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Venus Crosses Sun For Last Time Till 2117

Venus Crosses Sun For Last Time Till 2117

Stargazers are in for a rare astronomical treat as planet Venus crosses the Sun for the last time until 2117.

Venus will appear as a small, dark, round spot moving across the face of the Sun, like a bug on a dinner plate.

Transits of Venus happen in pairs eight years apart, with more than a century between cycles.

The last time it happened was in 2004 and it will not happen again until well into the 22nd Century.

"The Venus transit really brings home to us, in a unique way, how ordinary our Sun is. It's just another star," said scientist and author Mark Anderson.

"There's something very humbling out of this experience. We are another planet in orbit around another star in another galaxy in another corner of the universe. It really brings it home to us," Mr Anderson said.

The transit begins at 11.09pm (BST) and lasts for six hours and 40 minutes. Times can vary by seven minutes depending on the location of the observer.

Skywatchers on seven continents can see the Venus transit, which should only be observed with telescopes fitted with solar filters to protect the eyes.

The skies over Britain will be disappointingly cloudy and some observers say parts of Australia will get the best views of the spectacle.

The internet will be a hub of activity, with live video and pictures from an armada of space and ground-based observatories.

Even astronauts aboard the International Space Station are joining in the event.

"I've been planning this for a while," space station flight engineer Don Pettit said in a Nasa interview.

"I knew the transit of Venus would occur during my rotation, so I brought a solar filter with me."