Hokuloa: The British 1874 Transit of Venus Expedition to Hawai‘i
Spanning several centuries and connecting two distant (and very different) island nations, Hokuloa: The British 1874 Transit of Venus Expedition to Hawai‘i provokes political and military maneuvering, confronts death and disappointment, descends into madness, and rises to heroism—all in pursuit of what was considered the most important astronomical observation of the 19th century—a transit of Venus that would yield calculation of the elusive astronomical unit (AU). Exactly how far was the Sun from Earth? And could an eclipse-like "transit" of the sun by Venus reveal the answer? Superbly crafted and authoritative in every detail, Hokuloa is a fascinating examination of Hawai‘i and Britain's connection in astronomical history.
Author Michael Chauvin was educated at the universities of Michigan, Hawai‘i, Harvard, and Cambridge; has taught astronomy at the University of Hawai‘i; been a lecturer at the Bishop Museum Planetarium; and is internationally recognized as a scholar of the history of astronomy in Hawai‘i.
$26.95
isbn 978-1-58178-023-9
hardcover, 6x9, 220pp.
Available at Bishop Museum's Shop Pacifica (phone 808-848-4158, email at shop@bishopmuseum.org ) and other fine bookstores throughout the islands.
Tags: astronomy, Bishop Museum Press, Hokuloa, Transit of Venus Expedition
