St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-08-02
The Eclipse.
PARTIAL FAILURE EAST, BUT A GREAT
SUCCESS OUT WEST.

the eclipse in most of New England,
but observers along the line of totality
in the West and South were favored
with clear sky.
1t was cloudy at many points in New
England and also at New York and
Philadelphia, while it rained at Wash
ington. Extensive preparations were
made at the Cincinnati observatory to
take observations, but few minutes
before the time of contact clouds came
up from the west and completely OBJ
structed the view. The eclipse was
visible at Chicago, Milwaukee and st.
Louis.
THE SHOW IN COLORADO.
The sky at Denver, Col, was entirely
clear till p. M, when a few masses of
cumulous clouds showed themselves
over the mountains toward the north
and westward. With these exceptions
the sky was perfect, and the atmespher-
&c conditions of the most favorable
character for the successful observation
OF the eclipse. The housetops were
thronged with people, the higher build
lngs being especially in demand, as
from them the approach of the dark
shadow of totality could be seen. as it
swept onward over the plain. The
time of the first contact was 800 d. M.
Devon time, and 10 minutes later the
presence of the moon at the large edge
OF the suns disc was plainly perceptible
TO ordinary observers with smoked
glass. BY B o'clock the sunlight had
moderated in marked degree, showing
pale yellow color. Later on lurid
glare Overspread the earth. The heat
OF the sun was no longer oppressive, a
light similar to twilight was shown in
the horizon, and the light fiecks of
clouds began slowly to dissolve, owing
to the change in the temperature. AS
the period of totality came on, the sight
from an elevated station was grand.
An extreme dark shadow fell on Longs
peak, IS miles distant, and, sweeping
rapidly sOutheastward, covered the plain
like gray pail. To the northeastward
the clouds could be seen bathed in sun
ilght, and presenting the view of a
beautiful sunset. During the period of
observation the moon appeared like a
huge black ball, surrounded by bean
tiful circle of light, and as the sunlight
suddenly burst forth again, chickens
crowed as though morning had dawued.
Gen. Myer telegraphs from Pixies
Peak: "Observations successful. Cor
ona traced several diameters from the
sun, and seen five minutes after total
lty." The observation was taken at all
points at 4:35 p. M, Washington time.
WHAT ASTRONOMERS FOUND OUT.
The observation was perfect success
in Wyoming, where totality lasted two
minutes and fifty seconds. Prof. Wat
son of Ann ArbOr discovered an iptra-
Mercurial planet of the size of a four
and half magnitude star, about two
and half degrees southwest of the SIM.
Norman LOckyer says of this eclipse
that the corona was ten times brighter
than from the one in 1871. showing a
great variation of the brightness of the
corona between the maximum and min
lmum period of sun-spots. He obtain
ed faint photograph of the continuous
spectrum of the sun, and saw no trace
OF lines OF rings, through Mr.. Ruther-
ford's grating. The structure of the
corona was well observed by him, but
no trace of an exterior ring was seen.
and the corona vanished instantly, while
in III it remained visible several min
utes after tOtality. Only one faint pro-
tuberance was observed by Mr.. Lock
yer. He is greatly surprised at the diff
terence OF eeiipses occurring in differ
ent sun-spot periods, and at the init
mate relation of the brightness of the
corona to the sun-spots.
Prof. Young reports at Denver that
he discovered no ultra red or ultra vio-
let lines, but at the moment of totality