Description | ' The Committe met three times during the year, to consider plans for the observation of the Total Eclipse of the Sun on 1922 September 21st, visible in the Maldive Islands, Christmas Island, and in certain parts of Australia.
It is considered desirable to make a further test of the deflection of rays of light be the Sun's gravitational field, and although the circumstances are not so favourable for this purpose as in 1919, it is believed that with carefully selected instruments results of value might be obtained.
It has been provisionally decided that plans should be made for two expeditions; one to the Maldive Islands, and the other to Christmas island, and that the latter Station should be occupied by observers from the Royal Observatoryy, Greenwich. The Astronomer Royal has secured the approval of the Admiralty, together with a maintenance allowance for a period of six months, to enable the Observers to utilise the opportunity of making a comparison between the Northern and the Southern photometric scales for star magnitudes. It is proposed to use the Greenwich Astrogrphic telescope without the intervention of a coelostat mirror.
It is possible that the expedition to the Maldive Islands may be planned in conjunction with the proposed expedition for the exploration of the Sea. The instruments to be employed are still under considertion. ' |