03 May in Solar Physics and Eclipses

May 03, -1374 (1375 BC) 

Syria: A clay tablet found at that site notes that "the day of the New Moon in the month of (Apr-May) was put to shame. The sun went down with Mars in attendance. This means the overlord will be attacked by his vassals." Ulysses 3/97" But: "was put to shame" was also translated as "on the sixth" (day) and again differently by others. "went down" is the same word as that used for "to set". This is no solar eclipse, although mentioned by several references. (Chasing the Shadow by Joel K Harris and Richard L Talcott, Total Eclipses of the Sun by Zirker, Guide to the Sun, Phillips says that this might refer to the eclipse of 1223 BC.)

May 03, 1715 

"A few seconds before the sun was all hid, there discovered itself round the moon a luminous ring about a digit, or perhaps a tenth part of the moon's diameter, in breadth. It was of a pale whiteness, or rather pearl-color, seeming to me a little tinged with the colors of the iris, and to be concentric with the moon." Refers to a total solar eclipse of 3 May 1715. 

May 03, 1715 

Edmond Halley (1656-1742 or 1743) England, during an eclipse in England, is the first to report the phenomenon later known as Baily's Beads; also notes bright red prominences and the east-west asymmetry in the corona, which he attributes to an atmosphere on the Moon or Sun. Halley observed from London (John Flamsteed (1646-1719) observed from Greenwich).

May 03, 1715 

Probably the first map of a path of totality, drawn by the English astronomer Edmond Halley (1656-1742 or 1743). On a copper plate he engraved the totally paths of the total solar eclipses of 3 May 1715 and 11 May 1724. On top of the map, the date 22 April 1705 (i.o. 3 May) is mentioned, but that is because the Gregorian Calendar in England was introduced in 1752.

May 03, 1769 

"It will be Eclipse first, the rest nowhere." Dennis O?Kelly (at Epsom, 3 May 1769) (Quoted in The Penguin Dictionary of Quotations by Cohen and Cohen. In UK Solar Eclipses from Year 1, Sheridan Williams says: "One of the world's most successful racehorses was born around the time of this [annular eclipse of 1 April 1764] and was named Eclipse. The Eclipse Stakes, named after that horse, are still run today, and the horse of the year awards in the U.S. are called Eclipse Awards after him."). 

May 03, 1880 

Jonathan H. Lane, American physics and astronomer died. Studied temperature and physics of the Sun and density of Sungas.

May 03, 1981 

Hess 2844 (1981 JP): Minor planet discovered May 03, 1981 by Edward L.G. Bowell at Anderson Mesa. Named in honor of Frederick Hess, Prof. of natural sciences at the State Univ. of NY at Fort Schuyler and long time lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium-American Museum in NYC. Hess has directed a number of Solar Eclipse expedition and has accumulated more than 30 min in the shadow of the Moon. MPC 9215. Name proposed by the discoverer.

May 03, 2106

Next total solar eclipse in Hawaii. They had their last one on 1991 Jul 11 which I observed from San Blas in Mexico.