CHAMPLIN, Minn. - On a gorgeous day in June, you wouldn't expect some far off planet to be making news.
But millions of people carefully had their eyes to the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of something they'll never see again.
"It's a once in a lifetime astronomical event," said University of Minnesota Astronomy Professor Terry Jones. "It's something that takes place in the sky that they can see that won't happen again in their lifetime."
At Jackson Middle School in Champlin, the observatory is usually used for school science lessons. But on Tuesday kids and their parents were putting on special safety glasses and using a filtered telescope to see the planet Venus, barely visible as it moved in front of the sun.
"They're not playing a video game," said Dee McLellan, the school's observatory coordinator. "It's not something they're setting up on a computer. It's not a simulation. It's actually happening."
"It was so tiny," said Haddy Bayo, a sixth grade student at Jackson. "I thought it was going to cover the whole sun, but it didn't."
Telescopes were busy, and so were cameras, since this is one of astronomy's rarest events. If you didn't see the Transit of Venus, photos are now your only chances. It won't be back for 105 years.
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