1881. Sunday, June 12. The eclipse at one o’clock this morning was beautiful. It had rained for a week and cleared off last evening . . . . I got out a little before 1 a.m. and went to bed at 2 {a.m.}. Roses are plenty.
This was not a solar eclipse as Maria would observe in 1831 (Nantucket at age 12 ½), Burlington, Iowa (1869), or Denver, Colorado (1878), but a lunar eclipse (note the time of day) viewed from the observatory at Vassar. School was still in session – yes, colleges did not get out in May – and her well-received and highly-anticipated Dome Party for the year would follow just six days later. This seems to have been a solitary observation – though two of her nieces via her youngest sister, Kate, may have at least been present in the Observatory as they had come a few days before to stay.
What I love even more is her note about the roses being in bloom. A naturalist as well, Maria’s journals are always at least peppered – if not written to great depth – with notations about things in nature. And June, is the time for roses!
JNLF
And please do not forget to join us this Wednesday, June 27 from 7-8 PM for a lecture and book signing at the Nantucket Atheneum with David Baron author of
American Eclipse
– a book in which Maria Mitchell is one of the featured astronomers. Baron drew on Mitchell’s papers housed here on island at the MMA to research and write his book.
Call Us: 508.228.9198
Email Us: info@mariamitchell.org