{"product_id":"9781633889491","title":"The Transits of Venus","description":"\u003cp\u003eSheehan and Westfall paint a picture of the history of this rare phenomenon through this year's transit as well as that of June 5-6, 2012. They interweave a discussion of its scientific significance with the stories of the people who went to great lengths to be a part of its legacy, such as Jeremiah Horrocks, the first known viewer of the transit, who began his observations a whole day early in case of inaccurate calculations; Captain James Cook, who sailed halfway around the world just to take a viewing party to an advantageous point on the globe, keeping his crew healthy on the long voyage by tricking them into eating sauerkraut; and Jean Chappe d'Auteroche, who paid the ultimate price to see Venus's tiny silhouette. A background in the history of astronomy is also provided, from the experiments of the ancients through the Copernican revolution to using radar to determine astronomical distances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Sheehan, John Westfall","offers":[{"title":"Globe Pequot |  Paperback \/ softback | Trade paperback (US) |  2024-01-15","offer_id":46012102541567,"sku":"9781633889491","price":28.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_1c3aa7e4-6a64-4b60-b54a-ff80b9cff024.jpg?v=1723108167","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781633889491","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}