The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-11-13
HlSTORICAL SUN DARKENlNGS.
Diminished Light of the Sun Not
Caused by Eclipses.
]. B, Hind in &" Nature %

| j. b, Hind in 8. Nature.''
In 536, 567 and 626 we find mention
of long periods of diminished sHn-
light. Schnurrer records that in 1873,
year after the Saracens had been
driven back beyond the Pyrenees, con-
sequent on their defeat at Tours, the
sun darkened in an alarming manner
on Aug. 10; there appeared to be no
eclipse by the moon, but rather an in.
terruption from some meteoric sub
stance There was an eclipse of the
sun, annular, but nearly total, on the
morning of Aug. IA; it is mentioned
in the Saxon Chronicle, which tells US
that the suns disc was like a black
shield The near coincidence of date
suggests, in this case, a connection be-
tween the darkness and the eclipse.
In 934, according to Portuguese his
torian, the sun lost its ordinary light
for several months and this is follow
ed by 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 1901, on Sept.
29-not 81, as given in some of the
translations of Humboldt's Cosmos
relates that there was q
darkening of the sun which lasted
three hours, after which it had a pecH-
liar color, which occasioned great
alarm. A century later, (or in June,
1191. according to Schnurrer) the sun
was again darkened, with certain at
tendant effects upon nature. Here the
cause is easily found: On June %
there was total eclipse, in which the
moons shadow trayersed the conti-
nent of Europe from Holland to the
Crimea. The eclipse was total in the
country between the coasts of Cum.
berland and Yorkshire.
Erman refers to sun darkenings on
Feb. IL, 1l06, which was accompanied
by meteors, and we read in the come
Biographies that on the e4th-according
to others, on the 5th-of February, in
this year, star was seen from the 3rd
to the 9th hour of the day, which was
distant from the sun, 'only foot and
q half Matthew Pasis 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 sup
posed to be identical with the great
comet of 1880; this body would not
appear to have been sufficiently near
the earth, as, even on the assumption
of denser constitution than usual
with comets, to account for diminu-
ton of the solar rays by it's inteaven-
ton. On the last of February, 1905,
according to a Spanish writer, there
was complete darkness for six hours.
In 1241. five months after the Mongol
battle of Leignitz' the sun was so OBJ
scured and the darkness became so
great, that the stars were seen at the
ninth hour about Michaelmas. In this
case again, the darkness referred to
was undoubtedly due to the total
eclipse of Oct. 6, of which Prof. Schi-
aparelli has collected q full account
from the Italian writers. Lastly, in
lS47, from April %. 25, Kepler relates
On the authority of Gemma, the sun
as though suffused with
blood, and many stars were visible at
MONDAY Schhurrer thought this
phenomenon was what the Germans
;all a Hohenrauch,' Notwithstanding
The visibility of stars. From the above
brief summary of what have been
sun darkenings, we see
that in several cases the diminution of
light has been due to the ordinary ef-
fects Of total eclipse, while it is clear
hat there are no grounds in the his
,orical evidence for any prediction of
. period of darkness. The nervous
n these matters, and it would really
appear that such exist, may take con-
ISOLATION therefrom.