Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911

A team of Stonyhurst College, England and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, New South Wales made observations in Vavaʻu Islands, Tonga. Members of Stonyhurst College departed from Tilbury, England by ship on February 3 and arrived in Sydney on March 16. The team later departed from Sydney on March 25 and arrived in Vavaʻu on April 2. All the instruments were shipped ashore on April 5. The weather was clear for the next few days, but heavy rain showers fell almost every day starting from April 10. The southeast wind starting on April 26 brought thick and large cirrus clouds. On April 28, one day before the eclipse, there were many clouds, which lasted until the morning of April 29. On April 29, the eclipse day, the sky cleared before the first contact (beginning of the partial phase). Afterwards, some cumulus clouds passed through at first, and the weather remained relatively good. During the totality, weather conditions were good in Neiafu, but some areas about 2 miles (3.2 km) away were affected by cirrostratus clouds, and the sun was not visible until 90 seconds before the third contact (end of the total phase). During the eclipse, there was almost no sound on the island except the chirping of crickets, because the government told the local people to keep quiet and not to light fires to avoid creating smoke and disturbing the observations. The team shipped the instruments back on May 2, and the team members departed the island on May 4. They first arrived in Suva, capital of the Colony of Fiji on May 6, and departed again on May 11 and arrived in Sydney on May 17. The British in charge boarded the ship with the instruments leaving Sydney on June 10 and arriving in Tilbury on July 23.[4]

• HMAS Encounter (1902)#Operational history

• NASA graphics
• Report on the total solar eclipse of 1911, April 28 Tonga Island, South Pacific