Rare astronomical event: A transit of Venus across the disc of the sun will occur on June 8.  During the transit, Venus will come between the sun and the Earth for the first time in more than a century.

Cross your fingers for good weather as a transit of Venus across the disc of the sun will occur on June 8. During the transit, Venus will come between the sun and the Earth for the first time in more than a century.

From the Earth's perspective, Venus' silhouette will move across the sun's disc. Weather permitting, this rare astronomical phenomenon will be visible in Hong Kong.

The transit will occur between 1.12pm and 7.19pm and last around six hours. Most of the transit can be observed in Hong Kong as the sun will set at 7.09pm on the day of the transit.

The last occurrence of the transit of Venus was 122 years ago in December, 1882. The next transit of Venus will occur in June, 2012.

Due to the strong sunlight, people must neither look directly at the sun with the naked eye nor through a telescope. They should also avoid observing the transit for a prolonged period. 

A safe method is to project the sun's image onto a piece of white paper or cardboard and view the reflection.

The best places to observe the transit will be somewhere with an unobstructed view to the west such as Pok Fu Lam, Stanley, Lamma Island, Cheung Chau and Tai O.

For details, click here.