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The Incredible Venus Sky Show
This Rare Eclipse Event Won’t Happen Again Until the Year 2117
by Kayla Hollis, age 10
Have you ever heard of the Venus sky show? It is also called the Transit of Venus, or sky eclipse. It occurs when Venus is visible as a black dot while crossing the sun. This year it lasted nearly seven hours. Before 2012, the last show happened in 2004, and it won’t happen again for another 105 years in 2117, and then again in 2125. Millions of people around the world went to see the sky show this time around.
The event was so rare that museums and schools in many countries had Venus viewing parties. Astronauts on the International Space Station watched the eclipse, and NASA streamed it live.
If you saw the Venus sky show this year, you probably noticed how bright it was. Venus’ clouds reflect sunlight back into space, so it appears like a bright star. People in Hawaii had such a good view that special eclipse glasses were passed out to protect viewers’ eyes.
In the night sky, there are places where Venus is most visible. You will be able to see it most in the Western pacific, Eastern Asia and Eastern Australia. From Hawaii, viewers were able to see the entire transit.
[Source:
Time For Kids
]
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