Golden Field Guides

Description

Die Geschichte des größten wissenschaftlichen Abenteuers im 18. Jahrhundert erzählt dieser Wissenschaftsthriller, der an jenen magischen Moment erinnert, als die Dimensionen des Universums erstmals Kontur gewannen. Bestsellerautorin Andrea Wulf blickt zurück auf den Sommer des Jahres 1769, als beim Venusdurchgang erstmals Wissenschaftler weltweit zusammenarbeiteten, um den Abstand zwischen Sonne und Erde exakt zu ermitteln. Sie reisten in die entlegensten Regionen und bestanden gefährliche Abenteuer.

Description

"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. "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.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Golden Field GuidesHardcoverGoldencraft1984-06-01
• Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the HeavensHardcoverAlfred A. Knopf2012-01-01
• Chasing VenusPenguin Random House2012-01-01
• Chasing VenusPenguin Random House2012-01-01
• Die Jagd auf die Venusgebundene AusgabeC. Bertelsmann Verlag2012-04-23
• Chasing Venusaudio cdBooks on Tape2012-09-02