Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Total Solar Eclipse Of 1869 In Iowa: What Remains Today, Jacob P. Baskin

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

On August 7th, 1869, a total solar eclipse was visible in the United States. It carved a path through the heartland, nearly bisecting the state of Iowa as it ran from the northwest corner of the state, through Des Moines, and down through the southeast. As the scientists of the day flocked from universities and observatories on the east coast to the Midwest for a chance to make observations and measurements, many of the teams chose to set up in Iowa. Along the path of the eclipse, the parties built temporary observatories to house their telescopes, or simply picked buildings …