162 SOME RECENT ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS. 



France was represented l)y one obsei'ver, Russia by one, Japan b}^ 

 several, while the Netherlands made very extensive preparations, 

 including the participation of army officers, a portion of its scientific 

 staff from Batavia, and a party of three from the Netherlands proper. 



The Smithsonian Institution, as will be recalled b}" the readers of the 

 report for 1900, had, in Ma}" of that year, observed the total eclipse at 

 Wadesboro, North Carolina, and had obtained, among other results of 

 interest, bolometric evidence indicating a probable low temperature of 

 the corona, while on a single photograph of the region near the sun 

 there had been found certain star-like images which were suspected to 

 be due to as yet undiseibvered planets. The expedition to Sumatra 

 was undertaken to verify these tentative results. 



These two kinds of research proved very attractive to other parties 

 as well, for the Lick Observatory, the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technolog}', one of the English parties, and the Dutch, all had appa- 

 ratus for the photographic search after intramercurial planets, and the 

 Dutch and French also used apparatus designed for the thermal study 

 of the radiation of the corona. 



The United States Naval Observatory expedition was largely spec- 

 troscopic in character, while at the same time including first-class 

 outfits for the photography of the corona. One of these especially 

 deserves mention, for it was undoubtedly the most complete and well- 

 arranged apparatus ever used for coronal photography. I refer to 

 that of Professor Barnard, of the Yerkes Observatory, an invited 

 member of the Naval Observatory expedition. Professor Barnard had 

 the same optical apparatus which he used at Wadesboro, North Caro- 

 lina, in 1900, but the photographic plates were much more numerous, 

 owing to the longer eclipse, and included one plate 40 inches square, 

 for a ver}" long exposure. 



The spectroscopic work of the Naval Observator}^ was done mainly 

 with diffraction gratings, a rather new departure in eclipse photogra- 

 ph}^, and the programme included the photography of the flash spec- 

 trum and of the coronal spectrum. For the latter, Dr. Gilbert had 

 polariscopic apparatus of Professor Wood's design, with which it was 

 hoped to prove the existence of Fraunhofer lines. 



The Dutch, as has been said, covered a ver}^ wide range of observa- 

 tion. Their army officers, at various stations in the path of totality 

 and near it, made meteorological and general observations, while their 

 main part}^ had an elaborate outfit for every kind of eclipse research. 



The English, as did the Naval Observatory party, made a main fea- 

 ture of spectroscopic work, including also direct photography of the 

 corona and of the regions thereabouts, and other general observations. 



Before proceeding to the discussion of the eclipse itself, a few 

 remarks upon the trip, in which I had the good fortune to participate, 

 may be of interest. The two Government expeditions of the United 



