Venus transit a no-show in Kerala, thanks to monsoon

Thiruvananthapuram: The rare celestial phenomenon of Venus transiting the sun turned out to be a no-show in Kerala as monsoon took centrestage, leaving hundreds of school children in Thiruvananthapuram disappointed.

The Priyadarshini Planetarium in the heart of the city was abuzz with activity as hundreds of school children turned up to witness the rare spectacle at 6.30 am. Their excitement, however, soon turned into disappointment because of the rain.

"We are really disappointed with what happened today (Wednesday). The rain played spoilsport," said a disappointed student.

The transit of Venus is a rare eclipse, when the planet passes between the Earth and the Sun. The planet appears as a black spot gliding across the burning face of the sun.

"We saw Venus as a black spot on the telescope with rear projection screens," added the student.

The next Venus transit will happen after 105.5 years in 2117.

The last transit of Venus occurred June 8, 2004 and was visible across India.

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