Which college organized the first astronomical expedition in the US today in 1780?
October 20, 1780 — Harvard University organized America’s first astronomical expedition today. The goal was to record an eclipse of the sun by observing an event that lasted from 11:11 am to 1:50 pm.
Samuel Williams (23 Apr 1743 – 2 Jan 1817) was the American natural philosopher and clergyman who organized the expedition in Penobscot Bay, Maine, despite the fact that the town was held by the British enemy at the time.
The observers left about three weeks earlier, on 9 Oct from Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.. A boat was supplied by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the four professors and six students.
On Oct. 20, they discovered a thin arc of the sun instead of its complete obscuration by the moon.
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