Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-12-04
Historical Sun DarkenIngs.

Historical Sun DarkeniDgso
In $50, 567 and 626 we find mention
of long periods of diminished sunlight.
Schnurrer records that in 1888, year
after the Saracens had been driven back
beyond the Pyrenees, consequent on
their defeat at Tours, 1.-the sun dark
ened in an alarming manner on Aug.
10; there appeared to be no eclipse by
the moon, but rather an interruption
from some meteoric substance" There
was an eclipse of the sun, annular, but
nearly total, on the morning of Aug. IA;
it is mentioned in the SGGOfa Chronicle,
which tells us that "'the SUMS disc was
like black shield" The near coinci-
dence of date suggests, in this case, a
connection between darkness and the
eclipse. In 934, according to a Portu-
guese historian, the sun lost its ordina-
~ light for several months; and this
is followed by the doubtful statement
that an opening in the sky seemed to
take place, with many flashes of light
ming, and the full blaze of sunshine
was suddenly restored. In 1891, on
Sept. 29-nOt 2l, as given in some of
the translations of Humboldt's "Cos-
mos" -Schnurrer relates that there was
a darkening of the sun which lasted
three hours, after which it had pecu-
liar color, which occasiOned great
alarm. A century later Cor in June,
1871, according to Schnurrer) the sun
was again darkened, with certain at
tendant effects upon nature. Here the
cause is easily found. On June 23
there was a total eclipse, in which the
moons shadow traversed the continent
of Europe from Holland to the Crimea.
The eclipse was total in this country
between the coasts of Cumberland and
Yorkshire.
Erman refers to sun darkening on
February IL, 1106, which was accom-
panied by meteors, and we read in the
cometographics that on the 4th-or, ac-
cording to others, on the 5th-Of Feb
ruary, in this year, star was seen
from the third to the ninth hour of the
day, which was distant from the sun
" only foot and a half" Matthew
Paris and Matthew, of Westminster,
term this star comet, and we may
take it 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 be
identical with the great comet of 1880;
this body, however, would not appear
to have been sufficiently near the earth,
and even on the assumption Of denser
constitution than usual with comets,
to account for diminution of the solar
rays by its intervention. On the last
day of February, 1906, according to a
Spanish writer, there was complete
darkness for six hours. In 1241, five |
months after the Mongol battle of Leig- !
nitz,'.' the sun was so obscured that the
darkness became so great that the stars
were seen at the ninth hour about Mich |
aelmas. In this case, again, the dark
ness referred to was undoubtedly due
to the total eclipse of October 6, of
which Prof. Schiaparelli has collected |
a full account from the Italian writer's.
Lastly, in 1874, from April 1926, KEEP
Ter relates, on the authority of Gemma,
" the sun appeared as though sufused
with blood, and many stars were visi-
BILE at nOon-day." Schnurrer thought
this phenomenon was what the Ger
mans call "Hobernauch," notwith-
standing the visibility Of the stars.
From the above brief summary of what
have been considered sun darkenings,
we see that in several cases the dimi-
mutton of light has been due to the or
binary effects of total eclipse, while
it is clear that there are no grounds in
the historical evidence for any predic-
tion of a period of darkness. The nerv-
Gus in these matters, and it would
really appear that such exist, may take
consolation therefrom. Mature.