This is a copy of James Lockyer’s photo album documenting his round the world voyage to see the total solar eclipse of April 29th 1911 in Vavau, Tonga. He was accompanied by his great friend Francis Kennedy McClean co-founder of the Norman Lockyer Observatory. This short video gives us a great insight as to how we used to travel the world in great steamships to camp in remote areas and make significant scientific observations.

The journey starts from the Solar Physics Observatory in South Kensington by way of Mrs. Bull’s horse & cart to board the steamer SS Otway. The explorers sail south via Gibraltar, Port Said, the Suez Canal, Colombo, then on to Australia stopping at Fremantle, Perth, Ballarat, Melbourne, Bendigo and Sydney. They then embark HMS Encounter for the voyage to Tonga for the eclipse.

Having viewed the solar eclipse from Tonga, Jim Lockyer & Francis McClean set off via Hawaii across the USA stopping off at Lick, Mt. Wilson, Lowell, and Yerkes Observatories having stopped off at the Grand Canyon, Dayton Ohio to meet up with the Wright Bros. and Niagara Falls. They finally board the SS Mauritania in New York for their journey back home. These images are copied from Jim Lockyer’s photo album no:5 owned by the Norman Lockyer Observatory Society.

This is a digitised copy of James Lockyer’s photo album recording the Lockyer family expedition to the Olliver Ducket Mound, Richmond, Yorks. to view the total solar eclipse of 29th June 1927. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy on the day, but nearby Giggleswick got it!