Mangalore, June 6: People in the city turned their attention to the daytime sky on Wednesday to make sure they caught the once-in-a-lifetime sight of the transit of Venus.
For some astro-enthusiasts, it wasn't just a rare planetary spectacle as it won't be seen for another 105 years. They hoped the passage of Venus between the Earth and the sun would spark curiosity about the universe and our place in it.
A large number of students and general public took benefit of the special arrangements made by Amateur Astronomers' Association of Mangalore to observe the rare astronomical phenomenon at St. Agnes College in the city.
Telescopes with special filters were set up on the College building and people took turns peering at the sun before and during the transit. Volunteers lectured about the rarity of a Venus pass to anyone who would listen. Children were seen jumping with joy when the witnessed Venus pass, like a moving beauty spot.
Sangeetha bunked the classes to bring her little brother Suman to this observatory. Sporting eclipse glasses, it took a little while before they spotted Venus. "I'm still having fun. It's an experience. Many of my family members and friends missed this opportunity," she said.
As part of the arrangement there was a video presentation too.
Sneha, a 20-year-old engineer took a half day leave went with her friend to the observatory. She admitted she wasn't an astronomy buff but could not miss this opportunity. Watching the celestial event she said: “It makes you feel like a small speck in the universe."
Meanwhile, experts have warned the terrestrial stargazers to only look at the celestial event with a properly filtered telescope or cardboard eclipse glasses. If the sun is viewed directly, permanent eye damage could result.
Venus, which is extremely hot, is one of Earth's two neighbours and is so close in size to our planet that scientists at times call them near-twins. During the transit, it will appear as a small dot.
This will be the seventh transit visible since German astronomer Johannes Kepler first predicted the phenomenon in the 17th century. Because of the shape and speed of Venus' orbit around the sun and its relationship to Earth's annual trip, transits occur in pairs separated by more than a century.
It's nowhere near as dramatic and awe-inspiring as a total solar eclipse, which sweeps a shadow across the Earth, but there will be six more of those this decade.
Addressing Kannadiga delegates from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other countries through a video conference, Dr Narayan also assured that necessary steps will be taken by the Karnataka government to provide free quarantine facility for those who cannot afford private quarantine in hotels or guest houses. The video conference was organised by coastaldigest.com.
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