If you miss this celestial event now, you will have to wait for another 105 years. The transit of Venus will be visible on June 6 this year. The next transit will be visible only in 2117, followed by another opportunity in 2125.
Basic training
Vigyan Prasar, in association with the M.P. Birla Institute of Fundamental Research, has organised a three-day national workshop on the transit of Venus from May 21 at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here. G.S.D. Babu from the institute told presspersons here on Wednesday that the workshop had been organised to provide basic training on daytime astronomy for teachers, science communicators and amateur astronomers.
It would be inaugurated on May 21 by N. Sundararajan, Vice-Chancellor of Jain University, while P. Sreekumar, head of the Space Astronomy and Instrumentation division of the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Satellite Centre, is expected to attend.
Resource persons
Resource persons from across the country had confirmed their participation, he said. Subodh Mohanti, Director of Vigyan Prasar; Arvind Ranade, scientist from Vigyan Prasar, and N.M. Ashok, senior scientist, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, would be participating in the various sessions.
He said that 50 selected participants would also undergo hands-on training on May 22 on daytime astronomy for observing the sun and the transit of Venus. The training would be conducted by Naushad Ali and Mustaq Ahmed, master resource persons from Mumbai. A panel discussion would also be held in which astronomers and astrologers would participate.
Mr. Babu said that on June 6, the transit of Venus would be projected on a screen at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan by the institute in association with the Bangalore Science Forum. Warning people to not look at the sun with naked eyes, he said this would cause permanent damage to the retina.
The transit of Venus will begin at around 3.45 a.m. and will be visible from the time of sunrise till around 10 a.m. The previous transit was visible on June 8, 2004.
