Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-12-10
Historic sun Dar<enings.

In $50, 567 and GIG we find mention OF
long periods of diminished sunlight. Schnur-
rcr records that in 733, a year after the
Saracens had been driven back beyond the
Pyrenees, consequent on their defeat at
Tours, ''the sun darkened in an alarming
manner on August 10. There appeared to
be no eclipse by the moon, but rather an
interruption from some meteoric substance. y
There was an eclipse of the sun, annular
but nearly total, on the morning of August
II; il is mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle
which tell us that the suns disk was like
a black shield" The near coincidence of
date suggests, in this case, connection be-
tween the darkness and the eclipse. In
93i, according 10 Portuguese historian,
the sun lost its ordinary light for several
months; and this is followed by the doubt
Il 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 Sept.
29-nOt 2l, as given in some of the trans
latiOns of Hnmboldt's '-Cosmos'-Schnur-
rer relates that there was darkening of
the sun which lasted three hours, after
which it had peculiar color, which occa-
81 5ned great alarm. 4 century later, or in
June, 1871, according TO Schnurrer, the
sun was again darkened, with attendant
effects upon nature. Here the cause Is
easily found. On June % there was a to-
tai eclipse, in which the moons shadow
traversed the continent of Europe from
Holland to the Crimea The eclipse was
total in the country between the coasts of
Cumberland and Yorkshire. Firman refers
Il a sun-darkening on Feb. u, 1l06, which
was accompanied by meteOrs; and we read
in the cometographles that on the 4th-or,
according to others, on the 5th-of February
in this year, a star was seen from the third
TO the ninth hour of the day which was
distant from the sun ''only a foot and a
half" Matthew Paris aud Matthew of
Westminster term this star comet, and
W may take it to have been the same
which later in the same month was observed
in China under the sign of Pisces, and
which at one time was supposed to be iden
teal with the great comet OF 1860; this
body, however, would not appear to have
been sufficiently near the earth; as, even
on the assumption of a denser constitution
than usual with comets, to account for
dminution of the solar rays by its interven-
tiJn. On the last day of February, 1906,
according to a Spanish writer, there was
d complete darkness for six hours In 124l,
Five months after the Mongor battle of
LeignitZ,' the sun was SO obscured and the I
darkness became so great that stars were
seen at the ninth hour about Michaelmas.
In this case, again, The darkness referredto 10 l
was undoubtedly due to the total eclipse Of /.
October 3, of which Prof. Schisrparelh has .
collected full account from Italian writers. 4
Later, in 1917, from April % to %, kep- .
! II relates, on the authority of Gemma, /
''the sun appeared as though suffused with
blood, and many stars were visible at noon I
day" Schnurrer thought this phenome- ,
non was what the Germans call ''hOben- |
rauch, notwithstanding the visibility Of .
stars From the above brief summary Of .
what have been considered sun darkenings, /,
we see that in several cases the diminution
of light has been due to theoTdinary effects |
Of total eclipse, while II is clear that there
are no grounds in the historical evidence
Tor any prediction of period of darkness.
The nervous in these matters, and it would
really appear that such exist, MAY take
consolation therefrOm.