It’s not health care… but it is science on a cosmic scale. Tuesday evening was the last time Venus will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun in this century, casting a shadow on the solar disc. Most of us won’t be here to see it again, as the next Transit will not occur until 2117.
A few hundred years ago, the Transit of Venus was a big deal. Astronomers and scientists traveled the globe to be in the best spots for viewing, and making measurements of the Transit. Data derived from the Transits allowed early modern scientists to calculate the distance of the Earth to the Sun, to Venus, and extrapolating from that, enabled scientists and mathematicians to calculate the size of the solar system.
It’s a big universe out there. Sometimes it’s a good reminder that even as lawmakers argue health policy on the state and national scale, the cosmos just keeps rolling along.
We’ll have a couple of health care stories later Wednesday.
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