The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-03-26
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON.
The Annular Eclipse of tho Sun.

AN AHG oHdOVW VC III Il MUUNs
The Annular Eclipse Of tho Sun.
Owing to the fact that annular eclipses
of the sun are of frequent occurrence and
that their coming is invested with littlo
or no information to the modern astrono.
mer, comparatively little attention is
paid to this now we'll explained phenom.
en0n.
An eclipse of the sun is caused by the
moon passing between the earth and the
sun on, or nearly on, the same plane
with these bodies. The moon being
between the earth and the sun hides the
latter, in whole or in part. from portion
Of the earth. 1t does not hide the sun
from all parts of the earth, because the
moon il very near az compared with the
sun. q. well AZ very small, ard ittle
away from the direct line, is seen either
above or below the sun. If you put two
discs of cardboard several feet apnrt in
such relation that one hides the other,
aud then step upon a chair. you immedi-
ateiy zee over the nearer disc whole or
pErt of that which is more remote.
So, while total eclipse of the sun is in
progress, the spectator, in higher or
lower latitude, looks over or under the
moon and sees the sun in whole or in
part. As everybody knows, q small
object near the eye may hide 4 large
object which in ut distance. A nickel
seven feet from the eye will hide the SUI.
10 The same way the little moon, 240 900
miles away. occupies the same angle and
hides the sun. When the centers Of the
sun and moon and any part of the earth
are in the same line, and the discs of the
SUI and moon are centrical, or nearly so,
there is commonly total eclipse.
Sometimes, however, the moon passes up
or down across the earth's path little
to the right or left of the suns centre,
and then its disc covers only part Of
the suns disc, and We have partial
eclipse. Besides, the relative distances
Of the sun and the moon are not always
precisely the same.
Both the moon aud the earth, moving
in elliptical orbits, each is sometimes
nearest to the earth. 1t happens, there.
fore, that in one eclipse The disc of tho
moon is little larger than that of the
sun, while in another the SUMS disc is 8,
little larger than that of the moon. In
the latter case rim or ring of the solar
disc will be seen girdling the moon, and
been total over certain geographical
area. is an annular eclipse, gu called from
the Latin word annulus, which means a
ring.
The path of the annulus lay on yester.
day about two thousands miles due West
of San Frencisc0. and ended in the Arc.
tic Ocean, just East of Greenland, and
although the eclipse vas visible all over
the United States, it was only seen as an
annular eclipse within the belt between
Cape Meudocino, CAL, and Greenland.
The weather yesterday in Charleston
was favorable for viewing the eclipse.
At first the sky in the neighborhood Of
the sun was tolerably free from clouds,
but during the latter part OF the eclipse
the face Of the sun became overcast with
light, hazy clouds, which prevented the
perception Of any dlminuliun of light
which might have been caused by the
eclipse. Precisely at three minutes of
IL o'clock by standard time the black
circle of the moon was seen gradually
creeping upon the suns edge, several
degrees Westward of its Northern point,
and slowly increased in size-slowly at
,east to the observers here-but in reality
some thirty FIVE or forty times faster than
the fastest express train on our railroads
-ver run. SDme idea of the terrific rate
of speed at which the shadow of the
moon was travelling may be gained from
The fact that it has been calculated that
# Lightning express train, moving at
full speed. had one hours start of it, the
shadow would have overtaken it in about
lwo minutes. Al about fifteen miDutes
after l o'clock yesterday the shadow
reached its maximum size, at which
time, as viewed from Charleston, a little
aver quarter of the suns surface was
nbscured and tina. fiery orb resembled q
large crescent, the points of which were
turned upwards to the north. About
twenty FIVE minutes after 2 o'clock the
eclipse ended, the last point of contact
oeing in nearly the same position on the
dge of the suns surface 81 the frs
Iuint of contact. This is q fact which
probably struck the unsciept6c as being
very peculiar, most of them thinking
that the shadow of the moon would
commence to obscure the surface of the
sun ut one side, pass completely across
IT'S surface and leave it at q point cppo.
site to that point at which it entered.
This slriking phenomenon was caused by
the transportation of the heavens with
regard to the earth. 1t is self evident
fact that that portion of the suns surface
which is first visible at its rising is the
6nt to disappear at the setting or, in
ulher words, the opposite extremity of
the suns surface is the last 10 be seen.
The eclipse commenced befnre IL o'clock,
and at the midday hour the sun crossed
the meridian of the earth, and although
it appeared as if the same portion of the
surface of the sdn was turned towards
The earth as before IL o'clock, it Was in
reality the opposite portion.
In truth it might be said that man
could desire to behold no more wonder.
ful or ius ructive spectacle than the hid.
ing of one world in the shadow Of
another through the operation of laws so
simple that child can understand them,
but which in such case are displayed
upon a scale of grandeur that man can
only grasp by the exercise of the highest
faculties.-News aud Courier.
Tho InnumerabIe Caravan.