Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-05-25
PROFESSOR TODD TALKS ABOUT
THE EXPEDITION.
The Instruments Taken aud the work
90 be Done-Three stations 90 be
Estsbiished - Telescopes with
Cameras.

scientific work of the expedition,
said:
Our observations promise to be
of great scientific value. "nd. with
favorable climatic conditions, a
great success. We are taking
with us twenty-five or thirty tele-
scopes, cameras and spectroscopes,
and, armed with these scientific
guns, we are going cunning for
the eclipse. 1t is our intention
to establish our main observatory
station on the Island of Yezo, but
on account of the plague scare our
plans may have to be materially
changed when we arrive on the
other side of the water. However,
l do not apprehend any serious
inconvenience from the epidemic.
We have the yacht Coronet at our
disposal, and will not have to de-
pend on the mail steamers to 90
where we please.
"What is there about an eclipse
that is SO greatly interesting to
the scientific mind? We'll, the
sun is the ruling, dominant men,
ber of our whole solar system,
and we want to find out all we
can about it. 1t is a ball of gas,
immensely hot, incandescent and
compressed to a certain degree.
Around the sun is an atmosphere
that we call the corona, and we
cannot see it except when the sun
is in total eclipse. At such times
the corona is visible, and appears
in the filaments or str5amers of
silvery white light around the
disk Of the sun. We go to all
this trouble to make photographs
of the corona, and we study the
photographs afterward. We also
analyze the light by means of
spectroscopes, and that enables us
to determine of what the sun is
composed.
"In the corona is probably
wrapped up much of the mystery
concerning the way in which the
sun gives out its light, heat and |
other radiations. 1t also has a
practical bearing on scientific
meteorology, all of which is great
ly interesting to US scientific
chaps, though in much less de-
gree to the general public. We
are therefore engaged diligently
in praying for clear atmosphere
on the 9th of August, that the
purpose of our expedition may
not be spoiled by clouds or fog.
I'm order to guard against bad
weather we will establish a main !
observatory station and two inde-
pendent stations as far from the
central station as possible. These
stations must all be as near as
possible in the very center of the
moons shadow, which is only 200
miles wide on the earth's sur
face. If cloudy weather spoils
the observations at the main
station we hope for some results |
at either one of the other sta
tions." ...
Professor Todd has invented an
ingenious mechanical contrivance
for photographing the sun auto
matically. He will have twenty
five or thirty telescopes with
cameras attached pointed at the
sun, The shutters will work au-
tomatically and after every expo
sure a new sensitized plate will
drop into place. Thus a large
number of photographs will be
made, covering the entire period
of totality, which lasts only two
and a half minutes. Professor
Todd used his mechanical contriv-
ance in observing the solar eclipse
on the coast of Africa six years
ago, but the atmosphere was not
clear enough to permit good re-
suits. He hopes for better results
at the coming observation.
Professor Todd says that five or
six different parties will go to
Japan to witness the eclipse. The
astronomer royal of England and
three assistants from Greenwich
will constitute one party. The
Lick observatory will send
party, and there will be two part
les of japanese astronomers. OBJ
servation will also be made on the
coast of Asia, through Nova Zem-