558 - The Transit of Venus part 1

558 - The Transit of Venus part 1

From Do Go On by Do Go On Media

June 30, 2026 · 2h 28m

About this episode

The episode discusses the transit of Venus and its significance in determining the distance to the sun, featuring a comically cursed voyage by a French astronomer.

How far away is the sun? English astronomer Edmond Halley suggested that tracking the transit of Venus across the sun would be the key to finding the answer. This set in motion a huge international collaborative scientific endeavour and one of the most comically cursed voyages, by the magnificently named Frenchman, Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 05:25 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report). For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod   Check out our other podcasts: Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheat Prime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/ Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/ Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/ Jess Writes A Rom-Com: https://shows.acast.com/jess-writes-a-rom-com Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader Thomas Do Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present.  REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING…

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