Part 4 of Mass Transits, featuring the story of how astronomers in the late 19th century discovered that the black drop effect limited the precision of astronomical distance calculations based on the transit of Venus, and the technological advances that have since made the use of parallax to measure planetary distances unnecessary. Plus, where our guests plan to view the Transit of Venus on June 5, 2012.
Jay Pasachoff, Astronomer, Williams College
Peter Aughton, Astronomer and author of The Transit of Venus: The Brief, Brilliant Life of Jeremiah Horrocks, Father of British Astronomy
Nick Lomb, former Curator of Astronomy, Sydney Observatory, and author of Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present
Andrea Wulf, author of Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens