The first known observation of the transit was made by Jeremiah Horrocks, who made the observation from his home on December 4, However he was not the first to predict it, that honour going to Johannes Kepler who correctly predicted the 1631 transit in Also, ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese knew of Venus but did not know about the transit. Originally, the Greeks thought that Venus was two different stars, Hesperus the evening star and Phosphorus, the morning star. Pythagoras is credited with realising that these two stars were actually one planet being seen in the morning and the evening. Also, in the Dresden Codex, the Maya charted Venus' full cycle, but despite their precise knowledge of its course, there is no mention of the transit.

Captain Cooks first voyage was part Royal Navy and part Royal Society expedition. Setting sail for Tahiti aboard his ship The Endeavour, the purpose of the expedition was to view the transit of Venus and to seek evidence about a supposed land down south called Terra Australias Incognita or ‘unknown southern land’. In a voyage lasting almost three years, Cook left the port of Plymouth, sailing south through the Pacific Islands before landing on the eastern coast of NZ. Cook spent a while charting NZ before heading west into the then largely unknown Indian ocean. Cook sighted Australia in April 1770 and landed at Botany Bay. Cook then preceded to map the entire eastern side of Australia north of Botany Bay and then left for home, arriving at the English port Deal on July 12 th 1771.

The 2012 transit will be best viewed from the Pacific Ocean—including Hawaii, north western North America, northern Asia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, eastern Australia and the Pacific islands. Most of North America and north western South America will be able to see the start of the transit before sunset, while southern Asia, the Middle East, eastern Africa, western Australia, and most of Europe will be able to observe the end of the transit as the Sun rises. However, most of west Africa and eastern South America will not be able to view the transit at all. As with the 2004 transit, the 2012 transit will provide scientists numerous research opportunities, in particular in regards to the study of exoplanets. Some of the research opportunities are Measuring dips in stars brightness, which will help scientists in the search for exoplanets. Measurement of apparent size of Venus. Observation of the atmosphere of Venus.