The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-07-29
The Eclipse.

To-day the sun will be, in eclipse At
Richmond the eclipse begins at 4:45 p. NJ.
and ends at G:15.
The Baltimore american says that if the
sky is cloudIess and the atmosphere clearan
astronomical picture OF great interest not
only to scientists, but also to all curious peo-
ple. NAV be seen. The observation Of the
SUMS disc to US will be somewhat less than
two thirds; consisting of the lower portion
OF the. disc. The eclipse will be total along
q narrow belt Of country extending from
Behring's Straits to the Gulf Of Mexico,
and only partial cast and west OF the Zone.
The line Of totality commences in >, the
Yablonoi mountains, in Siberia; then
crosses Behring's Straits little north Of
east, passes through Alaska short distance
northeast OF Sitka Island, turns southeast
ward through the British possessions and
crosses the northern boundary line OF the
United States in longitude $50 west from
Washington. 1t will pass north Of Salt
Lake City, and q little south Of Denver and
into the Gulf of Mexico between Galveston
and New Orleans. Its course will then be
nearly eastward across the Island OF Cuba
and southern Sapto Domingo, and will end
in the Atlantic. Ocean, beyond Porto Rico,
in north latitude 174o. and longitude 7{o
east from Washington. J. The duration Of
the total phase. in places Within the path of
the moons shadow decreases. from three
minutes nine seconds at 4:50 P. M. to two
minutes tiity-one and aauarter seconds at
5:22 P. NJ, and TO two minutes at 5:57 P.
d., Washington time. 1t will Of course be
understood that the magnitude of the
eclipse will decrease with an increase OF the
distance OF the observer from the path Of
the shadow. At point nine hundred
miles north by east Of the centre OF the
shadow three fourths OF the suns disc will
be obscuredi afst y
In conclusion it may be remarked that
this eclipse, like, all Others, whether solar or
lunar, recurs ut regular intervals. This one
at intervals OF eighteen years and ten or
eleven days.. It always takes place at the
descending node, or,the point where the or
bit of the moon in.ersects that OF the earth.
The eclipses touch the earth at the north
pole as partial eclipses, and at every return
pass across the earth on an! average OF about
one hundred miles further southwark, till
after appearing seyenty-seYen times, requi-
ring 1855 years, they pass off the earth at
the south pole A complete cycle OF eclipses
comprises 1880 years, during 12,492 years
OF which they occur in space-that is to
say, the shadow is not thrown upon the
earth, but falls in interstellar space.
As has been said, we are extremely for
tunate in the circumstances accompanying
the eclipse OF Monday. From the summit
OF the peaks OF the Rocky Mountains, owing
to the excessive purity Of the air, objects q
hundred miles distant can be seen, and as
the total shadow will move only about half
a mile per second, the grand spectacle OF
light and darkness chasing each, other
around the world ought to be witnessed for
at least two minutes before il reaches and
after it passes the observers. The majority
OF our readers already understand that their
best way OF seeing the eelipseis to reach as
elevated a spot as possible and look through
stained or smoked glasses e sThose who can
command telescope ora strong field glass
will, Of course, enjoy all the better advan-
1tages.