A forgotten American photographer captured one of the earliest clear images of a total solar eclipse 175 years ago; the photograph changed eclipse science

North America Science Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:21:28 GMT Moderate confidence — 73/100

Berkowski made this first solar eclipse photograph at the Royal Observatory in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia).
Image Credit: Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski/WikipediaA total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most dramatic sights, but 175 years ago it was also a difficult scientific problem to record.
On July 28, 1851, a little-known photographer named Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski produced what is regarded as the first successful photograph of a total solar eclipse.

Berkowski made this first solar eclipse photograph at the Royal Observatory in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia).
Image Credit: Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski/WikipediaA total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most dramatic sights, but 175 years ago it was also a difficult scientific problem to record.
On July 28, 1851, a little-known photographer named Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski produced what is regarded as the first successful photograph of a total solar eclipse.

Sources: Times of India