred (last in 2004 and last before that in 1882) , many people and kids hurt their eyes (and their necks) trying to see it.  Venus is about as big as a BB-gun piece of buckshot on a golf ball. Without a lens, to the naked eye, the sun will be about the size of a pea to begin with. However, with a telescope or binocular, there is much more of a chance of seeing something. My point is… don’t attempt it WITHOUT a pair of Eclipse Glasses or a special pinhole arrangement you can make with simple paper plates.

Why is this relevant to my chiropractic and massage patients? Well, many of you have neck pain or back pain, arm and hand numbness and tingling from injuries or motor vehicle accidents, or just everyday pain and gardening injuries. Whiplash hurts when you crank your neck back and leave it there for 20 mins staring at the sun. Eyestrain flares up Migraine headaches and aching muscles and trigger points.  This event is going to set back a lot of exercise plans and workers on work comp injury recoveries.  We are here to help you with that.

Eclipse Glasses are available at various prices but the best thing to do to keep it real is to got to the OMSI Store.  Check them out here. They have them for $2.00. In fact, they have a whole event going there on Tuesday. However, we will be out there on NE Broadway on the front handicapped ramp of Blue Heron Chiropractic & a Back in Balance Chiropractic & Massage at 3:30, checking it out. Any patients that are in the clinic are welcome to borrow our extra glasses! (No, we can’t sell them to you.. but for the price of a chiropractic insurance co-pay – usually less than $25 with Blue Cross, Blue Shield, BCBS, Healthnet, Cigna, United Healthcare, Kaiser, Aetna and all the cash-based discount plans) you can get a chiropractic adjustment, massage, and take a look at the Transit of Venus.

Venus will be just beyond the midpoint of the (Northern) aspect of the sun at about 6:29 PM.  The sun sets at 7:55.  You can see it from the Mississippi Avenue area, North Portland, NE Portland , SE Portland, the Lloyd Center area, Hollywood, Irvington, or N PDX. Come in to us for a “VENUS” treatment plan and lets talk about what you will see or what you saw! I hope you will still be able to see me! Oh, and by the way, se habla Español …You may also check out Transit of Venus.org  or even Rose City Astronomers, The Ocean Space Grant (OSG) . The OMSI event is HERE.  Be safe. Hope to SEE you soon!