In September 1922, a small group of Canadian scientists led by astronomer Clarence A. Chant joined an expedition to Western Australia to photograph a total solar eclipse in order to test Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Taking a specially-made camera with a six inch lens, the Einstein Camera, the team successfully took photos of the eclipse and used them to make the precision measurements necessary to confirm (or, almost confirm), Einstein’s predictions.

I wrote about this grand adventure with science writer Dan Falk in the University of Toronto Magazine.

The six-inch wide objective lens of the Canadian Einstein Camera, used by a Canadian team to photograph a total eclipse of the sun in 1922 in Western Australia, and again in Quebec in 1932. The lens is part of the University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection.