THE ECLIPSE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 October 1930, Page 3

THE ECLIPSE

THE NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION

SUCCESSFUL WORK ACHIEVED

(Australian Press Association.)

SUVA, 'October 26

“The outstanding feature of the Eclipse expedition has been the good luck attending it from the time our good friends in New Zealand made the expedition possible by valuable donations,” says Dr Adams in a special message to the Press Association. “We have received much assistance from the two navies, the British in conveying us from Suva and landing us safely on the Island of Niuafou, and the American in looking after us during our stay of 25 days on the island, giving us all possible assistance, and in conveying us back to Suva. It is not easy to express adequately our sense of gratitude for these great courtesies. “Niuafou is a, volcanic island, roughly circular in shape, about five •miles in diameter. It has a lake in tire old 91-ater about three miles in diameter. There are over 1300 natives and about five Europeans on the island, so that the two expeditions added many to the white population. At the time of the eclipse seven American women came from Pago Pago. This is the maximum number of white women on the island at one time. “Our luck held in the preliminary work of adjusting, for although there were many cloudy nights, we had some fine ones when we wanted them for taking star photographs for the purpose of focusing the telescopic cameras. We had many cloudy days and before daylight on the day of the eclipse, and at two hours before totality, we had rain clouds, which, prevented observation of the first contact at 7hr 28min, 'hut the skv then cleared up and we had good conditions for the total phase from Bhr 51min to Bhr 52min 37,ses. The total phase began about one and seven-tenth seconds later than wa,s expected, and finished about one second earlier than was expected. There were very small differences between the prediction hv calculation and observation and these are due to the corrections cabled by D'r L ..J. Comrie, Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac 'Office. The times were accurately determined as we had a number of good chronometers constantly checked by radio time signals from Washington and Wellington. “The American expedition had a good radio, receiving and sending set while the Tongan Government opened their radio station on the day of our arrival, September 29th. The Americans received Press messages from Washington and issued a daily newspaper at breakfast time. , ECLIPSE OBSERVATIONS.

“Shadow hands were seen during and after totality.''. The maximum visibility was one minute from totality and lasted twenty seconds. The bands were one inch wide and eight inches anart and the speed of motion twelve miles per hour in direction N.N.W. No bands were seen during totality. The wind was south-east, a light breeze; and the temperature fell five degrees 'aft totality. The New Zealand programme included photographs of the corona with a 19 feet lens. Six plates, each 8 x 10 were exposed, also photographs of the flash spectrum and the spectrum of the corona. Two flash spectrum plates and four corona spectrum plates were obtained. Owing to the restricted water supply very few plates were developed. On the night of Wednesday, October 22nd, an American vessel brought water and ic-e from Pago Pago so that our plates may he developed. Professor Mitchell is developing our spectrum plates while our corona plates are to be developed later. Over forty photographs of the corona were taken by both expeditions with cameras of 65 feet focus to three feet focus. Photographs were also taken bv two Einstein cameras and' by motion picture cameras as well as a large number of spectrum photographs. Tt will naturally be some time before these are developed and worked up, but they should all be successful, as every instrument worked well at the time of the eclipse. “Finally our luck held again when we were leaving the island and we wore able to get away as soon as we were ready, and did not have to wait for a calm sea./ The U.S. Naval , shin Tnnagear brought us to Suva, where we arrived' on Saturday after- a good voyage.” REPORT FROM AMERICAN EXPEDITION. NIUAFOU, October 25. The American astronomers report photographs of “remarkable beauty" of the sun’s corona, taken during the eclipse. The spectra photographs taken by the New Zealanders showed “good definition from blue to the red region, and that the dispersion of the spectra taken with their prismatic camera is about a tenth of that secured by the instruments.”

The American scientists announce the discovery of a new wave length in the spectra, of the sun’s corona, and further information on 'the ' movements of the moon. Beautiful corona streamers with specially interesting strawberry domes were conspicuous on the plates of all thg cameras.