SOLAR ECLIPSE

Hawera Star, Volume L, 27 October 1930, Page 5

SOLAR ECLIPSE

DOMINION PARTY’S WORK SUCCESSFUL OBSERVATIONS MOON’S MOVEMENTS REVEALED. 1 Umn-il Press Association--By Electric lelcgrapp Copyright.) SUVA, Oct. 26. Dr. C. E. Adams, head of the New Zealand expectation to Niuafoou, supplies the following report to; the Press Association:

the outstanding feature of the ©elipis© expedition lias tfceu the good luck attending it from the time our good friends in New Zealand made the expedition possible by their valuable donations. We .have received much assistance from the two navies, the British in conveying us rrom Suva, and landing us safely on the island of Niuafeou, and the American in looking! aftoils during our stay of 25 days- on the island, giving us all .possible assistance, and in conveying us back to J_va. It is not easy adequately to express, our sense of gratitude for these great courtesies. Niuafoou is a volcanic island, rougbi\ circular, about five miles in diameter. It lias a lake in an old crater about three miles in diameter. There are over 1300 natives and about live Europeans bn the island, so. that the ; ,io expeditions added many to the white population at the time of the eclipse. Seven American ladies came from Pago Pago. This is the maximum number of white ladies on the island at one time.

Our luflk 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 focussing the telescopic cameras. We had many clpudy days, and before daylight on echpse day and attwo hours lie fore totality we had rain. Clouds prevented observations of first rentact at 7.5.3 S a.m., hut the sky then cleared up and we had good conditions for the total phase from. 8.51 o 8.52.37.

The total phase began about 1 7-10 seconds later than was expected and finished about one second earlier than was expected. These very small differences between prediction, hy calculations and observation are due to corrections. cabled by Dr. L. J. Comrie, superintendent of the Nautical Almanao Office. The times were accurately determined as we had a number of good chronometers, which were constantly checked bv radio time signals from Washington and Wellington. The American expedition had a good radio receiving and sending set, while the Tongan Government opened its radio station on the • day of our arriveral, '■■•mtember 29. The Americans received Press news from Washington and issued a daily newspaper at breakfast time. SHADOW BANDS SEEN.

Shadow bands were seen during and after totality. The maximum visibility was one minute from totality andi lasted 20 seconds. The bands were one inch wide and eight inches apart. Tihe • peed of motion was 12 riiiles per hour in the direction of north-north-west. No bands were seen during totality. The wind was south-east, a light breeze. The temperature fell five degrees at totality. The New Zealand programme included photographs of the corona with a 19-foot lens. Six plates, each 8 by 10. were exposed. There were also rhotographs of the flash .spectrum and the spectrum of the corona. Two flash .Vj.ectrum pliates were obtained. Owing • the restricted water supply very few ■•dates were developed On the night of Wednesday, October 22, the United States Navy Tanger brought water and ice from Pago Pago, so that our elates might be developed. Professor • itchell is developing our spectrum elates, while our corona plates are to ho developed later. Over- 40 photographs of the corona vere taken by both expeditions with ■ameras of 65-foot focus to three-foot

rooms. Photographs .were also taken hv two Einstein cameras and by mo-

tion picture cameras, ns well as a large number of spectrum photographs. It will naturally be some time before these are developed and worked up, i-t thev should all be successful, as every instrument worked well at the time of the eclipse. Finally our luck held again when we vere leaving the island;. We were able '•> net away as soon as we were ready uid did not have to wait for a. calm «>a. The United States Navy Tanger brought us to Suva, where we arrived

•v> Saturday after a good voyage. The American astronomers report that photographs of “remarkable beauty” of the sun’s corona were obtained during the ellipse. The spectrum photographs taken by the. New Zealanders showed “good! definitions rom blue to red.” The region and dispersion of the spectra taken with their nri-smatic camera is about one-tenth ..f that secured by the instruments of tbs* Americans. The. scientists announced the dis-‘rvei-y of a new wave-length in the scectra of the sun’s corona rn*4 further • pformation on tlie movements of the moon. Beautiful corona streamers with esn-ecially interesting istrawber.ry domes were conspicuous on the plates of all ‘•he cameras.