Columbia, SC

Weather Forecast Office

2017 Total Solar Eclipse and the Re-creation of the 1900 Solar Eclipse Expedition

2017 NWS Eclipse Expedition to Newberry, SC

The U.S. Weather Bureau sent a team of meteorologist to study the total solar eclipse of May 28^th, 1900. There was much interest at the turn of the century among scientists about the effects of the moon’s shadow up on the earth’s atmosphere. Because of the technology of the day, this was the only time scientists could actually look directly at the sun to make observations. The U.S. Weather Bureau expedition consisted of 11 people traveling to the town of Newberry, SC for the eclipse.

Due to the nature of such an extraordinary effort by the U.S. Weather Bureau to document and observe the eclipse in 1900, NWS WFO Columbia decided to re-create much of the event for the August 21^st, 2017 total eclipse.

Historical Perspective

The 1900 Expedition consisted of:

Cleveland Abbe (U.S. Weather Bureau) – Father of weather forecasting in America, former director of Cincinnati Observatory, veteran of 1869/1878/1889 eclipse expeditions.

Frank Bigelow (U.S. Weather Bureau) (accompanied by his wife Mary) – Designed large format eclipse camera for Newberry expedition. Compiled weather data, from a 3 year study (1897-1899) for astronomers in advance of the eclipse. Veteran of 1889 eclipse expedition to West Africa. Published, Eclipse Meteorology and Allied Problems, in 1902 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Weather Bureau


Cleveland Abbe	Frank Bigelow

Roberdeau Buchanan (Nautical Almanac Office) (accompanied by his wife Lyla) – Longtime eclipse calculations expert at the Nautical Almanac Office. Published a book, The Mathematical Theory of Eclipses, in 1905.

Walter Scott Harshman (U.S. Naval Observatory) (accompanied by his wife Francis) – Future director of the Navy’s Nautical Almanac Office.

James Page (U.S. Hydrographic Office) – Served as editor for the pilot charts issued by the Hydrographic Office to aid mariners at sea. Participated in the International Boundary Commission’s expedition to survey the U.S.-Mexican border between the Rio Grande and the Pacific Ocean.

Miss Eliza Wilkes – from Washington D.C.

Miss Jane Wilkes – from Washington D.C.

Miss Lindsay – Washington D.C.

W.K. Sligh (Newberry College Mathematics Professor) – joined the part at the site.

J.Z. Salter – group photographer

The expedition chose to set up on the grounds of the home of Dr. W.G. Houseal at 722 Caldwell Street in Newberry. The path of the total eclipse crossed from New Orleans to Norfolk, with Newberry near the center-line of totality. The time of totality was approximately 1 ½ minutes.


House of Dr. W.G. Housel- Photo courtesy of Turner Photography and Restoration	Drawing of the 1900 Corona


Telescope Used in 1900 Expedition	Total Solar Eclipse Path in 1900

2017 Eclipse Re-creation

The National Weather Service partnered with Tom English, Director of the Cline Observatory at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC near Greensboro, NC and Sam Zaidy, director of the Newberry County Library. Warren Page, the current owner of Dr. Houseal’s home, gave us permission to conduct our observations at the original 1900 Expedition site. Leonard Vaughan, Service Hydrologist, and Hunter Coleman, Lead Forecaster at WFO Columbia conducted the observations. Leonard even dressed the part for the re-creation wearing clothing from around 1900. Observations were taken every 5 minutes through the event from 1pm through 4:15pm. 1 minute observations were taken during the peak of the event from 2:20pm through 3:20pm.

NWS Columbia Meteorologist, Hunter Coleman and Service Hydrologist, Leonard Vaughan

NWS Columbia Service Hydrologist Leonard Vaughan taking observations

The South Carolina State Climatology Office provided a cotton region shelter to house our thermometers. Observations of temperature where taken using alcohol thermometers and a portable handheld Kestral Wind and Weather Meter. The thermometers and Kestral were placed inside the shelter. Sky conditions, changes in temperature and animal behavior were annotated through the event.

Eclipse Details

Partial Eclipse Began – 1:11:33 PM

Totality Begins – 2:40:14 PM

Maximum Totality – 2:41:33 PM

Totality Ends – 2:42:48 PM

Partial Eclipse Ends – 4:05:03 PM

Duration of Totality – 2 minutes and 31.8 seconds

Location 34.271 N/81.617 W

Eclipse Observations

Temperatures warmed to 95 degrees prior to the eclipse onset
A 3 degree drop in temperature was observed around 1:50-1:55pm, likely associated with increasing clouds and possible outflow from a nearby shower
A 4 degree drop in temperature was noted from 2:20-2:40 (just before totality) associated with the loss of solar radiation due to the eclipse
Around 2:31 pm Cicadas and other insects began making audible noise which became louder through totality
A flashlight needed to be used to make temperature observations starting at 2:36 pm
Several flocks of Purple Martins and Swallows began to fly in a confused manner around totality
Flashlight was no longer need to make temperature observations after 2:48pm
84 degrees was the minimum temperature observed which occurred around 5 minutes after totality
Noticeable reduction in cumulus clouds just after totality and remained mostly cloud free through the end of the observation period

Temperature graph of the observations taken in Newberry, SC

Photo of the 2017 Solar Eclipse at totality taken by NWS Columbia Meteorologist, Hunter Coleman