ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 53, 26 November 1907, Page 7

ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

SCIENTIFIC 'EXTUDITION TO'FLINT ISLAND. . '.■;.. (BY ' TELEGEAriI- —SrJECIAL '■ COIiKESr'oNDENT.)' ■; : , ; Auckland, November 25. Mr. F. K. M'Clean, of Tuiibridge Wells, Eng« land, is,.at juesent in Auckland; and : hc.',in-'-'Wluls 1 pl'dtwiiilj; to' Flint Island, eleven degrees "from" the -Equator, and 401) : miles . north of*Tahiti, for the purpose of inakinj; observatioiia,-' .'aiHl'-takiiiH 1 photographs of.-tho eclipse of-, the ' .'Sui\joii'.;Jap,uarJi'; .3. next M :.,The..eclii)sf!. will ,only;be- observable nt-tivo-places'-'in the world,-, atFlint ,-ljsland and llull Island; (which, is also"uoar" the Eciualor). . .Tin eojiversation, with a "Herald" reporter,) r jr.r, M',Clean stated that, although' lie' was a: Teliow'd'f fho'ltdy'al Astronomical Society,- Eng--l?infl','"h6 : ''ivqX 1 nialiing the "visit on his nersimaj' 'iiccbunti and would probably be the only Eng.' iish representative present, while it is possiblo; the will ;have- four- t'oiiipanions from- Sydney, |,three..of.,them connected .With the Observatorythere;; and a gentleman from Auckland. Ha iliad-x-hosqifiFlinti Island , for his Observations,,-. ■ uf-American's from the famous Lick;' Oliseryiit'ory' w;ere also proceeding thither. .It--tfas'-desiretl 'that; as many photographs, and' as', 'much -observations -as" possible should be nia'do of this eclipse, as that of last January, in •Siberia; " was notattended by any-British or' ■>\jherieallV ibpreiseutbtives,' while "tho- British .Society, was not sending out anyone this year.: •Mr. !-,M!Clean ,is. taking with him a telescope ganieia;. and' a' spectroscope, besides other instiumenfs'.'. . i- ■ " \Vheh..islceil what' lie, hopeil to achieve,; Mr. ' jrCleah taid.: he, could hot tell what they would'"dd/ . depended : So' miich 'on the conditions. There wore various possibilities. Ho. hoped, however, to secure some good views of tho corona. The sun wafe too strong to enablo a'phdtft'of l the corona to be taken, but,- during ■an eclipse;' the moon came , between the sUu 'and'the Earth, and then could be observed ;defiuitc' rays going out in ovciy direction, sometimes, six diametei-s, on ovcry side of the sun;; >Ho' desired to -get the contoxt of tho corona,, and with tlio spectroscope to see 'what chemical elemonts were - contained in it.. In addition, ordinary photos would be taken, and lid 1 hoped lo : se'curc. some fine views, which 'Would;-be examined by professional astrono. mors on. his return to England. Mr.i.M'Clean :and party .will leave Auckland on December-12, and will return in January nost.