Sneak Peek of THE DAY THE WORLD DISCOVERED THE SUN!

On June 5, 2012, Venus will cross the face of the sun.  This event occurs only twice (eight years apart) every 120 years.  The last transit took place in 2004, and after June 5, another 120 years will pass before the next.  While the Venus transit may be mere spectacle these days, it was an event that carried a great deal of scientific, astronomical, and military significance in 1761 and 1769.  If eighteenth-century scientists could accurately time the transit of Venus, they could calculate the distance between the Earth and the sun and thus accurately measure longitude.  Without accurate longitude measurements, naval ships would continue being stranded or shipwrecked in areas of the sea to which they didn't intend to sail.  Finding this calculation was crucial for military might.

In THE DAY THE WORLD DISCOVERED THE SUN, journalist Mark Anderson spins a thrilling and extraordinary tale of the hopes, obsessions, accomplishments, and failures of the scientists across the globe who measured Venus's transit.  The book compiles their fascinating adventures as they traveled to Siberia, Mexico, Tahiti, and more in a race to unlock the mysteries of the universe and win themselves the glory of their nations. 

THE DAY THE WORLD DISCOVERED THE SUN will publish in early May, just ahead of Venus's June transit, but we wanted to give you a sneak peek of what to look forward to this summer!  The book has already received a glowing review below, and the cover (also below) is phenomenal.  To learn more about the book, follow it on Facebook here and/or Tumblr here. 

"THE DAY THE WORLD DISCOVERED THE SUN begins with a little dot--which we discover is the planet Venus.  But the dot signifies one of the most important events in the history of science--and it grows into a big, powerful story with colorful and obsessed characters and exotic vivid locales that fascinates and informs the reader from beginning to end." --Lee Gutkind, author of IN FACT

Da Capo Press, May 2012