Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-07-13
THE sun IN ECLIPSE.
The Path of the MoOn-DuTntlOn Of the
ECIiPse-AdVAntnges 60 be claimed
Photographs of the Heavens.
Row Il Wim:bC observed by the AatrOuO-
mpra.

Row tt WiITbc Observed by the AAtrOuO-
mers.
Extensive preparations are being made
to observe the total solar eclipse of July
%, and in a short time several we'll
equipped parties will leave Washington
for the lar west, where the phenomena in
its t~otality is visible. This is tie first
total solar eclipse that has been visible in
this country since that of 1869, which
received the~attpntiOn OF our astronomers,
and was fully observed. The eclipse of
| 1873 may BE- regarded rs a return, or
rather 2 compl ton OF the cycle of the
eclipse OF July Is, 1860 The dark
,adowof the moon will first strike the
earth in Siberia and crossing Behring's
straits, the line of tOtality-which will
cover a space about ll6 miles wide-will
strike the United States at the northwest
corner of Montana Territory, and NOV
ing in a northeast direction will sweep
over the Yellowstone Park, through
| w oming Territory, Denver, Colorado,
northern and eastern Texas, and enter.
ing the Gull 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-
tality remains SO 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
e]ntists, who look upon it as the means
for determining many veXed questions.
First, and perhaps the most important,
as it is OF practical value to the nayiga"
tor, is the corrections that will be OBJ
tanned 10 the present solar and lunar Ia
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 IRON
the Eugjish Nautical Almanac. Impor.
tant observations will also be made re-
speeding the physical constitution OF the
sun. Tne pOlarisCOpe and speclrgscOpe
will be used 10 examine the cOrOna Of
the sun during tOtallty, As the dura-
ton Of t%otaIity will not be more than
three minutes in the north, and two
and a 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 far 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 perturbations Advantage
!" will Therefore be taken of the suns Oh.
scuration by the dark moon to examine
the heavens in the ne~iehborhood 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, il shy there be, to print them,
selves upon the Photographic plate, and
thus to the world the fact OF
their existence and influence upon the
: motion 0! their neighbor-Mercury. II
: any Of our astronomers should be so for.
, tunate as TO discover any such body OF
- bodies, his discovery will be heraIded
! throughout the scientific world, and he
, will be ranked with L9 Verrier, the dis.
Z coyerer OF Neptune, and Hall, the dis
: C0verer of the satellites of Mars.
Through the liberality Of congress,
. in appropriating eight thousand dollar.
: the work Of our scientific men will no
: be crippled by tack OF funds, and thu
: results will, 40 doubt, be attained
A. 5000, oo the money was avail
. able, Admiral Johu Rodgers, superin
tendenJ Of the United States naya
y observatory, began to make preparation
. for as full and exhaustive observation
as the means at his disposal warranted
these preparations are now completed
and the observing parties will soon tax,
, the field, fully instructed as to thei
= duties, and the wOlk carefully mapped
= out and divided up among the diferen
. observers.
q Five parties will be sent out from tn,
Y naval observatory under the command O
the pro esscrs OF mathematical the a v
4 They will be assisted by four officers O
v the line, selected and detailed for thi
r service because OF their recognized ski
i and ability: Commander w. L Samp
son, now head of the departments q
physics and chemistry at the NAYS
k academy; Lieuts. s. w. Very and {
n &. Bowman, instructors in applied matht
q mates and astronomy, at the V
q academy, and Lieut.. E. w. Sturdy, no,
stationed at the national obssryator,
n Two assistant astronomers from tn
n observatory and civilians skillful in tn
IS u,e OF instruments in photography an
:. with the pencil, complete the peisoan
O OF the expedition. The observator
h also extends its aid to three parties VIII
intend TO go out, lead by distingui.he
il astronomers. The following is a con
~ plete list OF the parties sent out from. {
le assisted by the observatory the
i. instructions and their proximat
points of destination Pr7r.
Newcomb, Commander w. 7. Sam
it son, Lieut., G. &. Bowman an
10 John Meier will locate at Clestol
le Wyoming. This party will photograp
il with n of the Photo-heliographs use
h in phOtographing the transit Of Venus i
December, 1874, They will also obsery
Of contacts and look for intra-mercuri,
h planets. The following party will /
al stationed at Pueblo, Colorado Prof. 4
he Hall, Prot, j. A, Rogers, Prot. A. "
v. Wright, Mr.. II. F. Gardner and Mr..
r. B, Wheeler. They will take %bhotograpt
,e of the eclipse, corona, and all around
is that can be gotten on a plate; make y,
10 lsriscopic observations OF the iighs Of II
I'd corona; observe time Of contacts "a
I'd make a search for intra mercuIi
" planets. The next party locates
ts C%teston, Wyoming, and is made up
follows: Prof. William Hardness, Lien
d. W. Sturdy, Assistant Astronomer
NJ. Skinner, Messrs L. L. Walker,
n. G. Clark and Prot. G. Fl. Robinso,
in This party has the same instructions
III Prof, Halls, except that instead ,
er pelariscopic observations they will tai
OF ~spectrOscopic and thermo.electric sbse