11/08/2026
Tomorrow evening, millions of people across Europe will look to the skies as the Moon passes in front of the Sun. Here in the UK, we’ll experience a spectacular partial solar eclipse, with more than 90% of the Sun obscured in some parts of the country. It’s a rare event, the last total solar eclipse visible from the UK was in 1999, and we won’t see another total eclipse from parts of the UK until 2081.
Our collections contain a fascinating connection to an eclipse from more than a century ago.
The Watt Institution holds a journal belonging to George Marshall Woodrow (1846–1911), a British botanist who began his career as a gardener at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, before spending much of his career working in India.
In 1898, Woodrow joined an expedition led by Indian astronomer Kavasji Naegamvala to Jeur, in western India, to observe the total solar eclipse of 22 January 1898.
The expedition was significant not only for its scientific observations of the Sun, but also for its place in the history of Indian astronomy, helping to challenge the barriers faced by Indian scientists seeking to participate in astronomical research.
Discover Inverclyde Inverclyde Libraries Inverclyde Inverclyde Skywatchers The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland Museums Galleries Scotland
