The BFI claims this is the oldest motion picture of the skies that can be found. I'm leery of claims like that, but I can't think of any earlier movies that survive, and the BFI is pretty good at this, even if they made a Chaplin picture disappear for three-quarters of a century.
The movie begins just before eclipse becomes total. Given the film stock at the time, the corona is unimpressive. Wikipedia says the filming was done by Nevil Maskelyne in North Carolina. Maskelyne, like many early film makers, was also a stage magician.
The eclipse was one of the Saros 126 series of eclipses. The places which attained totality ranged from southern Egypt, the coast of Lybia and Tunisia, central Spain, the US in North Carolin, then moving southwest through central Mexico. And, of course, at a movie theater.
The movie begins just before eclipse becomes total. Given the film stock at the time, the corona is unimpressive. Wikipedia says the filming was done by Nevil Maskelyne in North Carolina. Maskelyne, like many early film makers, was also a stage magician.
The eclipse was one of the Saros 126 series of eclipses. The places which attained totality ranged from southern Egypt, the coast of Lybia and Tunisia, central Spain, the US in North Carolin, then moving southwest through central Mexico. And, of course, at a movie theater.
