1874 Transit of Venus,Eden,Australia. This expedition travelled to Eden,New South Wales,south of Sydney,Australia,to observe the transit of Venus that took place on 9 December 1874. Such transits (where Venus passes across the Sun as seen from the Earth) are rare,occurring in pairs over 100 years apart. The 19th-century transits (1874 and 1882) saw numerous expeditions to make observations,as well as some privately-funded expeditions. The results helped establish the size of the solar system. Seated at right is William Scott (1825-1917),expedition leader and former Government Astronomer at Sydney Observatory |