489 
1896-97.] Notes on the Total Eclipse of the Sun. 
Notes on the Total Eclipse of the Sun, 8th August 1896. 
By the Astronomer-Royal for Scotland and Mr A. J. 
Ramsay. 
(Read July 19, 1897.) 
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Iii the Total Eclipse of 8th August last year, the line of totality 
began at a point to the north of the Shetlands, passed across the 
north of Norway, from Bodo on the west to Yadso in the north- 
east, then traversed Novaya Zemlya, Siberia, and Yesso, the 
northern island of Japan, ending finally in the North Pacific 
Ocean. Both Bodo and Yadsci are easily accessible by the Nor- 
wegian mail-boats, the former being, however, some four days 
nearer than Yadso. At the first glance one would naturally 
inquire : — Why was not Bodo chosen for our station in preference 
to the more distant Y adso 1 The chief reason was the very im- 
portant one that at Yadso the sun, at the time of total eclipse, 
attained an altitude of 15° above the horizon, while at Bodo the 
altitude was only some 7 ; at Yadso, too, the duration of totality 
was 106 seconds, as compared with 101 seconds at Bodo. As 
regards the chances of a clear sky, there was not much to choose 
between the two stations ; on the west coast the rainfall was re- 
ported to be relatively large, while fogs were said to be of frequent 
occurrence at Yadso. Yardo, some 40 miles east of Yadso, was 
declared unsuitable on account of a still greater likelihood of 
trouble from sea fogs in the early morning, during summer. We 
therefore fixed on Yadso as our observing station, and communi- 
cated with Professor Mohn of Christiania, the well-known meteor- 
ologist, as to the best steps to be taken for securing a favourable 
site for our instruments. We are indebted to him for much 
valuable advice, and to Dr Caspersen of Vadso for his very 
material help in securing comfortable rooms for us there. 
The chief lines of observation to be adopted by an eclipse 
expedition may be summed up as follows : — 
1. Yisual telescopic observations of the times of contact of the 
moon’s limb with that of the sun. 
VOL. XXI. 10/8/97 2 I 
