Reports on the total solar eclipse of 1905, August 30. - Report of the Expedition to Castellón de la Plana, Spain. - Part I

Abstract

The expedition to Castellón de la Plana, Spain, was one of the series organised by the Joint Permanent Eclipse Committee, the expenses being chiefly defrayed from the Government Grant Fund. Though 23 miles south of the central line, Castellón was selected as the most suitable station after careful inquiries as to the local conditions and facilities had been made by the Vice-Consul, Mr. Edward Harker, who also rendered invaluable aid to the expedition in various other ways. The advantages of being near a town of considerable size sufficiently compensated for the loss of 18 seconds in the duration of totality as compared with that on the central line, and, for some of the work, the resulting change in the position angle of second contact would have been a distinct gain. The party originally included Mr. W. Shackleton, but in consequence of a temporary illness he was unable to go out to Spain, and the expedition thus suffered the serious loss of an experienced observer at the outset. Mr. Shackleton had, however, practically completed the large scale coronagraph and prismatic camera which he had intended to use, and it became possible to utilise this apparatus through the voluntary assistance of Mr. E. H. Rayner, of the National Physical Laboratory.