Hundreds gather in Sharjah to watch transit of Venus

Sharjah: More than 200 students and families gathered at the American University of Sharjah on Wednesday morning to witness the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun.

Equipped with telescopes and pin hole projectors, astronomy enthusiasts said they were excited to witness such a historical event.

The next transit of Venus is expected to take place after 105 years, in December 2117.

"The transit of Venus has been a deep historical discovery because it enabled scientists to measure the distance of the Sun. From that, people were able to do other calculations such as the distance of the stars," said Hassan Al Hariri, chief executive of Dubai Astronomy Group.