Replies

Noooo. The deflection of starlight by the moon is trivial and virtually undetectable. The eclipse allows an opportunity to photograph stars near the Sun which are normally hidden by the sun’s light. The moon just provides a screen.

http://www.valdosta.edu/phy/astro/pl_shows/bh_2001/bh/page40.html

The famous story is that after presenting his results, Eddington was approached by a member of the audience who told him, “They say that there are only three people in the World who actually understand this relativity business.” Eddington stood mute for a minute as if deep in thought. His interlocutor persisted, “Now, come on man, don’t be so modest.” Eddington looked up from his trance and replied, “No, I’m just trying to imagine, who’s the third.”

Eddington loved to tell that story at high tea at Oxford. For decades.