Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-02
UMBRA AND PENUMBRA.
The Sunlit mi-TrOpics
Cl0udless Yesterday.
THE ECLIPSE WE'D
CalifOrnia's Glorious Climate Secures
the Most Abundant Success to
the Scientific Parties.
IAsBociated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

both in California and Nevada for clea
observation of the total eclipse of the sur
In this city the eclipse wss only partial
about eleven-twelfths of the sum IS eurfac
being obscured. The weather was pei
fectly clear and the eclipse was witnesse,
by great number of persons. Durin
the period of greatest observation it be
came quite dark and one star was plainl,
seen. No scientific observations wer
made in this city. The path of totalit,
in California was from 80 to 100 mile
north Of San Francisco, and the train
from this city this morning conveyed
large number of persons to various point
favorable for observation. The weathe
at Marysville was very clear.
The first contact was at about II 80
During the progress of the eclipse tht
weather became quite cool. Severa
streaks of lightning were observed dur
ing the totality. Several exposures o.
wet and dry plates were made during the
totality, and the views will be sent tc
Amherst College.
Professor E. S. Holden, OF the Lick
ated Press that the beginning of the
eclipse was successfully observed at that
point and also the first contact. Thir-
teen photographs were taken.
AT Oroville clouds obscured the view
OF totallty, but good view was had up
to within a few minutes OF that period.
The conditions were all favorable.
AT st. Helena the nearest approach TO
fnfn uk I ,En L. Al
noticed plainly with the naked eye a
narrow circle of light on the northeastern
side of the SUMS disk and in an instant
the bright spot was transferred to the
other side. The appearance of the entire
valley in the shadowy light was wierd.
A party from the Lick observatory in
charge OF Prof. J. Keeler made successful
observations at Bartlett's Springs. Prof.
Keller telegraphs to the Associated Press
that the Corona was beautifully distinct,
and that he saw remarkable changes in
the length of the Coronal lines Prof.
Barnard Obtained nine photographs and
Prof. Hill photographed all the contacts
and studied the structure or the inner
Corona. Prof. Leuschner made seven
measures of light during the totality.
At Grass Valley thin white clouds OBJ
ssured the sun little, but during the
period Of totality the stars and larger
planets were seen with the naked eye.
The Corona and protuberances were
grand sight. The thermometer fell seven
degrees between the first contact and
totality.
AT Virginia City, New, the thermome-
ter was 30 degrees at the time of the
first contact and dropped to 20 degrees
during the progress of the eclipse. Nine
teen-twentieths Of the SUMS surface was
obscuret at this point. The weather
was perfectly clear.
heavy fog prevailed at Truckee, Cal. :,
in the Sierra Nevada mountains and dur
ing the eclipse it was necessary to use
electric lights in the streets.
At Redwood City the atmosphere was
very cold during the eclipse. Two stars
were plainly visible.
At Healdsburg the period of totality
was eighty seconds. Venus, Mars, Jupe-
ter, Mercury and the stars were visible.
The Corona appeared with long rays of
light parallel to the equator of the sun.
Prof. G. Il. Hall succeeded in securing a
number of fine photographs of thee Corona,
which show rays ten or twelve degrees
from the sun. Only one rose.colored
protuberance was visible.
At Orlaud the totality lasted ITO Sec
onas. Venus and other stars were visi-
ible. Three photographs were success.
fully taken.
Prof. Lewis Swift, director of the
Warner Observatory at Rochester, N
r., was stationed at Nelson, CAL, and
telegraphed the following to the Eram-
iner as the result of his observations ::
"The eclipse, as far as affording an op-
portunlty TO search for intramercurial
planets, was a failure from the
clouds and haze. All four contacts
were we'll made;a a chronometer watch
previously set to Lick observatory time
being used. Five very small colorless
protubeerances were seen as having
pointed apexes. Near the point of one
was another detached from the sun.
Bailey 8 beads were seen at the second
and third contacts, but were entirely un-
like those seen at Denver in 1878. No
chronosphere was visible though looked
for. Mercury, Venus, Vega and
Cygni were seen. The Corona could not
be drawn, but as seen through the tele.
scope was not very extensive.
Professor Pickering Of the Harvard
University and party telegraphed to the
Examiner from the Willows that the sun
was perfectly clear during the totality.
Over fifty photographs were secured.
The party consisted of four observers
from Harvard and twenty-nine local as
eistants. Fourteen telescopes and cam
eras were employed and eight spectre
scopes, besides miscellaneous apparatus
The first contact was lost through the
clouds. Three observed the duration as
lis seconds, eight observations secured
with 13-inch telescope giving images
two inches in diameter before enlarge
ment. Nine were taken with ar
S-inch camera. Twenty-Five neg a.
tives were taken to measure the
brightness of the corona ant
its surroundings, five negatives to search
for intermercurial planets, twenty tt
study the spectrum of the Corona, to de-
term1ne it's composition. These vii
reach from the yellow rays to the ex
treme ultra wallet. For the latter pur
pose they employed spectroscope will
lenses and prisms composed exclusivel,
of quartz. Seven observations were mad
with photometer to measure the gen
eral illumination. During the totality j
was found lighter than the eclipses q
1873 and 1886. The Corona was simila
to those Of 1858 and 1873, but showe
much more detail than the latter, a.
exceptionally fine Corona extendin
usually on one side to two solar diane
ters. A striking characteristic was tw
forked wings of light, Polar rays, we
C1efined and considerably shorter