Thousands at Varsity Stadium watch spectacle in sky as Venus passes in front of sun

TORONTO, Ont. – It was literally a once-in-a-lifetime show, as Venus passed in front of the sun Tuesday evening.

The spectacle began at 6 p.m. EST and was expected to last approximately six hours.

During the event Venus was expected to look something like a dark “beauty mark” moving across the face of the sun.

While watching the transit of Venus, University of Toronto astronomer Dr. Ian Sheldon said people can gain a different appreciation of the galaxy.

“You can relive what was actually a very important finding for astronomy, in terms of understanding how big the universe is, it starts with how big our solar system is. One way to get that is by this very simple technique,” Sheldon said.

There were several planned viewings around the city, including at U of T’s Varsity Stadium, where approximately 5,000 star gazers took in the show.

“I just wanted to observe the transit of Venus because it’s a very unique, once-in-a-lifetime event, it represents a lot of the change happening on the planet right now,” said Leela, who watched from Varsity Stadium.

“It’s great to get together with 5,000 people at U of T campus and experience it together,” she added.

The next time Venus passes in front of the sun will be in 2117.

Other locations around the city where viewings were held included the Ontario Science Centre and the U of T Mississauga Campus.

As a warning for anyone hoping to catch a glance, looking directly at the sun can cause permanent eye damage and special glasses are needed.

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