If the Transit of Venus has whetted your appetite to find out more about the subjects, we've got suggestions for your next step: books, CD-Roms and websites.
On the second page, you'll find a list of suggested courses.
To help you know whether an item is suitable for you, we've identified each with a level. Level 1 is introductory, Level 2 assumes some background knowledge, and Level 3 needs some knowledge of both Maths and Astronomy.

Books
The Transits of the Sun - Wiliam Sheehan, J.E. Westfall Prometheus ISBN 1 591021758
Transits seen in a wide context. Level 1
When Planets Cross the Sun - Michael Maunder, Patrick Moore Springer 1-185233 6218
More emphasis on observation than on history Level 1
New Solar System - Kelly Beatty, Peterson, Chaikin Sky Pub, Cambridge U.P. 0-521-64587-5
An up to date edition of an authoritative description of the Solar System Level 2
Venus in Transit - Eli Maor Princeton U.P. 0691048746
An easily readable account. Level 1
Parallax - Alan Hirshfeld Owl Books 0805071334
A fascinating account by a well known astronomer. Level 1
Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition - Jean Meeus Willman Bell 0943396352 A mathematical reference work for astronomers. Level 3
Photoshop for Astrophotographers - Jerry Lodriguss Multimedia - 0972973737 Photoshop not only shows images at their best, it also allows some simple measurements. Level 2

Star Atlases
Bright Star Atlas - Tirion and Skiff Willman Bell 0943 396271
The stars that everyone can see, in an easily useable form. Level 1
Sky Atlas 2000 - Tirion and Sinnott Sky Pub and Cambridge U.P. 09333 4631X
Available in various formats for different uses. Level 2
3-D atlas of stars and galaxies - Monkhouse and Cox Springer 1-185233-189-5
Distance measurements yield reconstructed views in depth, as would be seen by someone with eyes many light years apart! Level 1

CD-Roms
SkyMap Lite 2003 www.skymap.com (Chris Marriott)
A simplified version of a long running CD
The Sky Six bisque.com
Now with three versions available, with different levels of sophistication. Levels 1,2,3
Redshift 5 www.viva-media.com
One of the first astronomical computer packages, now in its 5th edition. Level 1
Starry night pro 4.5 starrynight.com
Introductory level 1
Desktop Universe desktopuniverse.com
Pictures rather than charts. Level 1
Megastar 5 www.willbell.com
Very full and comprehensive maps

Websites
Elsewhere on Open2.net:
All Night Star Party - See what happened when we spent an evening star gazing
Final Frontier - Wide collection of articles and features from the Final Frontier series
Exploring Mars - take an interactive trip to the Red Planet

Elsewhere on the web
The Open University and the BBC are not responsible for the content of external websites.
transit-of-venus.org.uk - University of Central Lancashire's Official Site
Steven Van Roode's Transit of Venus site - Contains a transit calculator
sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/transit.html - Lots of data, featuring well known author Fred Espenak
didaktik.physik.uni-essen.de/~backhaus/VenusProject.htm - Calculations and projects
www.imcce.fr/vt2004/en/ - Formal mathematics but also worked examples from previous transits
vt-2004.org - ESO's Transit of Venus portal
NASA-Goddard - images from SOHO
TRACE - A view from the space telescope
Mira Public Observatory - offering the transit from a Belgian perspective
V2K4 - observed the transit from India
Armagh Observatory - closer to home, this site has images from Ireland
Morden Observatory - Adrian Catterall's images from Greenwich
If you're interested in the history of the Transit, you might find the The Royal Society's Involvement in Captain Cook's First Voyage and the Observation of the Transit of Venus website of interest; it explores the role of Professor Thomas Hornsby in early observations of the transits.
Soren Larsen, the boat which featured in the Onedin Line, marked Cook's obeservation of the transit from Point Venus, Tahiti. You can read the details in The Soren Larsen's log.

Articles
Sky and Telescope vol 107 no2 February 2004 pp46-54
William Sheehan - A readable and nicely illustrated summary of the earliest observations. Level 1
Sky and Telescope vol 107 no 5 May 2004 May pp32-38
William Sheehan - Further commentary on the 19th century expeditions. Level 1
Sky and Telescope vol 107 no 6 2004 June pp73-80
John Westfall (and 3 others) - Data on the 2004 event and some archival pictures. Level 1

Guide to Levels :
Level 1 - Little specialist background needed
Level 2 - Some astronomy knowledge would be an advantage
Level 3 - Requires some astronomy and maths

The Open University and the BBC are not responsible for the content of external websites.