The transit of Venus is one of the rarest astronomical events you will ever see. It only occurs twice in most human lifetimes.

Observers in Melbourne will be in a great position to see the transit on 6 June, but don't miss this one or you won't get another chance until 2117!

In the 18th Century, the transit was the focus of an international scientific collaboration of heroic proportions. Edmund Halley, Captain James Cook and a cast of thousands featured in a swashbuckling chapter from the history of science.

In this lecture, Bart Pindor will tell us why the transit happens, what it tells us, and how astronomers are still learning from it today as they search for planets outside the solar system.