Story: Subantarctic islands

German expedition on Auckland Island

German expedition on Auckland Island

In 1874 a German group came to Terror Cove near Port Ross to observe the transit of Venus on 9 December. The members of the expedition, which was led by Hugo Seeliger, are shown in front of a wooden house which had been built in Melbourne and was re-erected on the island. They also constructed several domes for the observations. On the day itself, remarkably, the sky cleared and the transit was observed until the last part when the clouds returned. A French expedition to observe the transit on Campbell Island had a brief view of the sun as the transit began. The bay where they built a station was aptly called Venus Bay.

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State Library of Victoria
Reference: pi005150
Photograph by G. Wolfram

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Subantarctic islands - Castaways and farmers, 1860–1940', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/38550/german-expedition-on-auckland-island (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips