Short Wave How Venus got caught up in an 18th century space race
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Nov 13, 2023 In the 18th century, astronomers embarked on daring expeditions to track Venus's transit across the sun. This ambitious quest aimed to unlock crucial measurements of our solar system. The challenges were immense, with storms and shipwrecks threatening explorers. Discover how the principle of parallax played a key role in these scientific endeavors. The podcast also connects historical efforts to modern missions, showcasing our ongoing quest to map the cosmos and deepen our cosmic understanding.
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Perilous Journey for Venus Transit
- French explorer Jean-Baptiste Chap Dutrache traveled to Siberia and Mexico for Venus transit measurements.
- He faced instrument destruction, a hurricane, and a typhus epidemic, ultimately dying, with only one crew member surviving.
Parallax for Space Measurements
- Astronomers used parallax, similar to the eye-thumb trick, to measure distances in space.
- This involves observing an object from two different points and noting its shift against a background.
Venus Transit and Parallax
- Edmund Halley proposed using the Venus transit and parallax to determine distances in the solar system.
- By treating Venus as the thumb, two points on Earth as eyes, and the sun as the background, they could calculate distances.