Nat the Navigator. A Life of Nathaniel Bowditch. For Young Persons

by Henry I. Bowditch

CHAPTER IX.

From 1803 to 1823—age, 30-50.

Papers published by Mr. Bowditch in the Memoirs of the Academy; account of some of them.—Total eclipse of the sun in 1806; effect of it.—Anecdote of Chief Justice Parsons.—Meteor that fell over Weston, Ct.; account of its curious appearance; effect of these papers upon his fame in Europe.—Chosen member of most of the learned societies of the Old World.—Quits Salem to become connected with larger institutions in Boston.

EMPLOYMENT IN POLITICAL TIMES.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

MR. BOWDITCH OBSERVES IT.

EFFECTS OF THE ECLIPSE.

It should be remembered, that, during these stormy political times, Mr. Bowditch was chiefly engaged in making his notes on the great work to which we have already alluded, La Place’s “Mécanique Céleste,” and that it was between the years 1800 and 1820, that is, during this same time, that he wrote twenty-three papers, which were published in the Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Of some of these last I will give you an account. Of the others, were I to mention them, you could understand but little. They relate chiefly to observations made upon the moon; the comets of 1807 and 1811; the eclipses of the sun which took place in 1806 and 1811; measurements of the height of the White Mountains, in New Hampshire; observations on the compass; on a pendulum supported by two points; and the correction of some mistakes in one of the books studied first by him in early life, called Newton’s “Principia.” A few of these papers I will try to explain to you, at least in part. I commence with his observation upon a total eclipse of the sun, which occurred June 16, 1806. I shall quote nearly the words of the observer. “On the day of the eclipse the weather was remarkably fine, scarcely a cloud being visible in any part of the heavens. I made preparations for the observations in the garden adjoining the house in which I reside, near the northern part of Summer Street, in Salem. Having been disappointed in procuring a telescope of a large magnifying power, I was obliged to make use of that attached to my theodolite, which gave very distinct vision, though its magnifying power was small. An assistant was seated near me, who counted the seconds from a chronometer, and thus enabled me to mark down with a pencil, the time when the first impression was made on the sun, without taking my eye from the telescope till four or five seconds had elapsed, and the eclipse had sensibly increased, after which I examined the second and minute hands of the chronometer, and took every precaution to prevent mistakes. Four or five minutes before the commencement of the eclipse, I began to observe that part of the sun where the first contact [of the moon’s shadow] was expected to take place; and eight minutes twenty-eight seconds after ten o’clock, I observed the first impression. As the eclipse advanced, there did not appear to be so great a diminution of the light as was generally expected; and it was not till the sun was nearly covered that the darkness was very sensible. The last ray of light disappeared instantaneously. The moon was then seen surrounded by a luminous appearance of considerable extent, such as has been generally taken notice of in total eclipses of the sun.” A number of stars became visible. The observer mentions that the light in the garden was not entirely gone; but in the house candles were needed, as if it were evening. At thirty-two minutes eighteen seconds after eleven o’clock,—that is, at a little more than an hour from the beginning of the eclipse,—the first returning ray of light burst forth with great splendor. I have heard that the effect upon those who saw it was surpassingly grand. Suddenly the light of midday seemed to break in upon the quiet of evening. So completely were all the animal creation deceived, that the cows returned lowing homeward, and the fowls sought their roosts, and quietly placed their heads under their wings. All human beings were looking in mute amazement, and deep silence prevailed, as the dark shadow of the moon came stealing over the surface of the sun at noon. There was something fearful when the sun was wholly covered. Suddenly a bright ray shot forth mid heaven, and fell upon the earth, and with it arose a loud shout from the assembled crowd. Aged men[9] and women joined in the chorus, and saluted again the beautiful sunlight.

This paper, though short, is one of the most important he ever wrote. In a note to it he first mentions publicly a mistake he had discovered in the “Mécanique Céleste.”

METEORS.