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On June 3, 1769, the planet Venus briefly passed across the face of the sun in a cosmic alignment that occurs twice per century. Anticipation of the rare celestial event sparked a worldwide competition among aspiring global superpowers, each sending their own scientific expeditions to far-flung destinations to time the planet’s trek. These pioneers used the “Venus Transit” to discover the physical dimensions of the solar system and refine the methods of discovering longitude at sea.
In this fast-paced narrative, Mark Anderson reveals the stories of three Venus Transit voyages--to the heart of the Arctic, the New World, and the Pacific—that risked every mortal peril of a candlelit age. With time running out, each expedition struggles to reach its destination—a quest that races to an unforgettable climax on a momentous summer day when the universe suddenly became much larger than anyone had dared to imagine.
The Day the World Discovered the Sun tells an epic story of the enduring human desire to understand our place in the universe.
Prologue 1
1 A Star in the Sun 5
2 The Choicest Wonders 25
3 Flying Bridges 45
4 The Mighty Dimensions 57
5 The Book and the Ship 77
6 Voyage en Californie 97
7 Great Expedition 117
8 Some Unfrequented Part 137
9 A Shining Band 155
10 Fort Venus 163
11 Behind the Sky 177
12 Subjects and Discoveries 187
13 Sail to the Southward 195
14 Eclipse 205
Epilogue 217
Acknowledgments 229
Technical Appendix 231
Notes 241
Index 269
Illustrations follow page 136
Overview
On June 3, 1769, the planet Venus briefly passed across the face of the sun in a cosmic alignment that occurs twice per century. Anticipation of the rare celestial event sparked a worldwide competition among aspiring global superpowers, each sending their own scientific expeditions to far-flung destinations to time the planet’s trek. These pioneers used the “Venus Transit” to discover the physical dimensions of the solar system and refine the methods of discovering longitude at ...