PLANET gazers in Bolton were up at sunrise on Tuesday to catch a sight never witnessed before by any living person.
Astronomers from the Bolton Astronomical Society set up camp at The Deane School in Junction Road to witness the event -- the transit of Venus, in which the planet passes between the Earth and the Sun.
It is such a rare event that it was in 1882 that it last happened. And British sky watchers will not be able to see it again until the year 2247.
At 6.19am today, Venus began to cut a diagonal path across the bottom of the Sun.
Appearing as a black disc 30 times smaller than the Sun's diameter, it moved slowly from left to right over the course of six hours the "show" ending at 12.24pm.
The 20-strong group gathered at the school cheered when they witnessed the phenomenon. The event was captured by the group on several hi-tech telescopes.
David Ratledge, chairman of Bolton Astronomical Society, said: "It was a chance of a lifetime. For those of us who did not see the total eclipse of the Sun in 1999, it was great to see this event in Bolton.
"Until you see it, you really can't believe it. I was very surprised at how big Venus was."
The phenomenon was discovered in 1639 by scientist Jeremiah Horrocks, of Much Hoole, Preston, whose brother lived in Deane.
Since the discovery, Venus's transit across the Sun has been used to work out the size of the solar system.
Mr Ratledge said: "With the Bolton and Lancashire connection, I was really looking forward to this.
"It is not often Bolton and Lancashire are the centre of the universe -- the last time was probably when Jeremiah Horrocks discovered the transit in the 17th century."
The historic event was witnessed by a wide range of people.
Leah Greenhalgh, aged seven, a pupil at Tonge Moor Primary School, got up at 5.15am to make sure she saw the transit.
Her dad Matt, aged 28, said: "I was talking to Leah about the event last night and she showed an interest and said wanted to come along. I said she could if she got up in time.
"I took her to Devon to see the total eclipse and I'm keen for her to see these things because they are a once in a lifetime experience. I just hope she doesn't fall asleep at her desk today."
The Bolton group were also joined by a planet gazer from Canada.
David Harris, aged 53, has just moved to Hyde, Cheshire, from Toronto, and is a member of the Canadian Astronomical Society.
He said: "I chose to come to Bolton after looking on the Internet for an appropriate site, and Bolton seemed to have the most detail about what was happening. It's been worth it."
The next transit of Venus will be on June 6, 2012 -- but on that occasion it will be hidden from British sky-watchers.
Webcams around the world
The University of Central Lancashire Transit-ofVenus website has pictures of the cosmic event .
You can also find on the sunearthconnection education website sponsored by NASA in America.
Perth Observatory, Western Australia
Global Oscillation Network Group, from Learmonth, Western Australia and Udaipur, India
Exporatorium webcast from Athens, Greece
Saros Group Scientific Expeditions from Gran Canaria
University of North Dakota from New Dehli, India
Images from the European Southern Observatory
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
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