THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18466, 30 January 1922, Page 5

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

DEPARTURE OP EXPEDITION. . ... . it,' ■ ' . n . ” V/ 't Proas Am Delation—By Telegraph—Copyright *-> ■ LONDON, January 28. l, ;‘" (Received; Jhn. 29, at 5.5 p.m.V l ' - , The Greenwich expedition to onservOthe ‘ colar eclipse has left Liverpool en 'jcoiitSs'./; for-Chriatmas Island.-,-A and N.£ .Cable. iAt an influential pubHo meeting al‘" elaideitwas decided* to invito the,'; British expedition to join the Australian '' " party which is going to obeervo the' eclipse at a station 800 miles north of Adelaide. 1 r . Mr Spencer Jodies, however, told'a‘Jh^y. ;; , Mail reporter at Greenwich Observatory " j that the arrangements op.uld not bßjsdt^red>nil- r as_ passages hadbeen booked in a. steamer v- 4 sailing in January, and preparations wore well under way. In addition, the leaders Via of toe are of opinion that' 1 Chrlij£ 'mas , Island, which is due south pjT W*-? Straits of Sunder and near Java and , Sumatra’, is the most suitable place which to carry ou%observations, . Their reasons are that the solar eclipse .occurs., ' there at noon, when the sun is a* zenith, the island is 1 easy of access^-anAT • there ere good fabilities for landing,. instruments. Australia is oon*idefe&.Am-iP ; suitable for a variety of causes* Tba,o6ntr>i4 ';v£ area of the continent can at once; bo-cßlled*.*'" out, said Mr Spencer, since it ia-ji warte. In the east the eclipse lata < ’ in. the afternoon, when the sun;-is-low. altitude.' On the north-west coast “Ninety-inile Beach” is meteorologically/--7 suitable, but the plaoe is difficult'{o while there is an open beach, with'heavy surf, which precludes the landing of stores" without danger of serious damage. In ’a “ large marquee adjoining the observatory, the .reporter was shown a machine standing'' over 9ft high, which is known as die' ostrographio telescope,” and which' - tlip'qr-' pedition is taking. It is specially adjustedto conform with the conditions at Christmas Hand, and radical alterations * to it would have been necessary if the es> > pedition had decided to go to Australia.]