The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-09-12
HISTORICAL sUN DARKENINGS.

}. *. lind, writing to Nature, a lead
ing English publication, says:
In $50, 567 aud 626 we find mention of long
periods of diminished sunlight SchnurreT
records that in 133, year after the Saracens
had been driven back beyond the Pvrenees
consequent on their defeat at Tours ''the
sun darkeued in an alarming manner on
Aug. u; there appeared to be no eclipse hy
the moon, but rather interruption from
meteoric substance" There was an ecIipse
OF the sun, annular, but nearly total, on the
morning OF Aug. IA it is mentioned in the
Saxon Chronicle, which tells US ''the sun
disk was like black shield" The near
coincidence OF dates suggests in this case n
connection between the darkness and the
eclipse. In 934, according to a Portuguese
historian, the sun lost it's ordinary light for
several months, and this is followed hv the
doubtful statement that an opening in the
sky seemed to take place, with many flashes
OF lightning, and the full blaze of sunshine
was suddenly restored. In 1921. on Septeu-
ber %, not 81 as given in some of the trans
latiOns of Hum boldt's Cosmos" Schnur-
rer relates that there was a darkening of the
sun which lasted three hours after which it
had a peculiar color, which occasioned great
alarm. In another place we read "Fuit
eclipse Soils H. hdl. Oct0b tere tres horqs :.
Sol circd Dleridtefa dire Tligresce5dt; - there
was no visible eclipse at this time, and the
November eclipse was central only in the
southern parts Of I've earth. a century lat
+.
the sun was again darkeued, with certain at
tendant effects upon nature. Here the cause
Is easily found on June % there was n to-
tai eclipse, in which the moons shadow ira
versed the continent of Europe from Hol-
land to the Crimea the eclipse was total in
this country between the coasts of Cumber-
land and Yorkshire Erman refers to a
suu-oarkenIng on Feb. u, IlO6, which was
accompanied by meteOrs, and we read in the
cOmetOgTaphleS that on the 4th or according
to Others on the 9Th of February in this
year, star was seen from the third TO the
ninth hour Of the day, which was distant
from the sun ''only a foot aud a half" Mat
thew Paris and Matthew of Westminster
term this star comet and we take il to
have been the same which, later in the same
month, WAS observed in China under the
sign Pisces, and which, at one time. was
supposed TO have been Identical with the
/ great comet Of 1850 ; this body, however.
would not appear to have been suficientIy =
near the earth as, even on the assurnDtjou 6f
/ a denser constitution than usual with comets
10 account for diminution of the solar RAJ
by its intervention. On the last dav of Feb
ruary, 1906, according to a Spanish writer
there was complete darkness for six hours
In l24l, five months after the Monrol hat.
tie of Leiguitz," F" the sun was obscured and
the darkness became so great that the stars
were seen at the ninth hour about Michael
mas. In this case, again, the darkness re fer.
red TO was undoubtedly due TO the total
eclipse on Oct. 6, of which Prof SchiaparelU
has collected a full account from the Italian
writers. Lastly, in 1547, from April 1925
hepler relates on the authority of Gemma.
the sun appeared as though suffused with
blood, and many stars were visible at noon
day. Schnurrer thought this phenomenon
was what the Germans call a ''Hohenrauch.
Notwithstanding the visibility OF the stars
From the above brief summary of what have
been considered abnormal sun darkenings
we see tina: in several cases the diminution
or the light has been due TO :he ordinary eff.
fects of total eclipse, while it is clear that
there are no grounds in the historical evi-
dence for any prediction of period of dark
ness. The nervous in these matters, and il
would really appear that such exist, may
take consolation therefrom