Ottumwa, Iowa — 7 August 1869
Astronomer’s sighting
- About 25 minutes before the totality of the solar eclipse, Professor Zentmayer observed some bright objects crossing from one cusp to the other of the solar crescent. Each object took two seconds to make the crossing. The points were well-defined and must have been miles away from the telescope, given their sharpness. Other sources indicate that similar objects were seen at the same time by Professor Swift in Mattoon, Illinois and in Shelbyville, Kentucky by Alvan Clark Jr., George W. Dean and professor Winlock, showing the objects were not local insects or seeds picked up by the wind.
Source: Henry Morton, “Solar eclipse—August 7, 1869,” Journal of the Franklin Institute, S. 3, 58 (whole series, vol. 88): 200-16, at 213-4; Henry Morton, “Apparence d’une pluie meteorique,” Cosmos: Les Mondes 21: 241-3; “Meteors observed during a total eclipse of the Sun,” Popular Astronomy 2 (March 1895): 332-3. Case: W432