ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 60

ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

THE EXPEDITION TO FLINT ISLAND. AUCKLAND, January la. The s.s. Taviuni has returned with part of the expedition that witnessed the- eclipse of the sun at Flint Island. Mr. M&cLean reports that the observations were a. partial success. _ Heavy rain fell before Sawn,, followed by" a fine morning. - - _ - . Th*» first contact waa, just after 9.45 a.m. in. brilliant «trea*her, "but ' shortly heavy clouds passed just clear of both camps, and the first minute of the eclipse was cloudy, the remainder clear. There were five cameras working, supplied with light by a 21in plane mirror. of siedrosfate, four of them to" get correct photographs and the fifths to take „ spectacular photographs. The" fatter gave' no results, but the Bft camera got four goods negatives, the three. Theee »jre not yet developed! . _The following report is supplied., by the Licit Observatory expedition : — rSkj .clear for the "first" hoar before -the. tofal\eclipse."; ' It rained Hard fcora five minutes before totality unfiljthe eclipse." wa» totals clearing gradually 'during the . first half. . Mgst ol the instruments got _ wet,' out. all worked perfectly. .Some ot'the. photographs are. probity, danaaged. Results sucoessfuL - The Smithsonian, -observers measured the heat of the corona, at fiwe-poiata^witn? -gratis < fvmg success. The ■form of the" corona was like tha* of 1898 in India. r Everybody in the American party is well. ' DifiTcult surf 'may delay the embarkation for Tahiti. Mr G. J. M^rfield, FJR.S.A., .of Sydney, who accompanied the expedition, said:— - cc The eclipse itself was much the same as that of 1898, a- observed in. India, and! the: corona, esneeially was* pxactically . artnilar. Tie wnoße phenomenon- only lasted four minutes. Mr Mac Lean was- very successful, and; secured four g«od -photographs, .aJtfcoiwfb." the spectroscopio were unsucceGsffuL Owing- to some unfbrseen cixcxußsbsLWXß connected with the • plates hia resufe,-! believei will be discussed: by. him before- the Royal .. Astronomical Society, which will also? analyse- tfaem.f^ The- American partgr, - intimated just be-fore-boa-rdin? the. "San- Eraneifico boa* at T&Hiti that their results- were* also -good, although they await a proper analysis at Lick. Dr Abbott's bolometric operations 1 may- be especially so described.. _A report on these results will psobabty be submitted in about &, couple-of months; . - - The Sydney members- .of the expedition return, home on Monday. '_