"In 2004, Venus will cross the sun's face for the first time since 1882. Some will not bother to step outside. Others will plan for years, reserving airline tickets to see the transit in its entirety. But even this group of astronomers and experience seekers will be attracted not by scientific purpose but by the event's beauty, rarity, and perhaps - after this book - history.

For previous sky-watchers, though, transits afforded the only chance to determine the all-important astronomical unit: the mean distance between earth and sun.".

"Eli Maor tells the intriguing tale of the five Venus transits observed by humans and the fantastic efforts made to record them. This is the story of heroes and cowards, of reputations earned and squandered, told against a backdrop of phenomenal geopolitical and scientific change. Throughout, Maor guides readers to the upcoming Venus transits in 2004 and 2012, opportunities to witness a phenomenon seen by no living person and not to be repeated until 2117."--BOOK JACKET.