In 1860 a total eclipse of the sun was visible in British America.

Newcomb was able to use the "new" data to revise Hansen's tables. His parents were Emily Prince the daughter of a New Brunswick magistrate and itinerant school teacher John Burton Newcomb. Newcomb set to work on the measurement of the position of the planets as an aid to navigation becoming increasingly interested in theories of planetary motion.

Though he had little conventional schooling he made important contributions to timekeeping as well as writing on economics and statistics and authoring a science fiction novel.