THE DAY THE WORLD DISCOVERED THE SUN: AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE AND THE RACE TO TRACK THE TRANSIT OF VENUS
Book ID/图书代码： 06840010B40468
English Summary/英文概要： In today’s world we take for granted how computers calculate distances that can span galaxies, but in the 1700’s scientists from around the world performed a truly miraculous feat for their time – they measured, with greater than 99% accuracy, the distance between the earth and the sun.
On June 3, 1769, the planet Venus briefly passed across the face of the sun. This cosmic event occurs only twice every 120 years (the next one will be June 56, 2012). If scientists could accurately time Venus as it crossed the sun’s disk, they could crack the mystery of the distances of most planets in the solar system. With this knowledge, astronomers could create the tools to enable the maritime forces of their country to more accurately calculate longitude, the key to power over the seas. The challenge, however, was that each scientist could not obtain accurate measurements by looking at the skies in France, England or other convenient destinations. They had to travel to Siberia, Mexico and Tahiti, risking extreme temperatures, fever, shipwreck and even death.
In FINDING THE SUN, journalist Mark Anderson reveals the stories of three men of the 77 teams stationed around the world, locked in a desperate race to obtain the most accurate measurements. The book’s publication will coincide with the next Venus transit on June 56, 2012.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 在当今世界，我们想当然地认为计算机的计算可以跨越星系的距离，但在17世纪，来自世界各地的科学家在他们的时代完成了一项真正的奇迹：他们以99%以上的准确率测量了地球和太阳之间的距离。
1769年6月3日，金星短暂掠过太阳表面。这一宇宙事件每120年只发生两次（下一次是2012年6月5日）。如果科学家能够在金星穿过太阳盘面时准确地测定其时间，他们就可以解开太阳系中大多数行星的距离之谜。有了这些知识，天文学家可以创造工具，使他们国家能够更准确地计算经度，这是海上力量的关键。然而，他们也面临挑战：每位科学家都无法通过观察法国、英国或其他目的地的天空来获得准确的测量结果。他们不得不前往西伯利亚、墨西哥和塔希提岛，冒着极端气温、发烧、沉船甚至死亡的风险。在《发现太阳》一书中，记者马克•安德森讲述了驻扎在世界各地的77支队伍中的三名男子的故事，他们为了获得最准确的测量结果而陷入了绝望的竞争。该书的出版将与2012年6月5日的下一次金星凌日相吻合。(ZY)
Awards/获奖情况：来自《新科学家》：
大规模的国际合作是现代“大科学”的一部分，很少有人会怀疑是何时开始的，以及如何开始的。答案是1761年，当时交战的欧洲大国暂时搁置了分歧，共同致力于当时的大型强子对撞机（简称LHC）项目：观测金星凌日。
内容非常优秀。马克•安德森讲述了1761年为观测金星凌日而在全球各地进行的无数探险的故事。安德森写道，仿佛读者站在冒险家的肩膀上，他们滑着雪橇穿越西伯利亚冰冷的荒原，或航行在未知的海洋。交流了探险的激情和能量，更不用说探险的危险性了。以摔跤短吻鳄为生的科学家与18世纪的天文学家毫无关系，但每天都要冒着生命危险。
不幸的是，1761年的观测结果令人失望，这为1769年的重新运行奠定了基础。数十名冒险家中有詹姆斯•库克船长，他前往欧洲新发现的太平洋岛屿塔希提岛。库克不仅找到了一种可以治疗坏血病的新鲜蔬菜和酸菜，还发现了郁郁葱葱的新荷兰东海岸（也就是现在的澳大利亚）。所有的探险活动加在一起形成了一个数字：93000000英里，即地球和太阳之间的平均距离。
From New Scientist:
Large-scale international collaborations are such a part of modern "big science" that few people ever wonder when and how they began. The answer is 1761 when, for a moment, the warring European powers put aside their differences to work together on the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) project of their day: the observation of the transit of Venus.
...
Truly excellent...Mark Anderson...tell[s] the rip-roaring tales of the numerous expeditions that set off around the globe to observe the Venusian transit of 1761. Anderson writes as if the reader is on the very shoulders of the adventurers as they sledge across the icy wastes of Siberia or sail across uncharted oceans...Communicate[s] the verve and energy - not to mention the perilous nature - of the expeditions. Mimsy scientists did not apply. Wrestling alligators for a living had nothing on being an 18th-century astronomer, risking life and limb on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, the observations of 1761 were disappointing, which set things up for a rerun in 1769. Among the scores of adventurers was Captain James Cook, heading to the Pacific island of Tahiti, newly discovered by the Europeans. Not only would Cook find a fresh-vegetable-and-sauerkraut cure for scurvy, he also discovered the lush east coast of New Holland (now Australia). All of the expeditions combined led to a single number: 93,000,000 miles, the average distance between the Earth and the sun.
About the Author/作者介绍： 马克•安德森是《莎士比亚别称》一书的作者，曾为包括《发现》和国家公共广播电台在内的多家媒体报道科学、历史和技术。他拥有物理学学士学位，天体物理学硕士学位，他住在马萨诸塞州西部。
Mark Anderson is the author of “Shakespeare” By Another Name and has covered science, history, and technology for many media outlets, including Discover and National Public Radio. He holds a BA in physics, an MS in astrophysics, and lives in western Massachusetts.
Format:HARDCOVER
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：Rights sold: Russia/AST/Toymania, US Audio/Audible.com
Option publishers: Brazil/Novo Seculo
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