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The Transit of Venus

Peter Aughton

£8.99

The Transit of Venus: The brief, brilliant life of Jeremiah Horrocks, Father of British Astronomy

This book will be available from 23 February 2012. Pre-orders may be placed by adding the book to your basket and checking out as normal, but please be advised that the title will be dispatched 2-3 days after we receive them from the printers. You can also pre-order by ringing us at Carnegie on 01524 840111.

In June 2012 people in the USA will be able to witness the image of Venus crossing the face of the Sun, and the event will not occur again for more than a century. In Lancashire in 1639 Jeremiah Horrocks – to many the father of British astronomy – was the first to predict and see the Transit of Venus, and helped transform our understanding of the Solar System. He died young, but his legacy is remarkable.
This readable biography is a fascinating tale of scientific discovery.

Praise for The Transit of Venus

‘Aughton … relates the story of Horrocks’s life in a clear if businesslike style. Flights of fancy he leaves to Horrocks, who … was not only a brilliant astronomer but something of a dab hand at blank verse.’ Spectator

‘Horrocks … was lucky to live in what was for astronomers an exciting period of transition … Charmingly done, with no stone left unturned … an admirable book.’ The Tablet

‘I take my hat off to Peter Aughton for having produced such an excellent biography of that amazing young man who was Britain’s first research astronomer of truly international standing … a thorough, well-researched and argued and highly readable work.’ Astronomy Now

‘… extremely readable, well-researched, and well-referenced biography provides us with a thorough review of the work done by Horrocks in his few years of productive astronomical life.’ Observatory Magazine

‘Tells, effectively and unpretentiously, a story which has everything: entertainment and instruction, drama and discovery, poignancy and importance. Aughton genuinely retrieves a lost hero and an almost unknown episode of the scientific revolution. You can go on reading the book until the summer sky darkens and Horrocks’s cosmos begins to gleam.’ The Times

Binding:

softback

ISBN:

978-1-85936-214-3

Pages:

256

Illustrations:

Colour plate section

Date of Publication:

23 February 2012

Dimensions:

198×128mm