Summary
A total solar eclipse occurred on August 7, 1869. Its path of totality was visible from eastern Russia, Alaska, across Canada, and the northeastern United States. A partial eclipse occurred across all of North America.
| Solar eclipse of August 7, 1869 | |
|---|---|
 Totality photographed by Morton's party in Iowa | |
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | 0.696 |
| Magnitude | 1.0551 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 228 s (3 min 48 s) |
| Coordinates | 59°06′N 133°12′W / 59.1°N 133.2°W |
| Max. width of band | 254 km (158 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 22:01:05 |
| References | |
| Saros | 143 (15 of 72) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9209 |
Observations edit
In 1869, astronomer and explorer George Davidson made a scientific trip to the Chilkat Valley of Alaska. He told the Chilkat Indians that he was anxious to observe a total eclipse of the sun that was predicted to occur the following day, August 7. This prediction was considered to have saved Davidson's expedition from an attack.[1]
A photographic expedition was organized by Philadelphia's Henry Morton under the authority of John H. C. Coffin, U.S.N., Superintendent of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. The expedition observed the eclipse in Iowa at three stations: Burlington, Mount Pleasant, and Ottumwa, under the respective supervisions of Alfred M. Mayer, Henry Morton, and Charles Francis Himes (1838–1918).[2]
Observations were also made by meteorology pioneers Cleveland Abbe and General Albert Myer, in Dakota Territory and Virginia, respectively.[3]
Notes edit
- ^ August 7, 1869, Astronomer impresses Indians with eclipse George Davidson, a prominent astronomer and explorer, impresses Alaskan Native Americans with his ability to predict a total solar eclipse.
- ^ Mayer, Alfred (1869). "An Abstract of Some of the Results of Measurements and Examinations of the Photographs of the Total Solar Eclipse of August 7, 1869". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 11 (81): 204–208.
- ^ David Baron, American Eclipse, p. 158
References edit
- NASA graphics
- Googlemap
- NASA Besselian elements
- Sketch of Solar Corona 1869 August 7
- The Solar Eclipse of 7 August 1869 P 70: Coast Survey Report 1869, 126–127, Cambridge, August 20, 1869
- Observatory, United States Naval (1870). Reports on observations of the total eclipse of the sun, August 7, 1869 (Google eBook).
