The Transit of Venus How a Rare Astronomical Alignment Changed the World

Going beyond the science of astronomy, this study looks at the history of Venus' rare passings across the face of the sun which have affected the exploration, colonization, and science of our planet for thousands of years. In response to Venus' 2004 transit, the first in 121 years, the scientists and historians in this study look at the extraordinary impact these astronomical events have had on our culture throughout history, and look ahead to the next transit in 2012.

Peter Adds is head of the School of Maori Studies at Victoria University in New Zealand. Paul Callaghan is head of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Hamish Campbell is the geologist at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Richard Hall is cofounder of the renowned Stonehenge Aotearoa Astronomy Centre in Wairarapa, New Zealand and the author of How to Gaze at the Southern Stars. Anne Salmond is a professor of Maori studies and anthropology at the University of Auckland. Duncan Steel is the principal research scientist with the Ball Solutions Group and vice-president of the Spaceguard Foundation. Marilyn Head is the winner of the 2002 Carter Medal for her services to astronomy education.