Eclipse Express eBook

Herbert Broadbent - ''Bart'' to his colleagues of the Astronomical Photographic Division - frowned at the cryptic official radio message which had just been sent to him. It said briefly:

Prepare for departure to Ceylon on February 26 to photograph total solar eclipse. Dr Murchinson expedition. Solar Photographs Division.

''There are times,'' he commented, ''when I get heartily tired of tearing about the world just on the spec of photographing something which never lasts more than five minutes at most!''