"[A] thrilling adventure story...Wulf's marvellous eye for detail and talent for simplifying complex science make the book... well worth reading." —San Francisco Chronicle
"Here is a book both astrophysicists and poets can understand." —The Boston Globe
"Andrea Wulf's story of the chase is an enthralling, nail-biting thriller and will undoubtedly prove one of the nonfiction books of the year... Don't miss this wonderful book." —Daily Mail
"Another fine example of such scientific storytelling... Narrated with elegant expertise." —The Times
On two days in 1761 and 1769 hundreds of astronomers pointed their telescopes towards the skies to observe a rare astronomical event: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun.
United by this momentous occasion, scientists from around the globe came together to answer the essential question: how can the universe be measured? In Chasing Venus Andrea Wulf paints a vivid portrait of the rivalries, triumphs and misfortunes that befell these men, along with their passion and determination to succeed. This extraordinary book tells their story and how one single event prompted the first international scientific collaboration.
