Introduction

A transit occurs when a planet crosses the face of the sun. The transit of Venus on 8 June 2004 was only its sixth ever to be observed.
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In the 18th century, this rare event held the key to calculating the size of the solar system - “the most noble problem in nature”.
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The transits of 1761 and 1769 were observed all over the world, requiring an unprecedented level of international organisation in science. This exhibition focuses on the British enterprise.
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Expeditions and observatories were equipped to make precise measurements. Astronomers then gathered, compared and computed the results, all to establish the distance from the earth to the sun.
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But the transits were not just for the scientific elite. Through books, prints and apparatus, enterprising lecturers and authors competed to engage a wide audience. The exhibition shows both the public and scientific impact of the transit in 18th-century Britain.