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Jan. 24, 1925, was going to be a cold, snowy day in the Finger Lakes region. But this wasn鈥檛 an ordinary day: It was the day central New York, along with a wide swath across the world, could witness a total solar eclipse. Hopefully, the gray cloud cover often blanketing the Finger Lakes would not be a factor on this day, as the forecast was for sunny, cloudless, though chilly weather.

News outlets announced well in advance how to experience the phenomena 鈥� from where the optimal locations were for observation to educating people how to safely view the eclipse, whose path encompassed the entirety of Cayuga County, though the further south you were, the longer the window of totality.

Scientists then, as today, were excited about this opportunity to launch experiments and record data; among the ideas to be tested were the effect of the sun on radio transmissions, experiments to confirm Albert Einstein鈥檚 general theory of relativity, and to more accurately measure the precise size and orbit of the moon. But without today鈥檚 modern technology, scientists utilized a variety of strategies for gathering data and conducting experiments.

鈥淐itizen scientists鈥� were recruited to help out; for example, Scientific American engaged volunteers to record observations by filling out an 鈥渆clipse coupon鈥� distributed in newspapers, and subsequently returned to the Scientific American or the National Research Council. And Boy Scouts, at various locations, volunteered to note the precise time when the eclipse transpired, and to record other observations along the eclipse鈥檚 path.

In New York City, directly in the center of the path of totality, scientists had unique opportunities to collect data and cleverly used shadows of tall buildings and the city鈥檚 street grid to collect and compare measurements, while airplanes and dirigibles 鈥� in NYC and elsewhere in the country聽鈥� were utilized to conduct experiments from above potential cloud cover.

The tallest building in Auburn, the Masonic temple on South Street, could provide a great viewpoint, and was where Auburn inventor Ted Case planned to film the eclipse. (It was the tallest building in the city at the time with nine stories, but a 1932 fire nearly destroyed the edifice, and it was rebuilt to its present-day height of three stories.) But Auburn and points north were not so lucky weather-wise, as clouds convened to obscure the most spectacular moments of eclipse 鈥� such as the sun鈥檚 corona display. As reported in The Cayuga Chief, Case had to be 鈥渙ne of the most disappointed persons in Auburn ... (for) clouds interfered with the best laid plans and reports from the Case laboratory were that the pictures were not considered successful.鈥� Moving south toward Moravia, Dryden and Ithaca, areas experienced a cloudless, picture-perfect display, so scientists at Cornell University were more successful in their efforts.

While scientists will again take advantage of the upcoming eclipse to conduct experiments, the April 8 event will more or less replicate earlier total solar eclipses: the shadow of the moon slowly 鈥渆ats up鈥� the sun, darkness descends, birds think it鈥檚 time to roost, shadows fall, and if in the path of totality, there's a brief and awesome spectacle when the moon totally lines up to and obscures the sun. Then the process reverses, the sun reappears, and the world returns to normal. It鈥檚 not an event that is inherently unique, but rather, it鈥檚 a predictable, though once-in-a-lifetime event that most people rarely, if ever, access, and that renders it an extraordinary experience.

In 1925, a reporter in The Cortland Democrat wrote:

鈥淗undreds of snapshots were made and some excellent pictures resulted. No one now living saw the eclipse when it came this way before and none now living will be here when another comes, but some of the pictures may survive until twenty-one hundred and something, to be exhibited by some old-timer of that day as a snapshot made by great-great-grandfather when he was a kid back in the days of 1925.鈥�

After April 8, the next total solar eclipse observable in central New York is in 2144. So here鈥檚 a thought: As we make plans for our eclipse experience (and hope for clear weather) consider documenting the event 鈥� take pictures, note what鈥檚 happening, how things look, what your friends and family thought about the eclipse 鈥� and save these memories for posterity. Offer copies of such to your local library, historic society or town historian 鈥� so our descendants in 2144 will know that through time, they share with us the wonderment of a one-of-a-kind, celestial spectacle.

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