Articles
Access eclipse articles in a convenient list, in case you can’t access the map or timeline, or by preference.
First Photograph of the Solar Corona (28 July 1851)
This article outlines the photographic processes used by Johann Berkowski to capture the first correctly exposed image of the solar corona.
The First Attempt to Verify Einstein’s Theory on Gravitation Through Eclipse Observations (10 October 1912)
Successful observations of the deflection of light didn’t occur until 1919, but professional attempts to do so began at the 1912 eclipse with an Argentinean team. Unfortunately, with their attempts unsuccessful mostly due to bad weather, their efforts are often forgotten in history.
Expedition parties scattered across the Russian Empire found themselves in difficulty with the outbreak of war almost a month before the eclipse. Eclipse expeditions were efforts that took months to carry out, so the teams on their departures were unaware of the incoming threat to them and international cooperation in science.
The Controversial British-led Eclipse Expeditions of 1919 That Verified General Relativity (29 May 1919)
An expedition jointly led by the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal society made the first successful measurements of the deflection of light about the Sun, but it was clouded with doubts among the scientific community.
The Lick Observatory’s Successful Verification of General Relativity During the 1922 Total Solar Eclipse (21 September 1922)
After doubts on the results of the joint British Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society expeditions to Sobral and Principe in 1919, an expedition from the Lick Observatory in the United States of America provided compelling evidence in favour of the theory.
Extraordinary Patriotism Demonstrated by Chinese Eclipse Science Apostles During the 1941 Total Solar Eclipse (21 September 1941)
In 1941, a group of Chinese astronomers went on an expedition of 42 days and 3200 kilometres to Lintao, Gansu. They experienced numeral Japanese air raids on their journey. They received enormous support from the government on the scarce resources during the difficult war time, such as petrol, air crafts, etc. The key members on the team studied astronomy abroad, and with a great sense of patriotism returned to China and devoted themselves to the development of astronomy in China. They made the first aerial observation of total solar eclipses in humankind history. They propagated science knowledge behind solar eclipses to the general public in China along their journey.