Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-08-06
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.
IT'S XrENr-wHERE TOTAL HOW
OBSERVED WHAT is TO BE SEEN
RESULTS HOPED FOR -INS rRU-
MENTS TO BE USED.
[From the New York rribuns.I


IFrom the New York Tribune.1
The unu ual event Of total eclipse Of
the Sun Will be witnessed on the seventh of |,
August, q week from Tomorrow, by por- /
tion of the people Of the United States
The phenomenon Is indeed common en-.
| ough, if it is simply to occur 80 nowhere on
the earth. But that II is very rare when
confined TO particular place or country |
| may be illustrated hy the follOwing facts.
The cel.3rsi Astronomer, II ,ley, com
pnted 10 lTl5 that mp to that date no total
eclipse Of the Sun had occurred at London
| for period Of CTS years. Aud since that
date none has occurred at that place. At
| Paris, during the Eighteenth Century, hut |
une total eclipse OF the Sun was seen, that |
of l7A; and during tho Nineteenth Contu-
| ry none has been, or will he, seen.
! We are told by astronomers Of Washing |
1 ton that ''no total eclipse Of the SUI has |
been visible in any considerable portion of |
| this country siuce 1884, and none will he |
Visible after this year during the present |
century" Thus II sppears that more per |
sons living in the United States have bad |
vie@ Of Niagara Falls, or Of the Nam |
moth Gave nf Kentucky, or Of the Nttur- |
al Bridge Of Virginia, than have ever wit |
messed the grand astronomical phenomenon |
OF total eclipse Of the sun Aud by far
The great majority Of the peorle in the
United States, or even of the city Of New.
| York, will be unable to witness the great
total e,ciH; of this year, for in New York
and most parts Of the country, the eclipse
Is only partial, though unusually large. In
this city and it's vicinity about five sixihs
Of the SUMS disk will be obscured. Those,
therefore, who hope to witness the total
phase, musi do as the astronomers have
learned to do. 'rH.
Instead Of waiting patiently ct their OBJ
| servatories for the eclipse to approach
them, which we have seen 1t will take
some centuries to do, the astronomers have
acquired the habit of taking their observs-
tories to the line OF the total eclipse Tho
total eclipse OF this year is visible along
track about li0 miles wide, aud more than
: 600 miles log. When this track is laid
down On a map, throughout its whole ex-
tent, IL looks like q narrow ribbon, stretch.
ing across North America and portion Of
Asia. IL begins in Siberia, where it takes
, north easterly course, till IL crosses q
little south Of Behring's Straits, after which
IL turns its course sou h easterls, travers-
ing portions OF nur new territory of AL asks,
! hence into British America, and through
i Montana, DAKOTA, Nebraska, Iowa, Missou-
: ri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee,
, | and North Carolina. IL ends In the AT
lsntic Oc,a off the coast of the last men.
liOned SIste. All places situated on the
central line OF this track will have the sun
/, totally obscnred for period varying from
7m. ass. to 3m. AZ g., accord ng 10 g-ogrsp sph-
!. ical position. Places situated on the bor-
a ders OF the track, or aholt ~ miles on
> either side of the central line, VIII have
!, tue sun Just covered completely Tor an
!. instant; AID the duration OF the Total
= phase will be greater the nearer the
" ulace il to the central line. Outside of the
. track OF total phase, on the northern side,
A only partial eclipse OF the suns southern
a limb, and on the south SIDE OF the track q
r. partial eclipse OF the northern limb WIZ be
n seen. but 'ne nnratinn ano magnitnoe oi
n tue partial eci'pse VIII De greater 10 pr"por-
"a tion as the place oil observation 70 nearer
"a 'ns ouruers VI tne uscS VI 1''ai Pus'o.
A r"rhsps some curious reaae', "uo ne'
a MT looked very ci"se1 INTO DIS Heause ou
NJ es''opony, OF "no "sy nave '"ne snee
,s forgotten all aD 'ut ", may wisn 70 kho"
NJ "nal Is the cause OF 'ne to'ai pneno'nenou
being restricted 10 the comparauVe'y ma,
q, ro" track "n'en we nave a1scr'o%eu' % AZ
10 low US To r-lres1 ms memory Inc ray'
IL M light mog nom the extreme borders
Ia OF the sun'S spherical BODY, IN nsirNght lines
"a Shu ""nouS pVe'ion-!y Crossing, 10 th'
., outer borders OF the moou's much smaEe
a clone, form cone with its veFtex pointe'
Il ' ~
OF sn eclipse IKE that waieh WI be Wit
80 MS In August. Or course, the opaqn
4. body OF the mon eats out al the gh
h f'om TINS cone between her own sphere ant
,h the Vertex' In the approaching echps
=" this cone reaenrs 10 the neare't surface Q
4. the earth; and, II II were material soil
nm body, It would pierce down toward IN
= esrth's center SO Tar that the section
- !, the cone by tue esrth's surface forms near
Iy ei N nal tl.AQt N
~ All persons aud places within the limits
= this circular section OF the moons comics
slstow are OF course Involved In the black
- ness OF n'gdt. The brighter stars an
a planets near the region OF the sun an
Z, NON appear; the birds aud oeas's,
g. eat terror at the unusual AMI sudden al
n prosch OF darkness, seek the nearest place
1ir of shelter a1d repose. But tins circula
., shadow, f l4O miles In diameter, does ne
n, remain long on the sans part q the esrtn
,,s surface. For the moon ID hying sronn
rv the esrth IN her orbit from ives. 10 S@
lee with me velocity, on the ''h OF aueu't,
or about AZ mhes per minute ana Tue suano
in passes r the EARNS curved suI'tce p" y
,Iv the increased velocity OF about "a m u
"a per minuie' OF nearly th ee' quarters Vi
an mile every second o. time'
ad Hence the whoie circular shado"fot OF
I'm, hundred ana iorty miles diAme'eri s"eeI
10 over the EARN, 10 general ulrecnon iro
10 tho west TOWARD The east' forming oeit
INV It's own ~idih, more lhSh siS tnoostno mNl
a.s long, 10 ine snpr. uHe Oh Ao'ut Two nou
q ,a a.. ,sos s,d ,s.inn 80
,rn w., ~. o 80 pPp,.I aoii,,sp ',S ,hs snn
ar, 80, p ,hs r,sh ~ ,hs hlsn,' VIM or nie
ew soraa,h;ns n.cnIisriy ,r,rr..,,va
er rs raas Isb To, ,ai sci;Dse az ,ha snn w
yer ',si,.l., IN 49,. s,nth Of Franca which :,
n"a.caS ~. ,ba cai.hr,,ad 49, snd
nb- "h,ch he S'vs.the ,ollowine in,sTss,ing n
are cannt. - P..rnignan only ihs sirk rsmai
ith "a ,nAoots, From early dawn the peor
10 c,vered m. ,erra,seS. the cjty ramparts.
the ,hs rno,,s and yant,g, points from viii
pli- ,hev co,Id hone 10 see the sun rise. Att
nth cj,.dsI ,Ta had nader our ewes. beside, 1
nst numerous grnups Of cuizens, The solli,