Venus between earth and sun on wednesday

Venus, Earth’s twin planet, will pass between the sun and the earth as a small black speck on the solar disk, this Wednesday.

Venus, Earth’s twin planet, will pass between the sun and the earth as a small black speck on the solar disk, this Wednesday.

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Known as the Transit of Venus, the celestial phenomenon will be seen in Mumbai from 6.59am till 10.29am.

“It is similar to a solar eclipse where the moon comes between the sun and the earth and obstructs the star’s visibility from the planet,” said Vinita Navalkar, research fellow, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Colaba on Sunday, addressing a group at Chai and Why?, a forum for informal science interaction, at Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.

The Transit follows a pattern that repeats every 243 years with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years.

The last transit, which lasted six hours, occurred on June 8, 2004. The next would occur in 2117.

Viewing the sun with the naked eye during the transit is harmful. “Direct eye-contact can lead to complete blindness and proper precautions should be taken,” advised Navalkar.