Royal Society expedition to observe the transit of Venus

E780697

The Royal Society expedition to observe the transit of Venus was an 18th-century British scientific mission, notably including James Cook, sent to the South Pacific to make precise astronomical measurements that would help determine the scale of the solar system.

All labels observed (4)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf 18th-century British expedition ⓘ
astronomical observation mission ⓘ
scientific expedition ⓘ
aimedToDetermine astronomical unit ⓘ
scale of the solar system ⓘ
approvedBy British government ⓘ
captainOfVessel James Cook ⓘ
commandedBy James Cook ⓘ
commissionedBy King George III ⓘ
departureCountry Great Britain ⓘ
departurePort Plymouth ⓘ
destinationRegion South Pacific ⓘ
documentedIn James Cook’s journals ⓘ
Joseph Banks’s journals ⓘ
endDate 1771 ⓘ
era Age of Enlightenment ⓘ
flagState Kingdom of Great Britain ⓘ
includedScientist Charles Green ⓘ
Daniel Solander ⓘ
Joseph Banks ⓘ
methodUsed parallax measurements ⓘ
timing of Venus transit contacts ⓘ
notableFor collaboration between Royal Society and Royal Navy ⓘ
launching James Cook’s first Pacific voyage ⓘ
observationDate 1769-06-03 ⓘ
observationSite Point Venus, Tahiti ⓘ
Tahiti ⓘ
organisedBy Royal Society ⓘ
partOf 18th-century efforts to measure the astronomical unit ⓘ
precededBy earlier 1761 transit of Venus observations ⓘ
primaryObjective observe the 1769 transit of Venus ⓘ
relatedEvent 1769 transit of Venus ⓘ
resultedIn detailed charts of New Zealand ⓘ
detailed charts of eastern Australia ⓘ
ethnographic observations in the Pacific ⓘ
extensive botanical collections ⓘ
more accurate estimate of Earth–Sun distance ⓘ
scientificDiscipline astronomy ⓘ
cartography ⓘ
geodesy ⓘ
natural history ⓘ
secondaryObjective explore and chart the South Pacific ⓘ
search for Terra Australis Incognita ⓘ
sponsoredBy British Admiralty ⓘ
startDate 1768 ⓘ
usedVessel HMS Endeavour ⓘ
vesselType Royal Navy bark ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Point Venus, Tahiti → associatedWith → Royal Society expedition to observe the transit of Venus ⓘ
Charles Green → observedEvent → Transit of Venus of 1769 ⓘ
linked to: Royal Society expedition to observe the transit of Venus
Guillaume Le Gentil → associatedWith → transit of Venus of 1761 ⓘ
linked to: Royal Society expedition to observe the transit of Venus
Guillaume Le Gentil → associatedWith → transit of Venus of 1769 ⓘ
linked to: Royal Society expedition to observe the transit of Venus