How far away is the sun? English astronomer Edmond Halley suggested that tracking the transit of Venus across the sun would be the key to finding the answer. This set in motion a huge international collaborative scientific endeavour and one of the most comically cursed voyages, by the magnificently named Frenchman, Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière!
This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 05:25 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).
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Check out our other podcasts:
Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheat
Prime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/
Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/
Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/
Jess Writes A Rom-Com: https://shows.acast.com/jess-writes-a-rom-com
Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader Thomas
Do Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:
http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit4/venussun.html
Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf
https://theconversation.com/transit-of-venus-a-tale-of-two-expeditions-7246
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/why-should-you-care-about-transit-venus
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/transits-of-venus-in-history-1761/
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