June Flowers
William Harkness, director of the U.S. Naval Observatory, concluded in 1894 that Earth was about 92.8 million miles from the sun. By then, more accurate methods of determining the distance had arisen, and scientists soon adopted a slightly different value that owed little to Venus transit observations. Today the distance is known to be 92.96 million miles.

Harkness is still remembered for his poetic reflection on the upcoming event. In 1882 he noted that it would occur when ''the 21st century of our era has dawned upon the earth, and the June flowers are blooming in 2004.''

The next Venus transit after the upcoming one, by the way, will appear when the June flowers are blooming in 2012.
AP