The first moving picture of a solar eclipse, captured by a British magician-turned-film-maker more than a century ago, has been rediscovered in the archive of the Royal Astronomical Society.
“These scenes of a total solar eclipse – one of the most spectacular sights in astronomy – are a captivating glimpse of Victorian science in action,” said Prof Mike Cruise, president of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The pictures come from Maskelyne’s second attempt to record an eclipse and is the only footage of his that is known to have survived.
His first go at recording an eclipse in India in 1898 was successful, until the film was stolen on his journey home.
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Solar Eclipse (1900) - the first moving image of an astronomical phenomenon | BFI