-Bill Kramer

The 1800s were the dawn of eclipse chasing. A collision of technology, science, and the ability to travel around the world brought about a flury of activity related to eclipses. At the dawn of the century knowledge of the sun was severely limited to studies of the photosphere and sunspots. The corona was a complete mystery with the accepted theory being that it was either an atmospheric effect (optical illusion) or light scattering caused by an atmosphere on the moon. It was not considered part of the sun. Early in the 1800s the chromosphere was not yet discovered and the spectrograph had not yet been applied to study the nature of light.

Reports of past total solar eclipses were limited and not of much use. Descriptions of the corona varied based on the observer. It was not until about half way into the century that it was absolutely determined that the corona, prominences, and chromosphere visible during a total solar eclipse were components of the sun. Suddenly eclipses of the sun became quite interesting to scientists.

At the same time the invention of spectral science (the study of light passed through a prism) as it relates to matter (different types of matter create or absorb different light) had been created. Spectral studies of solar eclipses revealed new elements and pushed scientific curiosity further. The result was a series of well studied solar eclipses during the latter part of the 19th century that continued into the next century.

The following is a list of solar eclipses of note during the 19th century - when eclipse chasing started.

1806 Eclipse in the USA territories and young states (see related story: Tecumseh and the eclipse).

1836 Annular eclipse over Scotland viewed and reported by Francis Baily. He described a ring of beads that are now known as Baily’s beads. His writing inspired European astronomers and observers to want to see an eclipse.

1842 Total eclipse in Europe produced greatly improved observations. For the first time it was realized that the phenomena seen around the moon (corona) was of scientific interest.

1851 Berkawski takes the first photograph of a solar eclipse showing the corona using a Daguerreotype process at the observatory in Konigsberg Prussia (now Kaliningrad Polland). Several other images are also made of the partial eclipse at other locations across Europe but Berkawski's is considered the best.

1860 During the eclipses of 1851 and 1860 it was proved through close observations that the phenomena seen around the moon (prominences and the corona) belonged to the sun and not the moon. Using a small telescope one can see the moon moving slowly in front of (or revealing) prominences and bright coronal features during the course of totality.

1868 Pierre Janssan and Joseph Lockyer discover bright emission lines in the solar corona spectra indicating a new element which they later confirm as Helium (name derived from the classical Helios).

1869 More spectra lines in the corona are observed indicating a possible new element. The discovery was initially named coronium but later discovered to be highly ionized iron.

1870 First photograph of a solar prominence by Charles Young.

1878 Long coronal streamers first described. See images for 1878 at right.

1882 Egypt The first full spectrum of the corona was obtained in a photograph. Comet photographed with corona (see images at right).

1883 Data obtained from the eclipse in Africa used to prove that the corona was indeed rotating with the observed surface of the sun. Long eclipse over South Pacific observed near Caroline Island by French and American expeditions.

1887 Eclipse paintings by the Prussian artist W. Kranz. The expedition to a location in Poland was clouded out but he did capture the colors of the sky and clouds. The eclipse image was added later based on observations from other locations. Two versions of the eclipse painting are known, both appeared as art in books. Version 1, Version 2 The original painting locations have yet to be determined.

1900 Eclipse on May 28th in North Carolina
Click image for higher resolution. Shows 5" refractor and 135 foot scope in background. Images from the 135 foot focus telescope are shown in the panel at right for the eclipse of 1900. Reported by S.P. Langley to Science magazine.