The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-03-20
The Eclipse.

The annular eclipse of the sun announc.
ed for Tuesday, made its appearance at the
time previously announced. AT just twelve
o'clock by our town time the moon was
| first seen to enter the outer circle OF the
sun, and gradually passing over the face,
soon gave it the appearance of the moon in
| little more than its crescent shape. AT
about 1:15 more than one-half of the suns
| face was covered, when the moon gradual
| ly passed over the north side of the sun,
and at half-past two the eclipse was ended.
The sight was witnessed by great many
people in this town who might be seen on
the corners, or from their place of business
with smoked glass in hand. The previous
announcement by all papers, and the exact
ness of the time of the eclipse probaly was
the cause OF such n general observance of
it. Frequent expressions were made as to
how exact the astronomers were in fortell-
ing. The New York Saa in speaking of it
thus says;
pse of the sun to those who were armed
with good telescopes was the appearance
in profile of the great mountain ranges on
the eastern edge of the moons disk. There
are several places in the eastern hemis-
phere of the moon where powerful glass
will always show the serratcd horizon line
of the peaks end craters that lie close to
the moons edge; but when these same
mountains are seen, rs they were then
with their outlines showing absolutely
black against the white sun, their appear
ance is much more striking than usual. At
moments when the air was steady, permit
ting the use of high magnifying power,
it was grand sight to see the profiles of
the gigantic ranges of the D'Alembert and
Rook Mountains and the Lunar Cordilleras
pictured with sharpest outline against this
brilliant ba ckground. The whole forward
edge of the moon was seen to be deeply
notched aid lined with sharp peaks, pre-
senting the striking contrast to the perfect
ly even curve of the suns edges. Even
with a small magnfying power the outlines
of the principal mountains could be clearly
seen. In one place broad dish shaped
valley was conspicuous, with ridge of
mountains on either side and lofty peak
in the centre, whose sharp conical form
stood out from blaze of sunlight behind
1t with beautiful distinctness. Here and
there the edge of the moon appeared flat
tened and sometimes scaloped out show
ing the presence of broad deep valleys sunk
far below the general level.
The large mountain masses presented a
particularly impressive spectacle just as
they entered upon the sun edge, peak
after peak slowly moving into view, while
the light streaming through the interven-
ing valleys brought them into still greater
prominence. Some of the mountains in
this part of the moon rise to "a height of co.
900 feet, and there are valleys among them
which in some cases appear to sink in an
almost equal depth below the lunar surface.
1t is no matter for wonder, therefore, that
this rugged region presented grand ap-
pearance when cut out, as it were,in black
est silhouette against the sun.
There was group of sun spots little
west of the center of the sun, and the grad
ual conceaement of the spots as the moon
| advanced over them followed by their re-
appearance as it passed off, was an inter-
esting feature of the telescope observation
of the eclipse.