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The Total Solar Eclipses of 7 August 1869 and 29 July 1878 and the Popularisation of Astronomy in the USA as Reflected in the New York Times

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Abstract

Solar eclipses have long fascinated the general public and served as a means of popularising astronomy. During the nineteenth century a number of different total eclipses were visible from the United States, and in addition to generating enormous scientific interest these created considerable popular appeal. Here we trace the ways in which the total solar eclipses of 1869 and 1878 were portrayed in the New York Times, which helped generate a groundswell of interest in amateur astronomy in this country.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It is interesting to note that this was Pickering’s first flirtation with astronomy. William Henry Pickering (1858–1938) would later achieve international prominence at Harvard College Observatory before retiring in 1924 and moving to Mandeville, Jamaica, where he maintained a private observatory. After viewing the 1878 event his interest in total solar eclipses persisted, and he either led or participated in Harvard eclipse expeditions in 1886, 1889, 1893 and 1900 (Edwards 1939).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Astronomy, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    Stella Cottam

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  1. Stella Cottam
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  2. John Pearson
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  3. Wayne Orchiston
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  4. Richard Stephenson
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Correspondence to Stella Cottam .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Astronomy, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia

    Wayne Orchiston

  2. Higashi-Ikebukuro 2-51-4, Toshima, 170-0013, Japan

    Tsuko Nakamura

  3. ASTRON, P.O. Box 2, AA Dwingeloo, 7990, Netherlands

    Richard G. Strom

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Cottam, S., Pearson, J., Orchiston, W., Stephenson, R. (2011). The Total Solar Eclipses of 7 August 1869 and 29 July 1878 and the Popularisation of Astronomy in the USA as Reflected in the New York Times . In: Orchiston, W., Nakamura, T., Strom, R. (eds) Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8161-5_15

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