The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-01-07
HISTORICAL SUN DARKENINGs.
Diminished Light Of the Sun Not Caused by
EClipses.

Eclipses.
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 PYenees, consequent
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 Interrupt
ton from some meteoric substance"
There was an eclipse of the sun, annu-
lar, but nearly total, on the morning of
Aug. IA; it is mentioned in the "Saxon
Chronicle" which tells us that "the
sums disk was like black shield" The
near coincidence of date suggests, in
this case, a connection between, dark
ness and the eclipse. In 934, according
to Portuguese historian, the sun lost
its ordinary 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 lightning, and the full blaze of SUM-
shine was suddenly restored. In 1901,
on Sept. 29-not 81, as given in some
of the translations of Humboldt's
cosmos "-Schnurrer relates that there
was darkening of the sun which lasted
three hours, after which it had a
peculiar color, which occasioned great
alarm. A century later-or in June,
1871, according to Schnurrer- 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 traversed the continent
OF Europe from Holland to the Crimea.
The eclipse WAS total in England
between the coasts Of Cumberland and
Yorkshire.
Erman refers to sun darkening
on Feb. 10, 1106, which was accompa-
MED by meteors, and we read in the
cometographics that on the 4th-or, &C.
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 a
foot and half" Matthew Paris and
Matthew of Westminster term this star
a comet, and we may take it to have
been the same which, later in the
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, howev-
er, probably was not sufficiently
near the earth, and even on the assump-
ton of denser composition than usual
with comets, to account for a diminu-
ton of the solar rays by its interven-
ton. 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 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 I'M
doubtedly due to the total eclipse of
Oct. 6, of which Prof. Schiapareii has
collected a full account from the Ital-
ian writer's. Lastly, in 1914, from
April 1926, Kepler relates, on the au-
thority of Comma, "The sun appeared
as though suffused with blood, and
many stars we're visible at MONDAY"
Schnurrer thought this phenomenon
was what the Germans call Hobern-
rauch," Notwithstanding the visibility
of the 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 the ordinary effects of total
eclipse, while it is clear that there are
no grounds in the historical evidence
for any prediction of a period of dark
ness. The nervous in these matters.
and it would really appear that such
exist, may take consolation therefrom.
Mature.