Thanks to Gary Karshner for correcting my aging memory -- he's right
that it was Venus, not Mercury -- the eight year gap between pairs of
transits makes the tale of the astronomer who went to Indonesia even
more heroic!
Gary's comment:
" The thing that gets me about aging is I remember the stories but
forget
the facts. "
certainly applies !!
Peter Vajk
St. Joseph Notre Dame High School
Alameda, CA 94501