Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-11-22
The DARKENED SUN.

A New York Astronomer Talks Enter.
tatnin&ly on the Eclipse of the gam
Advertised for Jan. 4.
New York special: Garret T. Serviss,
secretary of the American astronomical
society and well know lecturer and
writer on astronomy, was asked to-day
what there was peculiar and inter esting
in the eclipse OF the sun, whichsis to oc-
cur on the 1st of January next and for
the observation OF which Harvard UNI
versity has already fitted ont costly ex-
pendtion to 60 TO the Pacific coast.
swell. in the first place." said Mr..
SERVES, ''an eclipse of the sun is always
IN the highest degree interesting, be-
cause there ,s hardly any phenomenon
of the heavens ct once 60 startling, SO
beautiful and 80 awe inspiring. This is
perhaps not popnlarly understood be-
cause the number of persons who have
ever seen solar eclipse 10 very email
Probably the mejority of astronomers
themselves have never seen one. You
understand, OF course, that l am speak
ing OF q total eclipse. Millions have seen
partial ecipses. But in order to sec o
total eclipse You must be somewhere
along line only few miles wide, from
/ which the moon at the moment that il
comes between the sun and the earth
| will be exactly in line between the eye
Of the observer and the center OF the sun.
Then the moon for few minutes will
completely cover the sun, shutting off its
light and heat 30 etfectualiy that chick :
ems go to roost, and the observers fre.
quently shiver with the sudden lowering
Of the temperature of the cir. Then, too
with startling audiences those great
and mysterious banners of the sun, that
astronomers call the corons, are seen
displayed in the sky around the hidden
orb, like vast streamers and enormous
spreading beams of nebulous light,
Occasionally with the naked
eye, and always with the telescope,
| fiery red masses, like huge tongues OF
flame. may be seen projecting beyond
the black edge Of the moon at various
points around the border OF the hidden
sun. Unfortunately, the line OF tosality
which is never the same for two eclipses
has way of selecting remote regions o
the earth to be favored with the wonder
ful and magnificent views that il has tt
offer, and on this occasion the United
csbtes ID peculiarly favored In Qavlnf
even part OF the line running across
its territory. The path of the tota
eclipse, as it is technically called, vii
begin near the center OF the group OF tn
Aiectian islands. which stretch acros
J from Alaska to Kamtchatka. and sweep
ing southwark aud. eastward over ths
Northern Pacific ocean, will reach tn
continent little north OF San Francisco
! 1t will continue on in broad curve turn
> ing northward, and crosBlng Nevsdi
9 Idaho and MontRnH, will end far up II
Canada, about half way between III
western end OF Lake Superior and Hud
!, son bay. While only observers alon
this line will see the sun totally eclipset
!e partial eclipse will be seen sll ever th
United States. Here in New York th
eclipse will be just beginning at srnse'
), The farther west you 60 the bette
u chance you will have to see it. One re,
n son why this eclipse possesses spcial II
g. teress is that since the last previov
Ii total eclipse that could be observed
81 advantage. very great, and indeed sI
Z, tonishinR. progress hal, been made
ot the art OF astronomical photograph
There ie no greater myskery In the YiH