Story: Astronomy – overview

Transit of Venus observation station

Transit of Venus observation station

Two teams of American astronomers to New Zealand came to observe the 1874 transit of Venus. One team went to the Chatham Islands and one to Queenstown in the South Island. Pictured here are some of the team beside the Queenstown observation station. A transit telescope was housed in the building on the left, a 127-millimetre refracting telescope was in the building on the right, and their photographic telescope is shown on the far left.

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Hocken Library, University of Otago

Permission of the Hocken Library Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. Further information may be obtained from the Library through its website.

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How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff, 'Astronomy – overview - The first astronomers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/7990/transit-of-venus-observation-station (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 12 Jun 2006