Chasing Venus : The Race to Measure the Heavens

History of early Astronomy. Tells the adventurous story of pioneer scientists who tried to observe and record the transits of venus. From the observations, the Earth-Sun distance to be calculated according to the method suggested by Edmund Halley. Generations of Astronomers worked single mindedly to make the most important breakthrough of early Astronomy. Title Page......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Dedication......Page 4 Epigraph......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Author’s Note......Page 8 Dramatis Personae......Page 9 Prologue: The Gauntlet......Page 11 Part I. Transit 1761......Page 16 1. Call to Action......Page 18 2. The French Are First......Page 29 3. Britain Enters the Race......Page 37 4. To Siberia......Page 45 5. Getting Ready for Venus......Page 52 6. Day of Transit, 6 June 1761......Page 63 7. How Far to the Sun?......Page 76 Part 2. Transit 1769......Page 84 8. A Second Chance......Page 86 9. Russia Enters the Race......Page 93 10. The Most Daring Voyage of All......Page 101 11. Scandinavia or the Land of the Midnight Sun......Page 109 12. The North American Continent......Page 115 13. Racing to the Four Corners of the Globe......Page 124 14. Day of Transit, 3 June 1769......Page 138 15. After the Transit......Page 148 Epilogue: A New Dawn......Page 155 List of Observers 1761......Page 160 List of Observers 1769......Page 165 Selected Bibliography, Sources and Abbreviations......Page 170 Suggested Further Reading......Page 189 Picture Credits......Page 190 Acknowledgements......Page 197 Notes......Page 199 Index......Page 252 Illustrations......Page 259 A Note About the Author......Page 268 Other Books by This Author......Page 269 A “thrilling adventure story" ( San Francisco Chronicle ) that brings to life the astronomers who in the 1700s embarked upon a quest to calculate the size of the solar system, and paints a vivid portrait of the collaborations, rivalries, and volatile international politics that hindered them at every turn. • From the author of Magnificent Rebels and New York Times bestseller The Invention of Nature. On June 6, 1761, the world paused to observe a momentous occasion: the first transit of Venus between the Earth and the Sun in more than a century. Through that observation, astronomers could calculate the size of the solar system—but only if they could compile data from many different points of the globe, all recorded during the short period of the transit. Overcoming incredible odds and political strife, astronomers from Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and the American colonies set up observatories in the remotest corners of the world, only to be thwarted by unpredictable weather and warring armies. Fortunately, transits of Venus occur in pairs; eight years later, they would have another opportunity to succeed. Thanks to these scientists, neither our conception of the universe nor the nature of scientific research would ever be the same. "The author of the highly acclaimed Founding Gardeners now gives us an enlightening chronicle of the first truly international scientific endeavor--the eighteenth-century quest to observe the transit of Venus and measure the solar system. On June 6, 1761, the world paused to observe a momentous occasion: the first transit of Venus between the earth and the sun in more than a century. Through that observation, astronomers could calculate the size of the solar system--but only if the transit could be viewed at the same time from many locations. Overcoming incredible odds and political strife, astronomers from Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and the American colonies set up observatories in remote corners of the world only to have their efforts thwarted by unpredictable weather and warring armies. Fortunately, transits of Venus occur in pairs: eight years later, the scientists were given a second chance to get it right. Chasing Venus brings to life this extraordinary endeavor: the personalities of eighteenth-century astronomy, the collaborations, discoveries, personal rivalries, volatile international politics, and the race to be first to measure the distances between the planets"-- Provided by publisher A “thrilling adventure story" (San Francisco Chronicle) that brings to life the personalities of the astronomers who in the 1700s embarked upon a quest to calculate the size of the solar system, and paints a vivid portrait of the collaborations, rivalries, and volatile international politics that hindered them at every turn. On June 6, 1761, the world paused to observe a momentous occasion: the first transit of Venus between the Earth and the Sun in more than a century. Through that observation, astronomers could calculate the size of the solar system—but only if they could compile data from many different points of the globe, all recorded during the short period of the transit. Overcoming incredible odds and political strife, astronomers from Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and the American colonies set up observatories in the remotest corners of the world, only to be thwarted by unpredictable weather and warring armies. Fortunately, transits of Venus occur in pairs; eight years later, they would have another opportunity to succeed. Thanks to these scientists, neither our conception of the universe nor the nature of scientific research would ever be the same.