• Traversal blends biography and science history, spanning 250 years of boundary‑crossing figures. • It profiles 15 pioneers-from Cook’s telescopes to Shelley’s galvanism‑driven fiction. • The 1769 Transit of Venus unites observers worldwide, redefining the Astronomical Unit. • Observers measured Venus’s crossing times, using trigonometry to calculate Earth‑to‑Sun distance. • Popova shows intellectual trespassing-cross‑disciplinary journeys that blur science, art, and philosophy. • Her narrative proves these connections were intentional, not mere coincidences.
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