Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. They occur in a pattern that generally repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years.

Being such a rare event, on each occasion observing campaigns are organized across the world. In 2012, after studying the weather forecast for many days in a row, I decided to photograph the transit from the shore of the Black Sea, near Eforie Sud. Choosing this place was a very good decision. The weather was great and I had the opportunity to get this image of the event.

This image has been shortlisted on the Astronomy Photography of The Year 2013 contest.

Date and place: June 6 2012; Eforie Sud, Constanta, Romania

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Telescope: Vixen VMC 110L

Exposure: 1/40s

Aperture: 9.4

ISO: 100