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scopes and passing out cardboard eclipse glasses to view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial cameo of Venus passing in front of the sun.
• The transit of Venus -- a planetary spectacle that won't occur again until 2117 -- won't be enough to significantly block the sun's light but it will give Earth's closest star a moving beauty mark. Venus is currently Earth's closest neighboring planet, although Mars occasionally has that distinction.
• "In terms of rarity, to be here at a time when it's happening, you almost have to look at it," said Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory, who saw the last transit in 2004. "It ain't going to happen again in my lifetime."
• The transit is happening during a 6-hour, 40-minute span starting just after 6 p.m. EDT in the United States. What you can see and for how long depends on what the sun's doing in your region during that exact window, and the weather. Those in most areas of North and Central America will see the start of the transit until the sun sets, while those in Western Asia, the eastern half of Africa and most of Europe will catch the transit's end once the sun comes up.
• Hawaii, Alaska, eastern Australian and eastern Asia including Japan, North and South Korea and eastern China will get the whole show since the entire transit will happen during daylight in those regions.
• ___

• NEW YORK (AP) -- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen took home the biggest prize at the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America awards. The former child TV stars were selected Monday night as the country's top womenswear designers for their collection called The Row.
• "I'd like to thank you -- you," Mary-Kate, wearing an all-black ensemble, said, turning to her purple-clad twin, as she accepted.
• Jessica Chastain, who wore a sparkly white dress by Prabal Gurung, announced the 25-year-olds as winners at Lincoln Center in front of an audience that drew not only from the fashion world but also from Hollywood.
• "Mad Men's" Jessica Pare gave Reed Krakoff his trophy as best designer of accessories, and "White Collar's" Matt Bomer gave menswear designer Billy Reid his.
• The previously announced style icon award went to Johnny Depp, but he was on the set of "The Lone Ranger" and didn't attend. He sent an email -- and filmmaker friend John Waters -- in his place.

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