Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
12 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
14 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
18 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All French Polynesia Tahiti Point Venus

Point Venus

Site of James Cook's historic observations of the 1769 transit of Venus.

Tahiti, French Polynesia

Added By
Annetta Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
View from Pointe Vénus to the Baie de Matavai, Tahiti.   Dreizung / CC BY-SA 4.0
View from Pointe Vénus to the Baie de Matavai, Tahiti.   Dreizung / CC BY-SA 4.0
Lighthouse at Point Venus   Jens Bludau / CC BY-SA 3.0
Beach at Point Venus   Saga70 / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Memorial   bertshetler / Atlas Obscura User
Historic View of Fort Venus  
Joseph Banks explaining the transit to Tahitian natives  
Map showing location of Fort Venus from Cook’s expedition  
James Cook  
The plaque   bertshetler / Atlas Obscura User
The lighthouse   bertshetler / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

"...we had every advantage we could desire in Observing the whole of the passage of the Planet Venus over the Suns disk: we very distinctly saw an Atmosphere or dusky shade round the body of the Planet..." -James Cook, June 3, 1769 at Venus Point, Tahiti

Getting to Tahiti from England in 1769 to observe the century’s second transit of Venus was no small undertaking, and James Cook and his companion astronomers took their obligation to observe and record the passage of the second planet as it partially eclipsed the sun very seriously. In fact, history and the English Navy had much grander plans for Cook and his crew to "search between Tahiti and New Zealand for a Continent or Land of great extent."

They did not return to England until July 11, 1771.

Scientists and observers from several countries were dispatched to view and document the 1769 transit of Venus from stations around the world in an attempt to accurately measure the distance of the sun from the Earth. The transit of Venus is a rare occurrence, happening in patterns repeating every 243 years. There had been a transit in 1761, but another would not occur until 1874, so this was their generation’s last chance for observations.

Tahiti had only recently been “discovered” by Englishman Samuel Wallis in 1767, and his visit was rapidly followed by glowing accounts by the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who described the island’s beauty and the native’s natural charms with considerable poetry. The English government saw it as an ideal location to launch an exploration of the south seas, in search of the fabled southern continent, as yet undiscovered.

Cook arrived on Tahiti in April 1769, and promptly established Fort Venus on the northeast end of Matavai Bay, which he determined ideal for his assigned astronomical observations.

On June 3, 1769, the weather turned out to be favorable, and Cook and his companions dutifully recorded their observations. As it turns out, Cook’s observations were flawed—yet still remarkably accurate considering the available technology.

Following the transit, Cook and his crew departed Tahiti for their epic circumnavigation of the southern hemisphere, becoming the second European visitors to New Zealand and the first to record a discovery of Australia.

Today Point Venus is home to a picturesque Victorian-era lighthouse and a monument to the crew of the Bounty, who also landed at Venus Point. Currently, there are no monuments to Cook, or markers related to the fort or the 1679 astronomical observations.

The most recent transits of Venus were in 2004 and 2012. The next transit will be in 2117.

Related Tags

Lighthouses Islands Exploration Long Now Locations Dead Explorers

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

bertshetler, Blindcolour, Michelle Cassidy

  • bertshetler
  • Blindcolour
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 5, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/28may_cook/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1769_Transit_of_Venus_observed_from_Tahiti
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_of_Venus
  • http://www.captcook-ne.co.uk/ccne/themes/venus.htm
  • http://www.captaincooksociety.com/ccsu41143.htm
  • http://www.captaincooksociety.com/ccsu41123.htm
  • Caren
Point Venus
Pointe Vénus
Pīra'e
Tahiti
French Polynesia
-17.494289, -149.494353
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Teti'aroa Atoll

French Polynesia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of French Polynesia

French Polynesia

Oceania

Places 2
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Teti'aroa Atoll

French Polynesia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of French Polynesia

French Polynesia

Oceania

Places 2
Stories 4

Related Places

  • Porphyry Point Lighthouse at the entrance to Black Bay, Lake Superior

    Thunder Bay, Ontario

    Porphyry Point Lighthouse

    Live your lighthouse keeper dreams at this unique lodging on a Canadian island.

  • Seguin Light Station, the highest off of Maine’s coast, was established in 1795.

    Phippsburg, Maine

    Seguin Island Light Station

    George Washington commissioned this centuries-old lighthouse off the coast of Maine.

  • In addition to over 1,300 works of art, the Monhegan Museum shares its location with a historic lighthouse.

    Monhegan, Maine

    Monhegan Museum of Art & History

    This remote museum highlights the island’s impressive creative legacy.

  • Green Island, Taiwan

    Green Island Lighthouse

    An American lighthouse stands on an island cliffside in Taiwan.

  • Isle of Anglesey, Wales

    South Stack Lighthouse

    The lighthouse is on a island which is connected to another island, which is connected to another island, which is connected to one of the largest islands in the world.

  • An aerial view of Inishtrahull lighthouse on Inishtrahull Island.

    County Donegal, Ireland

    Inishtrahull

    Ireland's most northerly island is hauntingly beautiful. Its lighthouse was the last glimpse of home for many Irish emigrants bound for the U.S.

  • Farol dos Rosais

    São Jorge, Portugal

    Farol da Ponta dos Rosais

    On the cliffs of São Jorge in the Azores stand the remains of a lighthouse that was struck by a series of earthquakes.

  • Slate Islands shoreline.

    Terrace Bay, Ontario

    Slate Islands

    This small archipelago in northern Lake Superior was formed by a massive meteorite impact 450 million years ago.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.