Prove Einstein's theory on Monday: Bending of light by gravity

Excerpt from A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME, by Stephen Hawkins -

"So general relativity predicts that light should be bent by gravitational fields. For example, the theory predicts that the light cones of points near the sun would be slightly bent inward, on account of the mass of the sun. This means that light from a distant star that happened to pass near the sun would be deflected through a small angle, causing the star to appear in a different position to an observer on the earth. Of course, if the light from the star always passed close to the sun, we would not be able to tell whether the light was being deflected or if instead the star was really where we see it. However, as the earth orbits around the sun, different stars appear to pass behind the sun and have their light deflected. They therefore change their apparent position relative to stars.
It is normally very difficult to see this effect, because the light from the sun makes it impossible to observe stars that appear near to the sun in the sky. However, it is possible to do so during an eclipse of a the sun, when the sun's light is blocked out by moon. Einstein's prediction of light deflection could not be tested immediately in 1915, because the First World War was in progress, and it was not until 1919 that a British expedition, observing the eclipse from West Africa, showed that light was indeed deflected by the sun, just as predicted by the theory."

On this solar eclipse happening Monday, 21st August, 2017, 14:42, we can witness the bending of light, experience the famous warp in the space-time. Its not complicated. You would need:

1. Safety Goggles to view the eclipse. This is absolutely necessary - please don't try without a good one.
2. Spirit level.
3. Compass.
4. Flat hard surface to fix your compass on.
5. Paper, pencil and a ruler.

Before we go any further I should mention that I am not an astronomer, not even a student, I was just reading that chapter and felt curious. So what comes next might be all wrong.

Useful Fact: Relative position of stars don't change approximately.

Steps:

1. Find out time of solar eclipse in your region.
2. Using an app/internet, find out what star will be near the sun at time of eclipse.
3. Measure the distance of that star with respect to another star in the sky.
4. Compare that measurement in the night sky.

[Edit: I realized that this won't work exactly I thought it would. There is going to be a delay in completing this experiment - by some months. I mention the reason below.]

Step 1 Time of eclipse

1. Go to https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2017-august-21  
2. Enter your location and checkout the time.

Step 2 Identify the star (Crap!)

There are two options : Android Sky Map App or Sky Map website. I am using the Sky map app:

1. On android phones open the app Sky Map. 
2. Select time travel from options.
3. Enter date time, hit Go
4. Search for Sun.
5. Verify sun is shown eclipsed.
6. Find out the stars - fortunately the constellation Leo is around the sun at that time. The star Regulas seems to be a perfect candidate. Pick some backup stars just in case. Just a reminder, I don't know what I am doing - this might not work. You need another star, fairly distant from the sun to measure the distance from. Chertan seems to be a good candidate. The website above might have more stars than the app.

[Crap: While writing this blog I realized this - the star will only be visible after certain months. Either you Google what the standard distance is in the star map, or wait for it to appear in night sky]

  

  

  

 

Step 3 Measure at night [Edit: sometime in Feb - May]

1. Get a compass, fix it on a flat base, orthogonal to the surface.
2. Use the spirit level to check the orientation of the surface. Keep a fixed certain distance from your eye and compass. (All of this will affect the distance between the stars)
3. Move the compass so that the two ends are exactly on the stars. 
4. Measure it on the paper.

Step 4 Measure at Eclipse

1. Wait for the eclipse.
2. Get your goggles on. Safety! (I would recommend keeping one eye closed just in case)
3. Repeat step 3.
4. I am not sure if this will work, if it would be dark enough for stars to be visible.

Step 4 Analyze

1. Compare, did it work? It would be awesome if it did.

This relative position of stars with the sun thing has thrown a wrench in my whole idea. I will try to find out if someone else has noted these distance with some certain standard. I am pretty sure they exist, I see in all these star charts - I just have to figure out what to Google.