A review by jklbookdragon
Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Inpired by a challenge Edmund Halley, of comet fame, had set a few decades earlier, the astronomers of the world cooperate on a series of adventures to reach far-flung places around the world to measure the transit of Venus across the Sun. They have two chances, in 1761 and 1769, to take accurate measurements (no easy task at that time) -- then it will be 115 years before this happens again. From their data, they hope to be able to calculate for the first time the distance to the sun. And voila - the scientific expedition is born! Andrea Wulf spins a fascinating tale as she follows an unlikely collection of intrepid adventurers from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, America and other countries as they strive to reach remote outposts in Siberia, South Africa, Tahiti, Lapland, and more -- despite war, weather, and disease -- to be in time for the transits. I enjoyed learning about new scientists, and also finding familiar names in unexpected places. I'm also very glad that my husband and I showed the 2012 transit of Venus to our son's boy scout troop... I just wish I'd read this beforehand so I could truly appreciate what we were seeing.