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Article: World prepares again for celestial rarity as Venus crosses the sun.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- June 4, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Steve Grant
HARTFORD, Conn. _ It's called a Transit of Venus, and it is an honest-to-goodness rare celestial event, at least as measured in human terms. It happens once every 121-plus years, so infrequently that many people never have the opportunity to witness it in a lifetime.
On June 8 Venus will pass directly between the Earth and the sun, appearing in the early morning sky like a black dot on the sun. Already, the astronomical community is abuzz, and special viewing events are planned.
By all indications, there will be considerable interest in this transit, the first since 1882, even though scientists are not expecting it to yield ...