The Transits of Venus

By William Sheehan and John Edward Westfall

Book Overview

Sheehan and Westfall paint a picture of the history of this rare phenomenon through this year's transit as well as that of June 5-6, 2012. They interweave a discussion of its scientific significance with the stories of the people who went to great lengths to be a part of its legacy, such as Jeremiah Horrocks, the first known viewer of the transit, who began his observations a whole day early in case of inaccurate calculations; Captain James Cook, who sailed halfway around the world just to take a viewing party to an advantageous point on the globe, keeping his crew healthy on the long voyage by tricking them into eating sauerkraut; and Jean Chappe d'Auteroche, who paid the ultimate price to see Venus's tiny silhouette. A background in the history of astronomy is also provided, from the experiments of the ancients through the Copernican revolution to using radar to determine astronomical distances.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1633889491
• ISBN13: 9781633889491
• Release Date: January 2024
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.9"