Mark Anderson, a Massachusetts freelance writer, tells an epic story of the enduring human desire to understand our place in the universe. He describes the 18th century scientific race to tract the transit of Venus. On June 3, 1769, that planet briefly passed across the face of the sun in a cosmic alignment that occurs twice per century. Anderson reveals the stories of three Venus Transit voyages — to the heart of the Arctic, the New World, and the Pacific — that risked “every mortal peril of a candlelit age.” With time running out, each expedition struggled to be in place on that momentous summer day when the universe suddenly became larger than anyone dared to image. (FYI: The next transit of Venus occurs June 5 or 6, 2012, depending on your location.) Anderson has covered science, history, and technology for many media outlets, including Discover and National Public Radio.