Eastern, central China to see entire Venus transit in 2012

Parts of eastern and central China will be able to see the whole process of the transit of Venus on June 6, 2012, after which people will have to wait for 105 years to witness the next transit, an observatory said on Wednesday. The transit of Venus across the Sun is similar to a solar eclipse by the Moon. It takes place when the planet passes directly between the Sun and Earth, obscuring a small portion of the Sun. During the transit, people will see a small black dot moving across the Sun. Next year's transit can be viewed from Europe, eastern Africa, Oceania, North America, northwestern South America, and northwestern regions in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, said a statement from the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu. In China, the transit can best be seen from the eastern and central parts of the country, but the start of the transit will not be visible in western regions, according to the statement. In Beijing, the transit will start at 6:10 a.m. and last for over six hours before ending at 12:50 p.m., said Wang Sichao, an astronomer with the observatory. However, Wang warned that observers should not watch the transit with the naked eye, and eye protection devices are strongly recommended.