America's First Eclipse Chasers : Springer : 9783031241239 : 3031241231 : 28 May 2023 : In 2017, over 200 million Americans witnessed the spectacular total eclipse of the Sun, and the 2024 eclipse is expected to draw even larger crowds. In anticipation of this upcoming event, this book takes us back in history over 150 years, telling the story of the nation's first ever eclipse chasers. Our tale follows the chaotic journeys of scientists and amateur astronomers as they trekked across the western United States to view the rare phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. The fascinating story centers on the expeditions of the 1869 total eclipse, which took place during the turbulent age of the chimerical Planet Vulcan and Civil War Reconstruction.   The protagonists?a motley crew featuring astronomical giants like Simon Newcomb and pioneering female astronomers like Maria Mitchell?were met with unanticipated dangers, mission-threatening accidents, and eccentric characters only the West could