Solar eclipse maps from 1861 to 1870

Sources

The maps from the British Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris, the French Connaissance des Temps, and most of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac were found and extracted from http://books.google.com.

The maps from the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac for the year 1867, the Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris for the year 1861, and the 1870 eclipse map from the unknown German cartographer are from the collection of Michael Zeiler.

The page from the New York Tribune of August 7, 1869 was found at U.S. Library of Congress page on Chronicling America: Historican American Newspapers, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Eclipse maps commonplace in almanacs

In this decade, eclipse maps are common in three of the important world almanacs, the British Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris, the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, and the French Connaissance des Temps.

The eclipse maps of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac from this decade are strong examples of cartographic clarity and apply typography typical of this period of American history.

Since eclipse maps are prepared two or three years in advance of the event, it is evident that this map was drafted during the American Civil War. Most national almanacs have been published without interruption during times of war because of their essential value for navigation, especially for navies.

The section on eclipses in practically every almanac of every country begins with a similar recitation: “In the year <value>, there will be <n> eclipses, <value> of the Sun and <value> of the Moon.“  Eclipses are also summarized with a remark on whether they are visible from the national capital (or national observatory).

In 1905, G. F. Chambers, F.R.A.S., summarized a paper with the above observation on the relative quality of eclipse maps in almanacs. I generally agree with his ranking, the French maps are the finest, followed by the American, and lastly the British. I’ve searched for eclipse maps in the German Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch but have not yet found any.