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<< Voice Over from the Information Video >> |
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" Violent, mysterious… and beautiful. Venus, our neighbour 4 million kilometres away, is roaming across our skies, marking its priceless historical trail every time it crosses the Earth, our home. For centuries, it has dominated our folklore, and bestowed gifts upon mankind. Every 120 years, the planet comes between the Earth and the Sun. This astonishing phenomenon is… a Transit. It has allowed us to find the Holy Grail of astronomy – the Astronomical Unit.
This is the real story behind the Transit of Venus.
Galileo and Kepler, two remarkable scientists, carved out the first steps of astronomy. In 1639, Jeremiah Horrocks built upon these foundations. Simply by using a one-and-a-half-inch refracting telescope, Horrocks calculated the planet’s angular size, orbital velocity and transitional path. In doing so, he proved that Venus did move in an elliptical orbit according to Kepler’s Third Law.
In 1761, Edmund Halley predicted that the distance between the Earth and the Sun could be determined by observing the transit of Venus from different locations around the world. Halley was so confident of himself, that he made an extremely detailed plan for the next generation to follow. What’s more, he was right.
In the following century, Halley’s plan made a breakthrough in history: the quest to time the transit marked the first time International Community cooperated to answer one of the leading scientific questions. Even during the Seven Year War*, all scientists were given vast protection against the violence. The observations became more than just a finding of answers to satisfy our curiosity. It allied our cultures, our world, and our minds. But not until 18th Century did astronomers hit their first brick-wall: the Black Drop Affect.
The black drop effect is caused by the refractions of the sun’s rays through Venus’s sulphuric atmosphere, which fades into space. It was first discovered by Russian astronomer, Mikhail Lomosov. The effect was a major source of bafflement to all scientists since they could not determine the exact times of the ingressions and the egressions of the Transit.
Despite the black drop effect was never solved, one of the most commendable expeditions launched seemed to have more hopes at attracting settlement to the Pacific Ocean than merely establishing the scale of the solar system. Commerce, politics and empire were all suddenly involved.
Captain James Cook and astronomer Charles Green were armed with Gregorian reflecting telescopes, astronomical quadrants and pocket watches.
In the late 19th century, astronomer Simon Newcomb used previous data with better analysis techniques to derive the value of the Astronomical Unit as approximately 150 million kilometres. During later observations, calculations had greatly improved around the world, and the measurement was known to the precision of 30 metres.
By this century, with the invention of stronger, more powerful telescopes as well as radar equipment, scientists have refined the AU accurate to the centimetre. Today, the Transit of Venus is a symbol of perseverance, of dedication to science. It continues to unite the global community under one goal: the quest to find our place in the universe. Cultures, religions and perceptions of the physical world have all been affected, as mankind is still bewildered by the unknown.
But, the question remains:
What do you expect? "
*The Seven Year War was fought in Europe among many countries. It lasted from 1756 to 1763, and hence clashed with the preparation of, and the actual occurrence of the Transit in 1761.
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