@article{456295, author = {Anderson, Mark.}, url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/456295}, title = {The day the world discovered the sun an extraordinary story of scientific adventure and the race to track the transit of Venus / [electronic resource] :}, publisher = {Da Capo Press,}, abstract = {On June 3, 1769, the planet Venus briefly passed across the face of the sun in a cosmic alignment that occurs twice per century. Anticipation of the rare celestial event sparked a worldwide competition among aspiring global superpowers, each sending their own scientific expeditions to far-flung destinations to time the planet's trek. Anderson reveals the stories of three Venus Transit voyages-- to the heart of the Arctic, the New World, and the Pacific-- that risked every mortal peril of a candlelit age.}, recid = {456295}, pages = {1 online resource (vii, 280 p., [4] p. of plates) :}, address = {Boston :}, year = {2012}, }