The New York herald., 1869-01-28
THE LUNAR ECLIPSE.
Tho Phenomenon Only Partially Observable
A Cloudy Night.

The Phenomenon Only Partially Observable
A Cloudy Night.
In the rude barbaric ages any unusual phenome.
non showing itself In the movements OF the heavenly
bodies-an eclipse OF the sun or moon, or
comet with Its brilliant trai of nre shooting
athwart the sky-used to frighten people nearly
out Of their senses and incite to un.
wonted genunections. Astronomical science has
shown how simple and In accordance with natural
laws and harmless these olden mysteries and the
result Is there is none Of the fright or praying there
used to be. Students Of the starry world protrcct-
Ing their vigis through the night. have deived the
mighty mysteries
OF this most Intricate universe;
have solved the laws OF motion governing the heav-
eny bodies, have marked out their orbits and AZ u
endowediwth the power of prophecy, but which Is no
more than following out the order OF nature's laws
have traced their pathway In the future. Hence
the precise year and day and hour and min
ute and even sccond-so wonderfully perfect Is
astronomical science-0f an eclipse be foretold
for centuries to come. And too the exact courses
OF comets, seemingly erratc In their wanderlngs.
AZ shown by what we have written above, the
eclipse OF the moon last night was regular People
went TO balls and theatres and the opera bou6e and
churches and lecturcs-anywhere fancy took them
just as though the earths great shadow had not In
the slightest obscurcd the sugent light OF the full
moon.
Twas nox most opportuna for anything else,
however, but TO view the eclipse. Those who read
tne HERALD, or, In other words, everybody, OF
course, knew there was 60 10 an eclipse: Dut the
scienuhcally curious comprised mainly those taking
special pains to look at IL. Occasional lovers walking
out IN tue moonlight as lovers wi In their appeals
70 tne moon 70 witness the fidelity OF their love saw
" cnance and even these had TO look pretty sharp
, was, la iact very poor night for observing the
ecnpse. was . hazy evening; hitting clouds
snrouded the heavens, and the cartns Satellite proud
queen OF the night hid her silvery sheen behind an
lmpenetrable val OF mist. At thirty-two minuses
past seven the beginning OF the eclipse the moon
ana the earthb creeping shadow were distinctly yisi-
Die. Az the same instant the planet Maru waa Visible
about twenty-five degrees east or the moon. tho
only star visible In all the heavens
during all the time that the eclipse lasted two
hours ana twenty minutes) the moon was more or
less ovcrshadowed with Clouds twice being wholly
invisible Stl most Of this time the ecljpse could ia
seen with the naked eye, tho difference between the
full moon aud half Of II obscured being too marked
not 70 be percepiible. Those looking throurf
telescopes, OF course, had a better view thonrh
one far from satisfactory, except at ihe yery
beginning when both the outline or the asivaDeinsr
shadow and the dark spots on the moons snrs
face were plainly Visible. According To the asfro-
n0mical programme the eclipse began nj thirty.two
minutes past seven, the moon then being m ths
sign Of Cancer, being FIRST visible on the north.
ern line and the shadow gradually enIarpln9 L.
self until ass Of the moon's diameter or ncarv one
half OF It, surface, was obscured Il reaohed il
maximum at thirty-two minutes past eIght ana dis-
appeared % nfty-two minutes past nine.