Chasing Venus
| Author | Andrea Wulf |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Science history |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Knopf |
Publication date | 2012 |
| Pages | 336 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0307700179 |
Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens is a non-fiction book by the historian Andrea Wulf, an adventure story of the expeditions of scientists who set off around the world in 1761 and 1769 to collect data relating to the transit of Venus and thereby to measure and understand better the universe. The narrative style covers provides glimpses into the personalities of those involved, their aims and obsessions, their failures and discoveries, and provides the historic context of the period in the 18th century when modern-day scientifically accurate mapping and international scientific collaboration began.
Dramatis personae include Joseph Banks, Catherine the Great, Jean-Baptiste Chappe d'Auteroche, James Cook, Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, Jeremiah Dixon, Benjamin Franklin, Edmond Halley, Maximilian Hell, Guillaume Le Gentil, Mikhail Lomonosov, Nevil Maskelyne, Charles Mason, Alexandre-Gui Pingré, David Rittenhouse, James Short, Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, John Winthrop, and members of the American Philosophical Society, French Academy of Sciences, Royal Society, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and Russian Academy of Sciences.[1]
Bibliography
- Andrea Wulf (1 May 2012). Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-95861-7.
References
- ↑ A. Wulf. Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens. NY: Knopf, 2012