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Last chance to see Venus crossing the Sun

Shanghai Daily, January 31, 2012

• Local residents will be able to observe the planet Venus crossing the Sun on the morning of June 6. The next round of the phenomenon occurs in 105 years.

  A transit of Venus is considered the most important astronomical event this year. During the transit, Venus looks like a tiny black disk moving across the face of the Sun.

  The six-hour transit starts from 6:11am and ends at 12:48pm. It is visible to the naked eye but dark glasses as those used to observe the solar eclipse are recommended.

  For a better look at the transit, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory will broadcast the whole event on its website.

  The transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. They occur in pairs, eight years apart, and don't happen again for more than a hundred years.

  The transit on June 6 is the second of a pair. The first one was observed in 2004.

  The last two Venus transits were in 1874 and 1882. After the transit in 2012, there won't be another pair until 2117 and 2125.

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