New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-02
ASTRONOMY-TH LATE ECLIPSE.

70 he Edito. Of The NJ T. Trftuse.
SIR: have observed the late eclipse of the sun.
July 49, III l0m., m, the first contact Of the moon
Oh tie sun upper limb; the suns altitude 26'. My
place Of observation lat. 40o 42 lon 74o, west Of
Greenwich, or 4h sem. A, bis moment the sun had
paseed the meridian of Green wich six minutes and at
Oh. l0m. the moon left the suns lower limb, the
Guns altitude 48 it being just two hours in passing
over five dgits of tie suns northern limb Tor hemi-
spbere) and at the City Hall, New-York at noon,
took the sun meridian attads, 20 l6. The suns
decnstion north wac 900 5i This being a. ded to the
zenith distance, 1872 4-declinatior, 20o $40 ~.
This is the true latitude Of the City Hall NewYork;
and as facts not fct;oLs, may To- k into this
eclipse little further for other purposes; and first we
have altitude Of the minutes past IL (noon)
ESQ and bare lice 4b. Son. or "a west Longitude
from Greenwich the true distance being 5000 miles,
which furnishes a base AID hypotbenuse fo- correct
calculation Of The suns distance from the earth or at
least approximation to great principle not yet set
tied r relation to the distances Of The heavenly bodls
table of faots these trig ,nometrcal scale;
frst tie suns declinston north 20 81, and ,he
moons 81 Sc north, making the moon about &C. 900
miles north Of the aud moon geoceutrc range 30
that the Of the eclipse Is purely mechanical
rec.ssy for its beipg partial oDe for if the decna
ton Of The moon had been 20 81 north, the sams ss
the run, then the eclipse would have been total from
necessity. The sun altitude taken from the equator
g., ard the zenith distance 20 81 north TINS
gives the sun altitude taken from the equator north
tue 81 Ms distance 54 miles, and the suns altitude on
the north ride Of The WAS q, above-7O' 10, AMI
zenith 100 i4-whch will give base line TO that OBJ
seryaiion Of 1874 miles therefore oeing on both sides
of the suD and bayitg description of the facts scien-
tiRc.lly or rather mechanically described in common
sente way those whose taste opportunity, or
force Of education, has 10 any way prevented thea
from SEEING the beauty of he mechanical laws and order
of the heavenly bodice and their distances, may from
the above, infer the practical causes Of eclpses,
and the true distances Of all the heavenly bodies from
which zenith distance may be obtained from practical
ltiiudet. TIE suns maxim um decnstion north ana
south 10 % q 3O while the moon makes northern
and a southern decination 30 81 more north
erp and southern declinaiion than the sun. II this
WIS no, the case wi b the moon, eclpses would
oc,ur st every full and change III the sua and moon
both made tbe same northern and southern declnaton
The magnetic forces the of the moons excess
of defamation by polar attraction from which may %
inferred both the size and distance OF the moon ana
from the law of angles, it Is impossible 70 use any
heavenly body for practical purposes by altitude saa
zenith that u one million Of miles distance from me
earth.
The simple fact 10 that the earth cannot give sam
dent base line for an altitude that would subteon
600 600 miles OF even . quarter o. million o. mos
~ srs sha tse1 Of practical sosaes " utehAaoA