Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-03-13
ANNULAR ECLIPSE
To Occur Next Monday-How 1t VIII
Appear.

Appear.
EDS. RECORD e MON: There will be an
eclipse of the sun in the morning of March
10, 1885 1t will be annular with a mar
row luminous ring around The moon in the
middle part of the eclipse, within belt of
country thirty-five miles wide, extending
from the Pacific coast northcasterly to the
southern part of Greenland Its direction
will be about 250 north of east. 1t will
commence on the shore of the Pacific ocean
little north Of the fortieth degree of
north latitude in the southern part of Hum
boldt county; extend across Trinity, Shasta
and Modoc counties in California; across
the southern part of Idaho and the south
crn part of Montana.
THIS belt will embrace within ii Weaver
Vile and Minersville in Trinity county; il
will pass Il little south Of Castle Peak,
Shasta county: it will embrace Fort Bid
well, in Modoc county, near the northeast
corner of the State; Boise City, Idaho
CITY, in Idaho; Bannack City and Gallaun,
| in Montana, and SO on. On each side Of
this belt, for several hundred miles out
| from it. Il partial eclipse of the sun may be
seen, which will appear differently III diff
! ferent places, being of different shapes and
of different sizes, according 10 distance
from the center OF the belt.
| The eclipse will commence ut Weaver
Vile at 40 An The body Of the moon
will gradually advance upon the west side
of the sun, covering more and more of its
| disc, until 500 A. NJ, when it will occupy a
central position on the face of the sun,
with narrow, luminous ring Of sunlight
| :. tl,.l
ring. III this instance, will not continue
more than one minute. Sometimes such
! rings continue twelve and one-half min
utes. The moon will gradually pass oil
eastcrly from the suns disc, and the eclipse
| will end al 1921 y, NJ, having continued
! two hours and forty minutes at Weaver
Vile. At Fort Bidwell and Boise City the
progress of the eclipse will be similar, only
| later. At the former place the eclipse com
mences at 7:57. Is annuar at 9:li and ends
at 1879 \. NJ. AT Boise City the eclipse
commences at $50, is annular at $50, anC
ends at ll:17 \. N. a partial eclipse vii
commence at Portland, Or. at 7:5l \. N.
at San Francisco. 7::iS \. NJ; at Sacramento
IA \. NJ; at San Diego, 7:55 \. NJ.
at Virginia City, 7:35 \. NJ: and a
Salt Lake tity at $50 \. ". These cclips"
| will each continue about two hours anc
| three-quartcrs.
As these eclipses are all in the northern
hemisphere of the earth and rs the ligh
comes from the sun past the moon to gu
earth in straight lines, they show that In
moon is on the ncrth side OF the ecliptic
not having yet reached its descending node
The question has been asked why the pres
ent eclipse is annUlar instead of total
Those who, in the belt already mentioned
may see it annular. will notice that the ap
parent diameter of the moon is less than
that Of the sun. There cannot be a tota
eclipse Of The sun unless the apparen
diameter 81 the moon shall at the time q
lcas! equal, If il does not exceed, that of tn
sun. The usual apparent diameter of tn
sun is greater than that of the moon
While The former varies but little from -
minutes of a degree, the latter varies Otter
Jour minutes, from 20 to %! minutes Of
degree. This variation i'll the apparent siz
OF the moon is caused by its varying dis
tances from the earth. which amount 4
26 600 miles
There are 1870 things which contribute +,
render the moon too small to cover tn
whole Of the suns disc in the presen
eclipse though passing centrally over il
One is, the earth is nearer the sun than II
average distance. being nearer to its peri
hclian than to its aphrlion. This some
what increases theapparent size of the sun
The other is, the moons distance from tn
earth at this eclipse will be greater than it
average, being nearer to its apOgec than t
its perigee This diminishoS the size OF tn
moon. These reasons sufficiently accoun
for the failure Of the moon 10 produce
total instead Of an annular eclipse at thi
time y. SLATER.