A SUCCESS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20076, 4 November 1930, Page 15

A SUCCESS.

OBSERVATIONS OF SOLAR ECLIPSE. NEW ZEALAND PARTY RETURNS. ITVm PRESS Special Ssrtflce.J AUCKLAND, November 3. The New Zealand scientists who srent to Niaufou Island to observe the total eclipse of the sun returned by the Niagara. They included Dr. C. £. Adams, Government Astronomer, Dr. W. G. Burns, of Timaru, Mr K. W. do Montalk, of Wellington, Mr I". Gawith, of Eltham, Mr C. B. Michie, of Kaitaia, and Mr P. L. Overton, of North Canterbury. Mr P. W. Glover, the seventh member of the party,' proceeded to Samoa to take up his new .appointment jat the Apia Observatory. Accompanyi ing the party on its return to New Zealand is Mr Herbert F. Fales, of Pasa- 1 dena, U.S.A., who was. research assistant to the leader, of the American ex-; pedition at Niaufou, Professor •S. A. i Mitchell. He iB the gaest of the New ; Zealanders on a brief holiday to the Dominion, «nd will joiia Professor Mitchell in Sydney next week. "We were successful in; every particular," said Dr. Adams. "I suppose the predominant feature of the expedition was the phenomenal good luck with the weather. There was just a slight haze while the photographs were being taken, but it did not interfere with the results we obtained. All our plates have now been developed. Wo did some on the island itself. The others we took to Suva and had them developed there. Professor Mitchell, who developed the photographs of the spectrum for us, very' kindly sent us a wireless message to tell us that all fhe negatives had turned out well." Dr. Adams said that no prints had yet been taken from the negatives. That would be done in Wellington in a day or two, although the taking of positives was not necessary for the purpose of research. Over 200 plates had been exposed by the American and New Zealand expeditions together, the cameras ranging in focal length from 3ft to 65ft. The exposures ranged from one second up to 20 seconds, the period of totality being only 19 seconds. The composite results that would be obtained from all those plates should be extremely useful. A peculiar feature of the observations was the fact that although they lasted only 19 seconds they commenced on October 22nd, and ended on October 21st. This seeming anomaly was due to the existence of the international date line which was very close to Niaufou. Dr. Adams said that all the members of the New Zealand expedition would collaborate in preparing a paper dealing with the results achieved. The cost of its publication would possibly be borne from the fund subscribed by the Govefnment and the public to send, the party to Niaufou. The expedition had been conducted very economically, he said and all the members owed a debt of gratitude to Professor Mitchell and the British and American Navies for generous assistance.