Cook’s View Of The Transit Of Venus

Exactly 243 years ago, Captain James Cook made the sketch you see above. On June 5–6, 2012, you could make your own drawing of such a rare celestial event (provided you have the right eye-protecting equipment). But don’t miss the chance, as you won’t get another one for 115 years.

Cook’s drawing shows the Transit of Venus as it appeared on June 3, 1769, from Tahiti. During first voyage around the world, Cook, astronomer Charles Green, and the crew of the HMS Endeavour set up observing equipment on what is now known as Point Venus. In fact, the Transit was one of the motivations for the expedition, as it would provide valuable information for determining the size of our solar system. The explorers made many measurements of the event, and Green added his own sketch (see the downloadable large image).

Full Story: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78158&src=eoa-iotd