In 1761 and 1769 respectively, scientists were anxiously awaiting a pair of events that only occurs approximately every 100 years: two transits of Venus between the Sun and the Earth. By observing these transits from different locations all over the globe, they hoped to be able to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The collaborative effort to collect data by scientists from many different countries was no easy task in the 18th century. The Seven Years’ War, for instance, split not only […]
Staring at the Sun
Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf
