First-Ever Solar Eclipse Recording Released For Public Viewing

If you ever wondered how the first solar eclipse recording looked like, then you might be in for a treat. The first-ever solar eclipse recording is now available on YouTube. The one-minute eight-second clip shows the total eclipse starting just before the Moon completely covers the Sun until just before it starts moving away.

The eclipse shown in the video occurred on May 28, 1900, and it was recorded in North Carolina during an expedition by the British Astronomical Association. The footage was captured using a telescopic adapter on his camera, which made the eclipse easier to capture.

Where Was It All This Time

Before it was released for public viewing on YouTube, the footage was kept safely in the archives of the Royal Astronomical Society. The society also confirmed that this was the second attempt by magician Maskelyne to film a solar eclipse. The first attempt was made in 1898, but the film was stolen.

BFI, a charity organization that preserves and highlights films, restored the original footage to 4K quality, however, it can only be seen in 720-pixel resolution on YouTube. The team reassembled and retimed the film frame by frame, says BFI.

Not A Difficulty Anymore

Well, times have changed and captured a solar eclipse has become way easier now. The last such viewable event occurred in 2017 and around 215 million people witnessed the event. The next solar eclipse will take place in 2024, so keep your gear ready, as the next eclipse would occur in 2045.

Astronomers are working on new ways to capture more and more such events. These would be possible with high-end equipment and huge telescopes placed in space. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is one legendary equipment that keeps capturing some stunning images of the outer space.

Lab Experiments

Speaking of high-end equipment, scientists were able to successfully complete an experiment that proved a prediction from Stephen Hawking made about these mysterious objects in space. The team created a simulated black hole in the lab which acts similar to the ones in space.

The experiment seems to have confirmed the Hawking radiation. According to the theory, when trying to apply physical laws governing heat to black holes, the black holes will emit radiation.