Joseph Banks, The Endeavour

In 1768 Captain Cook set off around the world in a ship the length of three buses.

The objective of the expedition was to observe the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun -a celestial event that would not be visible for another 100 years. The accurate observation and mapping of this phenomenon would help calculate the exact distance from the Earth to the Sun- a measurement that would prove invaluable to the field of navigation. Click here read More>>>