SINGAPORE: Crowds gathered in Singapore on Wednesday
morning to witness one of the rarest sights in
astronomy.
From 6.15am, Venus could be seen travelling across
the sun as a small black dot.
Six hours later, the silhouette of the planet slowly
made its exit.
The phenomenon occurs because the orbits of Venus and Earth are
aligned with the sun.
This rare event happens only four times every 243 years.
The next alignment is expected in 2117.
As early as 10pm on Tuesday, close to 200 astronomy enthusiasts
were camped at a field in the National University of Singapore,
armed with telescopes.
Some 3,000 people gathered at the Singapore Science Centre.
Associate Professor Phil Chan of the Department of Physics at NUS,
said the rare phenomenon can help astronomers look for the
existence of other solar systems.
"During the transit, the sun's rays will not be as strong... (and)
we can (use) it to look for extra solar planets," he said.
- CNA/cc
