Venus to move across the face of SunJune 5, 2012 - 14:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Planet Venus is set to move across the face of the Sun as viewed from Earth. The more than six-and-a-half-hour transit, which starts just after 22:00 GMT (23:00 BST) on Tuesday, June 4 is a very rare astronomical phenomenon that will not be witnessed again until 2117. Observers will position themselves in northwest America, the Pacific, and East Asia to catch the whole event. But some part of the spectacle will be visible across a much broader swathe of Earth's surface, weather permitting. Skywatchers in UK, for example, will catch the end of the transit at sunrise on Wednesday. Venus will appear as a tiny black disc against our star, but no-one should look for it without the proper equipment. Looking directly at the Sun with the naked eye, or worse still through an open telescope or binoculars, can result in serious injury and even blindness. It is recommended people attend an organized viewing event where the transit will be projected on to a screen; or they can visit one of themany institutional internet sites planning to stream pictures. Venus transits occur four times in approximately 243 years; more precisely, they appear in pairs of events separated by about eight years and these pairs are separated by about 105 or 121 years, BBC reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |