1842-1843. A Total Eclipse.
SIR J. F. W. HERSCHEL TO MISS HERSCHEL.
Collingwood, Aug. 9, 1842.
My dear Aunt,—
M. tells me I must finish this letter with an account of the total eclipse of the sun seen at Pavia by Mr. Baily, and at Turin by Mr. Airy. At Pavia it was very finely seen, and as soon as the sun was totally covered, the dark moon was seen to be surrounded with a glory, like the heads of saints in old pictures. While he was admiring this, a great shout from all the population of Pavia broke out at once, which was caused by the sudden appearance of three purple or lilac-coloured flames, which seemed to break out from the edge of the moon. At Milan the same was seen, and the people shouted out “Es leben die Astronomen!”[[62]] as soon as they saw the flames.
I am glad you got my Chrysotype pictures safe. The present beautiful sunshine has given me an opportunity to make great progress in photography, and the enclosed photographic copy of a little engraving or two may serve to amuse you. Meanwhile the star reductions are not forgotten. Thirty more sweeps only remain to be reduced, and I am already in the engraver’s hands with the nebulæ pictures. And so the world wags with
Your affectionate nephew,
J. F. W. Herschel.
SIR J. F. W. HERSCHEL TO MISS HERSCHEL.
... On the 30th of last month I finished the reductions of all my Cape nebulæ and double stars, and have got all the former and all but a very small number of the latter arranged in catalogues in order of Rt. Ascension for the epoch 1830, January 1st. Thus these two most important parts of my Cape work are at last secured against loss, and it will not be long now before I shall begin to prepare for the work of publication in good earnest. I mean as to the narrative part.