Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-10-19
! For ths Yorkyllle Enquirer.
THE ECLIPSE.

- For the Yorkyille Enquirer. 's+<z
THE EcLIPsE. -
Our almanacs remind us that this will be
aremarkable day; and I suppose everybody
will be more or lessinterested in the: celes-
tisl phenomenon to- be witnessed-name.
", an extraordinary eclipse Of the SUM
Perhaps even our defeated candidates will
not be uninterested spectators for they
may well gccndola themselves for their
eOlipsea popularity in contemplating the
great king Of, day obscured for while BY
a lesser light, only to re.appear in greater
splendor. a& sztsa- i54;st
sWhasa variety of emotions willbe awak-
enedin the hearts Of all the human beings
who may witness the eclipse! The astrono-
mer and mathematician, however, will be
most intensely interested, Every obserya.
tory within the track of the eclipse, will
be occupied by intent gazers, who, with
their instruments will take note of its diff
ferent phases, and enjoy their occupation
more than child does q new-bought
toy. The mere man Of business will
complain because the attention is diverted
from money making. Perhaps some. photo
graphers will only notice the interruption
of their work while the ignorant will be
affected more or less by superatitious fears:
Yea, it is even probable that somewhere,
human life may be sacrificed by savage
heathenism- to propitiate some imaginary
angry deity. How many in this enlight-
ened land will have their thoughts directed
to. Him who has put this vast machinery. in
motion, whose providence preserves it, and
who las given man the faculty to discover
the laws which control it, to calculate with
precision the times, seasons and various
phenomena of the heavenly bodies; as well
as to contemplate the probable object and
end of this material universe. ests ssra3 ~
Withous occupying space with facts
wh1ch every, one can learn from the almanac,
it may interest many readerssto add few
particulars in explanation, which are usually
not given. The sun apparently traverses
the whole circuit of the heavens once year
from West to East The moon also ira.
verses.tbe heavensin the same direction once
inaabons 29, days. We're these, two circles
marked out on@the sky, they would be seen
to cross eachother at opposite points, and
be inclined about i've degrees. The moons
motion, however, is subject to many irregu-
larities; ndthsse crossing points or "soaes''
are continually shifting towards the West
SO that after about Is years, the moon
CROSSES nearly in the same place and eolipses
recur nearly in the same order during such
intervals. It is evident that an eclipse can
only take place ct or very near the node, as
collision between two trains on different
roads can only happen at the crossing OF
the same. If the sun and moon are both
at the same node, We have solar eclipse ;
but if they are at opposite nodes, the moon
then falling into the earths shadow,:is is her
self collapsed. sa,s ,ls .isss
~ Now it rarely happens, 5as it will to-day,
that the sun and moen meet exactly at the
crossing points; when they do, the eclipse
will be either total or annular-total when
the apparent disk of the moon equals or
exceeds that of the sun-annular when it
is less, as in the present instance. If at
this time the moon were in perigee instead
of apogee, we should have total and still
more remarkable eclipse; The moons
shadow (Which causes the eclipse) being
the section Of a cone near its apex, lis COM
paratively small, hence great, eclipses are
very rare at any particular place, and there.
fofe, deserve the more attention. Yorkyille
being near the northern boundary fthe
annular track, we shall see the dark disk Of
the moon coming in contact with the bright
disk of the sun on its western edge, pass
nearly centrally over it and emerge on the
eastern edge.
So smoke your glasses and have them
ready. To my readers of the sterner sex
I would say, by no means look through. or
into any other kind Of: glass, for it will as.
suredly dim your vision while 9 word
of advice to my fair readers may not be
amias. You, eyes however flashing and
overpowering on otheroccasions, may, unless
properly shielded, come off losers in q com.
bat with the bright luminary of day.
WHO WILL BE ADMITTED. The editor
Of the Richmond Bulletin has lately visited
Washington City, and tells his readers what
he learned there, as follows - -.
? T have learned enough since INV arrival