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Out of diaries: November 1760
In November 1760 two French astronomers set out from Paris to view the transit of Venus from far-flung destinations: thirty-eight-year-old Jean-Baptiste Chappe d’Auteroche began his 4,000-mile journey...
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Out of Diaries: 10 January 1761
Now I’ve finished the manuscript of my book “Chasing Venus” (well almost), I’ve a bit more time to follow ‘our’ astronomers on their journeys to observe the transits in 1761 and 1769. Take Charles...
View ArticleOut of Diaries: 24 February 1761
After Pingré’s lucky escape from the British in January, his voyage to the island of Rodrigues became relatively uneventful. Occasionally he saw enemy vessels in the distance, but they always managed...
View ArticleOut of Diaries: 18 May 1761
18 May 1761 marked an important event for many of the transit astronomers because it was a night of a lunar eclipse – one of the celestial encounters by which they would be able to determine their...
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Out of Diaries: 28 May 1761
In early April 1761, just after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, Alexandre–Gui Pingré’s ship met a damaged French supply vessel that had been attacked by the British. Packed to the brim with provisions...
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