Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-07-29

In the case before us, the moon has nearly her
maximum diameter, yet even in>this rare Instance
the central track, where the eclipse will be total,
is only about l-iO miles in width.
The moons shadow will first strike the earth at
II minutes past o clock, p NJ. (Yorkville time)
in longitude l440 2O> east of Greenwich, and ati-
tude go so North 1t leaves the earth at /
o'clock ?. NJ. in longitude 9Oo l3/ West latitude
l4' 49, North
The central eclipse first touches in longitude ll70
81 East and latitude 500 AZ North. The same
leaves the earth in longitude Go 90 West and
latitude 80 Is North. The duration ofthe eclipse
general will then be hours 46 minutes, while the
central eclipse will last only 2 hours 80 minutes.
The duration at any particular place will be
much more limited as may be seen by our figures.
1t may not be unntcrcsting to trace out the cen
tral track Upon the earth surface 1t first touches
the Altai Mountains on the Southern boundary Of
Asiatic Russia, thence 1t gees ina Northeast d.
rection and crosses Belring' Strait into Russian
America Thence it changes its direction Southeast
across British America thirst strikes the United
States in the Northwest corner Of Deeetah, goes
dagonally across that territory and Iowa near Des
Moines and Burlington; thence across Illinois
ntoIndiana near Tcrre Haute, then into and across
kentucky near Frankfort and Lexington. 1t enters
North Carolina North of Mount Mitchell; passes
near Lexington, Ashboro' and Summerville, be-
tween Raleigh and Fayetteville and leaves our
coast not far from Cape Lookout. Finally it
passes off the earth about 400 miles Southeast
from said cape A map will show that the cen
tral eclipse thus travels over about G,S00 miles in
two and half hours. In order togive clear
conception of o,r eclipse We append diagram.
local eclipse will be best understood by conceiv-
ing the apparent paths Of the sun and moon as
traced out in the concayity of the heavens. Tie
line Y X (see diagralr3 will then represent the
suns path or the "eelptic" near the moons as
cendipg mode; and the line the moons ap-
parent path Now they are both moving eastward
Qeaving out Of all consideration the apparent
motion westward, caused by the real motion ofthe
earth on its axis) but the moon moves about
thirteen times faster than the sum- thus overtaking
him and passing over his bright disk from, West
to East, but not quite centrally seen from here.
OF course the dark disk of the moon IS not visible
in the glare of the suns light until it is projected
upon the suns disk. To make the matter more
simple, we may consider the sun stationary at S,
and the moon to be moving with the excess Of
motion eastward along the line B E, but slightly
tending Southwark When she reaches B on her
track her dark disk will first come in contact with
the bright disk of the sun, and the eclipse begins
at Yorkville When she reaches NJ, her center
will have approached nearest that of the sun; and
We have then thegratest eclipse. There will then
he but narrow thread of light on the suns South
ern edge-whie the moon will overlap the suns
Northern limb about Ill of his sem. .diameten as
shown by the dotted line in our dagram-ouy q
few miles north of here the eclipse viii be total
for an instant-when the moon reaches f, the
eclipse ends 1
The hours and half hours are marked Oft on the
moons path, so that by taking the semi diameter
of the moon with pair Of dividers, and describing
circles from any desired point; the phase of the
eclipse at that time will be shown.
1t may be noticed that the moons motioris in
creasing also that her path should be represented
as very slightly curved Southwark.
By calculation, and as near as can be shown by
diagram, the eclipse begins at YorkvHe at 50 min
utes and 43 seconds after o'clock p. NJ 1t is at
its maximum at 40 minutes and "a seconds after o.
o'clock, and ends at AZ minutes 20 seconds after 6
o'clock Its duration is -hour-5 minutes 81
seconds. When at its maximum the centres Of
sun and moon will be about Al seconds Of degree
apart and the thread of light on the Southernl
edge will be only about seconds in width. |
TO obtain correct idea of the position, holdl
the diagram so that the line S shall be perpen-
dicular to the horizon, the point z toYards the
zenith and N towards the North pole. 1t will
then be seen where the first contact may be ex-
pccted As the eclipse happens so late in ne day,
hn IL b1o Syo1H ha
otherwise In fact, these solar cclipsos, which
occur near the meridian, are always the most
striking, other things being equal. Ofcourse, when
the eclipse is greatest 1t will be noon somewhere.
This cGe viii be central at noon in longitude l450
s. West and latitude 6l0 A. North. Hence the
spot upon our earth most favored by the coming
eclipse is little West of Mount St. Eliasin Rug
sian America. state this for the information of
such of your enthusiastic readers as may wish to
observe it from that cool and elevated region MOI
time, however, is to be lost in setingout, even with
the advantages of the Pacific Rail Road. =
But if not wishing to 60 so far, there arc other
very favorable points of observation in our North
western States and territories. | notice in the
journals, that parties arc making preparations to
start for Burlington, Iowa they being, among
other things, we'll provided with superior instru-
ments for taking Photographic impressions of the
eclipse.
Those of US who are compelled to remaia at
home in the heat of the dog days, may grin and
bear and ''see what is to be SEEM" We may,
through smoked glasses, behold the gradual OBJ
scuraton of the sun by the moon, provided the1
clouds do not spoil our fun by obscuring both. [
At any rate let not worse evil befal any of us;
in allowing vision to be impaired by too fire.
quently looking through the bottom of drinking
glasses
ADMINISTRATRIX' NOTICE.
4 LII persons having claims against the estate
N of MATTHEW WHITE, deceased, are here