The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-07-11
THE sun IN ECLIPSE.
How 1t wnI:be Observed by the AstrouO-

W oosSEN0 Gn0 COLal sOl4r Scllpse OF July
%, and in a short time several we'll
equipped parties will leave Washington
for the far west, where the phenomena in
its totality is visible. This is the first
total solar eclipse that has been visible in
this country since that of 1869, which
received theattention of our astronomers.
and was fully observed. The eclipse of
1873 may be regarded as a return, or
rather completion of the cycle of the
eclipse of July Is, 1860. The dark
shadow of the moon will first strike the
earth in Siberia and crossing Behring's
Straits, the line of totality-Whieh will
cover a space about 116 miles wide-wilI
strike the United States at the northwest
corner of Montana Territory, and NOV
ing in northeast direction will sweep
over the Yellowstone Park, through
Wyoming Territory, Denver, Colorado.
northern and eastern Texas, and enter
ing the Gulf of Mexico, between New
Orleans and Galveston, will cross the
islands of Cuba and San Domingo, and
then leave the earth. As the line of to-
taity remains 50 long in this country
there will be abundant time to observe
all the many curious and important phe-
nomena connected with it. Much in.
terest is attached to the eclipse by sci
entists. who look upon it as the means
for determining many vexed questions.
First, and perhaps the most important,
as 1T is Of practical value to the naviga..
tor, Is the corrections that will be OBJ
tanned to the present solar and lunar ta-
bles. Notwithstanding the remarkable
accuracy already obtained, it is to be OBJ
served that the location of the central
line of the eclipse, as calculated by the
American Nautical Almanac, differs by
about four miles from that derived from
the English Nautical Almanac. Impor-
tsnt observations will also be made re-
speeding the physical constitution of the
sun. The polariscope and spectroseepe
will be used to examine the corona Of
the sun during totality. As the dura-
ton Of totality will not be more than
three minutes in the north, and two
and half in Texas, all the
observers will be required to
work very rapidly in order to OBJ
tain the required observations. As the
observations of the transit of Mercury
last May, as Tar as they have been worked
up. demonstrate the TACT that the tables
OF that planet were incorrect. as LIE Yer
rier had said, there is some reason to
suppose that LIE Verrier might also be
correct in his supposition of an intra
mercurial planet, which he, not having
seen, called Vulcan, to account for the
undoubted peTturbations. Advantage
will therefore be taken of the SUMS OBJ
scuration by the dark moon to examine
the heavens in the neie hborhood of the
sun for one or more small bodies that
shall be added to our solar universe.
Besides this careful telescope scrutiny,
large photographs will be taken of the
heavens, in order to allow the small
planets, if any there be, to print them
selves upon the Photographic plate, and
thus announce to the world the fact OF
their existence and influence upon the
motion OF their eighbor-MeTcury. If
any OF our astronomers should be so for
tunate as to discover any such body or
bodies, his discovery will be heTaided
throughout the scientific world, and he
will be ranked with LIE Verrier, the dis
coverer OF Neptune, and Hall, the dis.
coverer of the satellites of Mars.
Through the libeTality of congress
in appropriating eight thousand dollars
Ior the purpose of observing this eclipse,
the work of our scientific men will not
be crippled by lack of funds, and the
results will, no doubt, be attained.
As soen as the money was avail
able, Admiral John Rodgers, superin-
observatory, began to make preparations
for as full and exhaustive observations
as the means at his disposal warranted.
These preparations are now completed,
and the observing parties viii soon take
! the field, fully instructed as to their
duties, and the work carefully mapped
out and divided up among the different
observers.
Five parties will be sent out from the
naval observatory under the command of
| the professors of mathematics in the navy.
They will be assisted by four officers of
the line, selected and detailed for this
service because of their recognized skill
and ability: Commander w. L. Samp-
son, now head of the departments Of
physics and chemistry at the naval
academy; Lieuts. s. w. Very and c..
G. Bowman, instructors in applied mathe-
matics and astronomy, at the naval
academy, and Lieut.. E. w. Sturdy, now
stationed at the national observatory.
Two assistant astronomers from the
observatory and civilians skillful in the
use of instruments in photography and
with the pencil, complete the personnel
of the expedition. The observatory
/ also extends its aid to three parties who
intend to go out, lead by distinguished
astronomers. The following is a COM
plete list OF the parties sent out from, or
assisted by the observatory their
Instructions and their proximate
points of destination Prof. s..
Newcomb, Commander w. T. Samp-
sen, Lieut.. @. G. Bowman and
John Meier will locate at Creston.
Wyoming. This party will photograph
with one of the photo-heliographs used
/ nh r0f
December, 1874. They will also observe
contacts and look for intra-mercurial
planets. The following party will be
stationed at Pueblo, Colorado: Prof. A.
Hall, Prof. J. A. Rogers, Prot. A. w.
! Wright, Mr.. II. z. Gardner and Mr.. A,
B. Wheeler. They will take photographs
of the eclipse, corona, and all around it
that can be gotten on plate; make po-
lariscopic observations of the lighs of the
corona; observe time of contacts and
make a search for intra mercurial
planets. The next party locates at
Creston, Wyoming, and is made up as
follows: Prof. William Hardness, Lieut..
E. w. Sturdy, Assistant Astronomer A.
| M. Skinner, Messrs L. E. Walker, A.
G. CLARK land Prof. G. b. Robinson.
! This party has the same instructions as
Prof. halls, except that instead of
| pSlatlscoplc observations they will take
spectroscopic and thermo-electric ebser-
vatioDs. At Pueblo, Col, there will
also be stationed Prof. J. r. Eastman
ProfLewis Ross, Assistant Astronomer ri
NJ. Paul and Mr.. II. S. Pritchett. This
party will take polariscopic observations
observe contacts, search for planets and
make drawings of the corona. The
following party will be at Central Citv,
Col: Prof. E. S. Holden, Lieut.. T. w
Very and DR.. @. S. Hastings. They will
go into the mountains northwest of
Denver, search for planets and investi-
gate structure of corona