Had it not been for James Cook’s mission to observe the 1769 Transit, he might never have encountered the east coast of Australia. In the closing address of the Festival, Dava Sobel tells the history of observing the Transit of Venus and reflects on the literary and musical tributes to this enduringly fascinating astronomical event.
Dava Sobel (International)
Dava Sobel is the acclaimed author of the bestselling titles Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter, The Illustrated Longitude and The Planets. She has written for The New York Times, Harvard Magazine, Omni, Science Digest, Discover and The New Yorker, and also had an asteroid – discovered in 1994 by David Levy and Carolyn Shoemaker – officially registered by them as (30935) Davasobel. She lives in East Hampton, New York. Her most recent release is A More Perfect Heaven.