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COLLECTION Identifier: UAV 630.369.5

Harvard College Observatory records related to the solar eclipse of 1869

Overview

A total solar eclipse occurred on August 7, 1869 and was visible from parts of the northeastern United States. The Harvard College Observatory sent a team, led by director Joseph Winlock, to Shelbyville, Kentucky to observe and make recordings of the eclipse. The Harvard College Observatory records related to the solar eclipse of 1869 include reports, notes, data booklets, notebooks, and photographs of the Observatory staff members at their campsite in Kentucky.

Dates

  • Creation: 1868-1870

Creator

Researcher Access

The Harvard College Observatory records related to the solar eclipse of 1869 are open for research.

Extent

0.44 cubic feet (1 legal document box)
3 photographs
1 negatives (photographs)

The Harvard College Observatory records related to the solar eclipse of 1869 include reports, notes, data booklets, notebooks, and photographs.

The booklets, presumably completed by Observatory and U.S. Coast Survey employees, contain data, drawings, and observations recorded during the solar eclipse from various locations across Kentucky. The data recorded includes weather, latitude and longitude, equipment, and measurements. There are also two notebooks with eclipse observations and measurements; one recorded by United States Coast Survey Assistant George W. Dean and one kept by Harvard College Observatory assistant Samuel Pierpont Langley.

The reports are written by Harvard College Observatory assistants Samuel Pierpont Langley and Charles Sanders Peirce, as well as George W. Dean, Winthrop S. Gilman, and W.H. Pulsifer. The documents contain observations, photographic measurements, and details of the eclipse party's organization. There is also a drawing of rose colored protuberances seen during the eclipse by Pulsifer.

Additionally, there are three photographs, all slightly different, picturing Observatory employees sitting and standing, as well as women and children, presumably their families. Some of the men are looking through telescopes, of which four instruments are pictured. The photographs also depict several African-American men and children standing in the background.

Historical note on the solar eclipse of 1869

A total solar eclipse occurred on August 7, 1869. It was visible in its totality across eastern Russia, Alaska, Canada, and parts of the northeastern United States. The Harvard College Observatory sent a team, led by director Joseph Winlock, to Shelbyville, Kentucky, Winlock's hometown, to observe the eclipse and record information on a sequence of glass plates. During the expedition, the Harvard College Observatory collaborated with the United States Coast Survey, particularly with Assistant George W. Dean.

Biographical note on Joseph Winlock

Joseph Winlock (1826-1875), Director of the Harvard College Observatory, was a professor of astronomy and geodesy, and was responsible for making many important improvements to the Observatory. Winlock was born on February 6, 1826 in Shelby County, Kentucky. He graduated from Shelby College in Kentucky in 1845, then was appointed professor of mathematics and astronomy at the college, where he remained until 1852. Winlock also served as assistant professor in mathematics at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., and was head of the mathematics department at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He was appointed the third director of the Harvard College Observatory in 1866, a post he maintained until his death on June 11, 1875.

In 1869, Winlock led a solar eclipse expedition to Kentucky, where his astronomy career had begun, and in 1870, at the request of the United States Coast Survey, he traveled abroad to Spain, where he was able to photograph the corona for the first time. A lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon is named after him, recognizing Winlock's contributions to the field of astronomy.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in four series:

  1. Data booklets, 1869
  2. Notebooks, 1869
  3. Photographs and negative, 1869
  4. Reports, 1868-1870

Related Materials

The Harvard University Archives holds other Harvard College Observatory records related to solar eclipses, including:

  1. Harper's Weekly article on the Solar Eclipse of 1869, 1869 (HUF 165.469)
  2. Harvard College Observatory scrapbook of clippings related to the solar eclipse of 1889, 1888-1889 (UAV 630.388)
  3. Photographs of the solar eclipse observatory camp in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, 1870 (UAV 630.369.10)
  4. Harvard College Observatory records related to the solar eclipse of 1932, 1931-1933 and [undated] (UAV 630.432.10) https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hua10022/catalog

Processing Information

This finding aid was created by Olivia Mandica-Hart in March 2022. Processing included physical re-housing and the creation of this finding aid. Titles were transcribed from the original documents; titles enclosed in brackets were devised by the archivist.

Title
Harvard College Observatory. Harvard College Observatory records related to the solar eclipse of 1869, 1868-1870 : an inventory
Author
Harvard University Archives
Date
March 2, 2022
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
hua16022

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
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