Solar eclipse of June 8, 1918
Encyclopedia
A total solar eclipse
occurred on June 8, 1918. The eclipse was observed by a U.S. Naval Observatory team at Baker City
in Oregon
. The painting below shows totality when the moon prevented the sun's rays from hitting that part of Oregon
. The track of the eclipse went across the United States.
. The largest city to see totality was Denver although many could theoretically see it as the size of the shadow was between 70 and 44 miles across as it travelled across America. The longest duration of totality was in the Pacific at a point south of Alaska. The path of the eclipse finished near Bermuda
.
The path clipped Washington State and then moved across the whole of Oregon and then the rest of the country exiting over Florida
. The U.S. Naval Observatory obtained a special grant of $
3,500 from Congress for a team to observe the eclipse in Baker City
in Oregon
. The team had been making preparations since the year before and John C. Hammond led the first members to Baker City on April 11th. The location was important as it influenced the probability of cloud cover and the duration and angle of the sun during the eclipse. The team included Samuel Alfred Mitchell
as its expert on eclipses, and Howard Russell Butler
, an artist and physicist. In a time before colour photography, Butler's role was to paint the eclipse at totality after observing it for 112.1 seconds. He noted later that he used a system of taking notes of the colours using skills he had learnt for transient effects.
, Lick Observatory
and Mount Wilson Observatory
.
. The other solar eclipse however was an annular eclipse which occurs when the moon has a smaller apparent diameter and therefore never fully obscures the sun.
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
occurred on June 8, 1918. The eclipse was observed by a U.S. Naval Observatory team at Baker City
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The painting below shows totality when the moon prevented the sun's rays from hitting that part of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The track of the eclipse went across the United States.
The path
The path of the eclipse started south of Japan, went across the Pacific Ocean, and then across the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The largest city to see totality was Denver although many could theoretically see it as the size of the shadow was between 70 and 44 miles across as it travelled across America. The longest duration of totality was in the Pacific at a point south of Alaska. The path of the eclipse finished near Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
U.S. Observation team
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The U.S. Naval Observatory obtained a special grant of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3,500 from Congress for a team to observe the eclipse in Baker City
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The team had been making preparations since the year before and John C. Hammond led the first members to Baker City on April 11th. The location was important as it influenced the probability of cloud cover and the duration and angle of the sun during the eclipse. The team included Samuel Alfred Mitchell
Samuel Alfred Mitchell
Samuel Alfred Mitchell was an astronomer who studied solar eclipses and set up a program to use photographic techniques to determine the distance to stars at McCormick Observatory, where he served as the director.-Early years:Mitchell was the son of John Cook and Sarah Chown Mitchell,...
as its expert on eclipses, and Howard Russell Butler
Howard Russell Butler
Howard Russell Butler was an American painter and founder of the American Fine Arts Society. Butler also persuaded Andrew Carnegie to fund the construction of Carnegie Lake near Princeton University. Butler also designed a mansion, an astronomy hall and painted a solar eclipse for the U.S. Naval...
, an artist and physicist. In a time before colour photography, Butler's role was to paint the eclipse at totality after observing it for 112.1 seconds. He noted later that he used a system of taking notes of the colours using skills he had learnt for transient effects.
Observation
As the time came for totality the team watched as clouds obscured the sun. The clouds did clear but during their most important observations the sun was covered by thin cloud. The sun was completely visible five minutes later. This was not unusual as cloudy conditions were reported across the country where the eclipse was also observed from the Yerkes ObservatoryYerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes...
, Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
and Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Observatory
The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...
.
Related eclipses
There were two other eclipses that year. The first was a partial lunar eclipse, during which the shadow of the earth can be seen on the moon, and another solar eclipse that took place on December 3 over South AmericaSolar eclipse of December 3, 1918
An annular solar eclipse occurred on December 3, 1918. -References:...
. The other solar eclipse however was an annular eclipse which occurs when the moon has a smaller apparent diameter and therefore never fully obscures the sun.
