King Rama V and British Observations of the 6 April 1875 Total Solar Eclipse from the Chao Lai Peninsula, Siam

Abstract

In 1875 Sir Arthur Schuster of the University of Manchester led a Royal Society expedition to Siam (now Thailand) to observe a total solar eclipse. The expedition followed an invitation issued by the King of Siam, King Chulalongkorn (also known as King Rama V). Together with members of the Royal family, the British scientists undertook a number of experiments. Their success was later described by Schuster when he recalled that the importance of calcium in the chromosphere and prominences was first proven in the Siamese eclipse of 1875.