In 1910 the Victorian Government Astronomer, Pietro Baracchi, led an eclipse expedition of Australian astronomers to Bruny Island, Tasmania. Included in this elite group were G.F. Dodwell, and W R Browne from Adelaide Observatory as well as the respected amateurs C. J. Merfield and A. W. Dobbie.
The line of total eclipse for the event occurring on 10th May, 1910, touched no land except the Antarctic and Tasmania. Unfortunately May was a wet time of the year in Tasmania and there was little hope of getting a clear day. For this reason only Australia shouldered the costs of an official observing party. A wise decision on the part of other observatories as the 10th of May proved to be overcast and cloudy making good observations impossible.
Amongst the equipment used at Bruny Island was this instrument often referred to as the 'Greenwich Coronograph'. This instrument, under the charge of C. J. Merfield, seen in this photograph, was originally a part of the Greenwich Observatory's collection and had already seen use in Mauritus during the 1901 Eclipse. Then it had produced indifferent photographs due to a combination of atmospheric disturbances on the day.
Looking at this photograph, taken the day before the eclipse, it appears the instrument was set up in very much the same manner for both the 1901 and 1910 Eclipse's. E. Walter Maunder's 1901 report sheds some light on the set up in this image. In this report he describes how the coronagraph was mounted in a horizontal position and was supplied with light from 12-inch mirror mounted on a coelostat. A clock, which rang an electric bell, was mounted close to the camnera end of the photoheliograph. Another was mounted close to the coelostat which rang at every tenth second during totality. The instruments were sheltered beneath tarpaulins which could be thrown open when needed.
For more information see associated Powerhouse Theme 'Eclipse Expedition to Bruny Island 1910'
Geoff Barker, Curatorial September, 2008
References
Vallance, T. G. 'William Rowan Browne 1884-1975' memoir was originally published in Records of the Australian Academy of Science, vol.4, no.1, 1978., from Australian Academy of Science, http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/browne.htm, March 2008
Mclean, F. K., Report of the Eclipse Expedition to Port Davey, Tasmania, May, 1910, Richard Clay and Sons, Bread Street Hill, E.C. and Bungay, Suffolk, England, date unknown
Maunder, E. Walter, 'Total Eclipse of the Sun, 1901, May 18. Preliminary Account of the Observations Made at the Royal Alfred Observatory, Pamplemousses, Mauritius', Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, volume 69, 1901 - 1902, The Royal Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/116304, accessed: 17/06/2008 23:03
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