The National tribune., 1888-12-27
SOLAR EcITPsEs.


The shadow Of the moou does not always
reach 10 the earth when the moon is new. 1t
is. Of course. cOne-shaped, with its apex toward
the earth and it's base at the moon. If the
point Just touches, there is only line Of total
observation and the eclipse is total only mo-
mentariiy If it falls beyond the circumference
OF the earth, then there is a belt of t0tality.
An observer on the line connecting the centers
of the three bodies sees the sun totally eclipsed
as do also observers either side of the central
line within the belt. Referring for a moment
70 the map Of northern California showing the
path Of the total solar eclipse of Jan. ], 1889,
prepared at the Naval Observatory aud pub
lstled with the courteous permission of the
Superintendent, Capt. T. L. Phythian, u. S.
Navy, the middle line represents the path of
tie line connecting the CenteTs the lines 10
either side, the edges Of the belt Within these
lines the eclipse viii be total, outside only par
tial. We have then. two phases Of solar eclipse
i0T day named. Sometimes the cell pse is total
nowhere. il occurs at times that the observer
Oh the central line sees at the middle Of the
eclipse the suns disk shut of, with the excep-
tion Of ring Of light around the moon; then
we have the tlITd form Of eclipse, the annnIar
These different species Of eclipse, it will be
surmised, depend on varying distances of earth,
moon and sun from cath other and on the posi-
ton Of the observer as regards the central line
The eclipse which is total or annular within a
certain zone, viii be partial outside Distinct
lively, however, az eclipse is called total, or an
nu.ar when it is total or annular, at any point
Of the eartl's surface, and partial when it is
nowhere total, or annular.
Astronomers Of old indicated the size of a
partial eclipse by digits term still found in
the almanacs. Dividing the surface Of the sun
or moon into twellths, the body was said to be
obscured by SO many tWelfths, or digits.
FREQUENCY OF EcL1PsEs.
Solar eclipses occur more frequently than do
the lunar; it is susceptible Of demonstration
that there must be at least TWO solar eclpses
annually. and there may be five, in one year.
q! lunar eclipses, there may be as many as
three IN one year, or none az all. But q lunar
eclipse is visible to a whole hemisphere at once.
whsle a solar eclipse can be seen only from a
small portion OF theearth. The number Of times
Therefore, solar eclipse can be viewed in any
one place IN, say, any one century, is compare
lively small. The shadow at some eclipses may
fail entirely in Arctic or inaccessible regions
Hence arises the inirequency, apparent, not
real, Of solar eclipses.
DURATION or SOLAR ECLIPsEs.
IL viii assist to q conception Of the impor.
tance Of total solar eclipses to state that the
total phase cannot possibly last longer than
eight minutes. The longest duration Of recent
date was tha. Of the eclipse Of 1886, Aug. %
which lasted for Six minutes, the figures In
both cases being for the central line. As We
leave the center the time grows less during
which the t0tality lasts, until at the edge O.
the zone the duration is for but a moment
This latter eclipse, with its comparatively Iont
duration, viii not recur until 1904 Into tn,
few moments Of to;ality the astronomer il
forced 70 crowd all his investigations
TIE PHENOMENA OF SOLAR EcLIPsEs.
As soon as the last thin crescent Of the sur
has disappeared and the moon has entirely
covered has disk, al imposing spectacle is IRE
scented. There is, first, the corona surroundin.
the cclipsed sun, seeming, as has been aptly
suggested, like thu