Princess watches Venus spectacle

From the sunrise until 11.49am, astronomers and enthusiasts from various corners of the country watched the celestial phenomenon through telescopes and devices provided by several agencies, including the Thai Astronomical Society (TAS) and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit).
TAS provided telescopes at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Nakhon Pathom, where the Princess was among the skywatchers.
The transit of Venus takes place when the planet passes directly between the sun and Earth. Against the sun, it appears to be a little black dot.
In Bangkok, skywatchers gathered at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Science.
In Chiang Mai, Narit provided more than 20 telescopes at the Rajapruek Royal Park. The crowd had to wait until 7am before the clouds cleared.
“This is the phenomenon of the century,” Narit director Boonraksa Sunthornthum said. “The next transit of Venus will take place on December 11, 2117.”
He believed that half the world’s population was excited about the phenomenon.
“Because of the Venus transit, astronomers can calculate the distance between the sun and the Earth,” he said. “So, the transit of Venus is really a very important phenomenon.”
In Phitsanulok, skygazers showed up at Naresuan University’s Faculty of Science, where eight telescopes were available.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, enthusiasts queued up at the Suranaree University of Technology to watch the sky.
Lecturers were on hand to provide information about the transit of Venus.
Apart from telescopes, viewers could also use special glasses to see the rare show.
In Yala, people could watch the phenomenon at a science education centre.
The last transit of Venus took place on June 8, 2004.