Transits of Venus (IAU C196) by D W Kurtz
On 24 November 1639 in the tiny Lancashire village of Much Hoole, Jeremiah Horrocks made the first observations of a transit of Venus. In the following century the great expeditions to observe the transits of Venus gave us the most colourful stories in astronomy. IAU C196 coincided with the 8 June 2004 transit of Venus, producing the exciting, eclectic mix that can be found in these proceedings: the amazing history of the English North-country astronomers of the seventeenth century; the AU at a precision of 1.4 m; the explanation for the infamous black drop effect; a possible Mayan observation of a transit of Venus in the thirteenth century; the vexed question of leap seconds and time scales; history, distances, parallaxes, the solar system at exquisite precision and future space missions that will revolutionise astronomy.
"..does an admirable job detailing the rich history and science behind Venus's past trips in front of the Sun. Because of this, the text is accessible to the intersted amateur, and it serves as a great reference." --Sky & Telescope
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521849074 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521849071 |
| Title | Transits of Venus (IAU C196) |
| Author | D W Kurtz |
| Series | Proceedings Of The International Astronomical Union Symposia And Colloquia |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2005-06-30 |
| Number of pages | 554 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |