Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-27
L ECLIPSE MONDAY.
Interesting Features Regarding the
Event and Objects Of the OBJ
serVatlOns-Sun, Moon
and Mercury.


The eyes Of the scientific world are
just row turning to the eclipse Of the
sun which takes place text Monday at.
ternoon. An eclipse Of the sun, either
total or partial, is a common occurrence,
the event repeating itself usually twice,
and always once, at least, in the course
OF the year. The solar eclipse, however,
is rot so frequently observed as the
eclipse Of the moon, for the reason that
the latter is always visible wherever the
moon ia above the horizon, while the for.
mer, even when partial, is observed only
on a small portion of the sun.ligAted
side of the earth. The total eclipse is
seen within a narrow range. The moons
diameter being about four times smaller
than that Of the earth, and the proper
tioRs of the sun being immense, it fol.
lows that the moons shadow is smaller
at the largest, and that when il reaches
the earth, at a distance varying from
100000 to 25O. 900 miles, it must either
disappear, the con being too short to
span the distance, or at best be reduced
to narrow proportions, which, in fact,
rarely exceed $50 miles.
A TOTAL ECLIPSE A RARE EVENT.
While, therefore, a partial eclipse is
quite common, a total eclipse Of the sun
IS very rare indeed. London did not
see one in about six hundred years pre-.
vious to l725. For three hundred years,
dating from the beginning Of the six.
teenth century, there we're only nine of
these occurrences for the whole earth,
or one in about thirty years. In this
century, however, eight total eclipses
have already occurred, and including
that Of July 29th, and that Of the year
1900, four more are 10 take place before
the century expires. A total eclipse is
also q partial eclipse for a considerable
area on the other side OF the path Of
totality. The penumbra, being Just the
reverse Of the umbra or shadow cone, is
as much broader as would be indicated
by two lines drawn respectively from
both limbs Of the sun across the oppo.
site limbs Of the moon and terminating
on the earth. On the latiitudes north OF
one of these lines the sun is sect over the
moon, while on latitudes south Of the sec.
ond line the sur is seer under the moon,
Between those lines o part Of the sun is
seen over aRd under the moon, the lap
being greater as approach is made to the
central path. As both sun and moon
are moving eastward, aud the moon over.
takes the sun, the beginning Of an eclipse
is to be looked for always on the western
edge OF the sun, the former appearing to
eat into the latter toward the east, dag.
onally up or down, as the moon il in her
ascending or descending node. For the
same reason the moons shadow on the
earth travels from west to east, only that
a geographical line ia thrOWn forward
into the shadow WHICH, but for the earth
rotation, would have been to the west,
ward of the path Of the eclipse.
PATH OF MONDAYS SIGHT,
The eclipse Monday is regarded as
the return OF the eclipse Of July, Is.
1860, which beginning in the neighbor.
hood OF Hudson Bay, crossing the At
lantic and through Spain ended 10
Africa not far from the Red Sea. The
present eclipse begins the path of total.
ity in Siberia, 10 latitude 81 degrees IA
minutes north, advances in a northeast.
erly direction to Behring's Straits, thence
southeasterly across Alaska, British
Columbia, almost touching the seaboard
in latitude 6 degrees, and thence south.
erly through Idaho, Montana, Colorado,
just clipping the corner Of New Mexico,
and on through the Indian Territory
and Texas, passing thence BY Sabine
river over the Gulf Of Mexico, and a
part Of Cuba and San Domingo, and
terminating in longitude I degrees l6
minutes east from Washington, and in
latitude II degrees 81 minutes north.
1t takes in its path Virginia City, Mon.
tana; Central City, uenver, and Color.
ado Springs, aud a batch Of unknown
towns in Southern and Eastern Texas.
AREA OF PARTIAL ECLIFSE.
The area OF partial eclipse embraces,
besides a belt Of Siberia, the whole con.
tinent Of North America. The time Of
duration from the first contact to the
last is 4 hours 81 6 minutOa, or nearly 8
hours. The time fFOa the first moment
of totally 10 the last is 2 hours 4h.a
minutes, or nearly 3 hours. The greatest
duration Of totality at any place will be
in longitude As degrees Is minutes aud
longitude 81 degrees 6 minutes tiust a
little east of Sitka), the total obsourA.
ton lasting 3 minutes 10 4 seconds. The
least duration Of totally will be In lati.
tude 20 degrees IL minutes, Just east Of
the Caribbee Islands, and amounts to |
minute 49 4 seconds. While the eolipse
will not be total in this region, enough Of
the sun will be covered 10 make it q very
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