Sky-gazers around the world held up their telescopes and viewing glasses Wednesday to watch Venus slide across the sun — a rare celestial phenomenon that will not happen again for more than 100 years.
The spectacle began shortly after 2200 GMT Tuesday in parts of North America, Central America and the northern part of South America, and was seen, with magnification, as a small black dot on the solar surface.
All of the transit was visible in East Asia and the Western Pacific, although poor weather conditions spoiled the view for some.
“This is a once in a lifetime thing and if you miss it you have to wait until 2117,” said Jong Tze Kian from the National Planetarium in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, where clear skies afforded prime viewing.
“So people are very excited to come and see the transit.”
Australia — for which the movement of Venus carries a special historical interest — was one of the best places to watch with the nearly seven-hour transit visible from eastern and central parts of the country.
Although broken cloud hampered the view for some, Sydney Observatory held a sell-out event with 1,500 people buying tickets to witness the rare passage.
“It’s not like an eclipse where you’ve got something blotting out the sun,” Fred Watson, astronomer-in-chief at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, told AFP.
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