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Observations of the Total Solar Eclipse of August 30th, 



1905. 



By John A. Miller, Indiana University. 



Early in the year 1905 the Observatory of Madrid published detailed 

 information regarding the eclipse that was to occur on August 30th of 

 that year. Among other things this "Memoria" contained the results of 

 a long series of observations of the prevailing meteorological conditions 

 of many stations well distributed along the path of totality in Spain. 

 The state of the sky in the immediate vicinity of the sun had been ob- 

 served daily from 12:30 to 1:30 p. m. (the time at which the eclipse oc- 

 curred) from the 15th of August till the 15th of September. The results 

 of these observations, as well as the data gathered by the regularly estab- 

 lished meteorological stations, touching the mean relative humidity, mean 

 temperature, the velocity and direction of the prevailing winds, etc., had 

 been tabulated. From these data it appeared that the probability of clear 

 weather in the eastern half of the belt was exceptionally large, and 

 indications for good eclipse weather were perhaps best in the regions near 

 Ateca, Almazan and Daroca. The eastern half of the belt of totality in 

 Spain held about 50 eclipse stations, established by astronomers from 

 every nation of Europe, from the United States, and Mexico. The Lick 

 Observatory expedition was located near Ateca; the United States Naval 

 Observatory at Daroca. The observers from Kirkwood Observatory, 

 Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, chose Almazan, Spain a 

 small town northeast of Madrid in the Province of Soria. The approx- 

 imate position of this station is longitude=13 m. 56 sec. W. of Greenwich, 

 latitude=41° 10'. 



The party consisted of Professor W. A. Cogshall, of Indiana Univer- 

 sity; Messrs E. C. Slipher, F. A. Crull, and C. J. Bulleit, students of the 

 university; Professor A. F. Kuersteiner, Mrs. Miller, and myself. We 

 were assisted in the manipulation of our instruments on the day of the 

 eclipse by Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Thompson of California, and Senores 

 Louis Nebot, Francisco Jodra, Victor Jiemenez, and Esteban Milla, of 

 Alrnazan. 



