Philosophical Transactions/Volume 54/Observations on the Eclipse of the Sun at Chatham, April 1, 1764

by Mungo Murray and John Bevis

XXXI. Observations on the Eclipse of the Sun at Chatham, April 1, 1764, by Mr. Mungo Murray: Communicated to Joseph Salvadore, Esq; F. R. S. in a Letter from Dr. John Bevis.

Sir,

Read May 24,
1764.

I Fancy I can now satisfy your curiosity as to a place in the northern limit of the path of the Moon’s shadow, in the eclipse we observed at your house; that is, where the lower limbs of the Sun and Moon coincided, by the following abstract from a letter I received from my friend Mr. Mungo Murray of Chatham, a good mathematician, and author of an excellent work on ship-building.

"I am infinitely obliged to you for your kind present of the telescope glasses. I got them most curiously mounted, and, as you said, they make a 12 foot telescope, which takes in the whole Sun nearly. I set my watch by a very good vertical sun-dial, precisely at 9 o’clock, and at 8 minutes after I perceived the Moon just enter on the Sun. About half an hour after 10, the eclipse was barely annular, the light of the Sun below the Moon being but just visible, and less than a hair in the telecope. At 55 minutes past 11 the eclipse ended, and left the Sun quite round."

By this, Sir, I think you may safely conclude, that Chatham was not much more than a mile (perhaps less) south-east of the limit; which therefore passed over Rochester-bridge, or very near it.

Your most obedient humble servant,

John Bevis.