In the mid-17th century, it was an intriguing event when the French astronomer and mathematician Pierre Gassendi made a plan to observe the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun. This event took place on December 7, 1631, and Gassendi aimed to heighten the tension in the sky by strategically planning the observation.

According to Gassendi's plan, a team would travel east from Paris to observe this phenomenon. However, transportation and communication were limited during that era. While Gassendi's team did not achieve complete success due to unforeseen challenges like weather conditions, their effort stands as an early example of considering geographical factors in scientific observations.