A ONCE-in-a-lifetime event has put Preston on the global map for astronomy boffs.

More than 100 scientists from all over the world will gather in the small village of Much Hoole, south of the city, to witness the Transit of Venus which starts at 6.20am on Tuesday, June 8.

The crossing of the Sun by the planet Venus was first witnessed and recorded in December 1639 by mathematician and Much Hoole resident Jeremiah Horrocks.

This time people from all over the world will be poised and ready for the astronomical spectacle to begin.

At St Michael's CofE Church, Liverpool Old Road, where Horrocks worshipped, a special marquee has been put up on the church grounds with telescopic equipment that people can use to look at the Sun in safety.

And in case it is cloudy, a video-link will be set up at nearby St Michael's Primary School to broadcast the action live from Arizona in the USA.

The Moor Park observatory, run by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), will also open its doors for members of the public to go along and witness the event for free.

UCLan and the church have teamed up for a week of celebrations, which will include a visit from a world leader in astronomy.

Church warden David Turner said: "Everyone at the church is extremely excited.

"We are hoping for good weather and a good turnout from the public."

St Michael's has even sold £6,000 worth of memorabilia on its website in advance of the event, including 'Venus' tea towels, and has recorded 37,000 hits in the last fortnight.

"We are really pleased with how the sales are going, but we are hoping to sell a lot of goods this week and next," said church warden William Carr. The church intends to divide all the money among local, national and international charities.

Ahead of the event UCLan, have issued strict safety advice to amateur astronomers.

NEVER observe the Sun with the naked eye or a telescope or binoculars because it will cause severe damage and may lead to permanent blindness.

There are three ways in which one can watch the Transit safely:

Make a pin prick in a piece of card and holding the card towards the Sun, thereby projecting a small image of the Sun to another piece of card.

Hold the eye piece of a pair of binoculars towards the Sun and projecting the image on to a piece of card.

Use a telescope to project the image by lining up a telescope with the sun, WITHOUT looking through the eyepiece, and projecting through the eyepiece on to a piece of card.

"It is an exciting event, but it is not worth losing one's sight over," said Dr Robert Walsh of the Centre for Astrophysics at the Preston based university.

"One worry we have is that people may try to use old visors from the 1999 eclipse, these may have been damaged, and the infra-red rays from the sun could damage their eye sight.

"Another worry is that people will use the visors and a pair of binoculars and a telescope. This is this is extremely dangerous as the binoculars or telescope amplify the power of the Sun's rays," added Dr Walsh.

Visit www.transit-of-venus.org to view details of the Transit and more safety information.

Or check out www.hooleCEchurch.org.uk for details of other events at St Michael's.