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In the 21st century, millions of people were able to see, photograph and film a total solar eclipse. With so advanced and widely available technology, we have seen in recent years photos and footage from an airplane, a stratospheric balloon and even space. But how was it to turn this phenomenon almost 120 years ago? Thanks to a recently recovered video, you can see the very first sequence of a total solar eclipse filmed in 1900.
The famous British magician Nevil Maskelyne filmed this video on May 28, 1900 while he was on an expedition to the British Astronomical Association in North Carolina. Back in the day, the equipment was not as easily accessible and versatile as today. Maskelyne had to make himself a special telescopic adapter for his camera in order to film the eclipse. According to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), it is the only surviving Maskelyne film, which makes it even more valuable.
But it was not Maskelyne's first attempt at filming the eclipse. Previously, in 1898, he went to India to photograph another eclipse. He would have succeeded, but the film was unfortunately stolen when he returned home.
The fragment of film dating from 1900 has been preserved in the archives of the SAR. It has recently been scanned and restored to 4K by BFI National Archives Conservation experts. During the tedious process, the experts reassembled and recalibrated the film frame by frame.
Thanks to the National Archives of BFI, you can now view the first known images of the total solar eclipse in 4K. Note however that this video is restricted to the UK. For us from other parts of the world, a 720p version is available on YouTube and you can see it above.
Nowadays, we can all shoot a solar eclipse with DSLRs, without a mirror or even Gameboy. NASA shared an impressive collection of solar eclipse photos, showing the phenomenon of Earth and space. But honestly, I find it equally impressive to see a video of the 1900 eclipse. And if you do it too, I think you'll also enjoy the very first picture of a solar eclipse, taken in 1851.
[Royal Astronomical Society via The Verge]
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