The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-03

OVER THE WIRES.
CURRENT EVENTS on THIS SIDE THE
ATLANTIC.
SUCCESSFUL OBSER Va TONS OF
THE NEW YEARS ECLIPSE
Brief kilograms.

IN y r J LAA = LiJlf oE.
Brief Telegrams.
san FRANCIsCO, January 2--ProfessOr
Pickering, Of The Harvard University
party, tolegraphs from Willows regard
ing yesterdays eclipse that the sun was
perfectly clear during totality. Over
, fifty photographs were secured. The
party consisted of four observers from
|, Harvard and twenty-nine local assistants.
Fourteen telescopes and cameras were
employed ana eight spectrOscopes, be-
sides miscellaneous apparatus. The
first contact was lost through clouds,
i. Three were observed at a duration 4
l18 seconds Eight were secured with a
) thirieen-inch telescope, giving images
two inches in diameter before enlarge
ment. nine were taken with an eight
inch camera. one being crythriesina
plate through stained gclatinc Twenty
five negatives were taken 10 measure the
brightness Of the corona and surround
ings. five negatives 10 search for
inter-mercurisl planets; twenty 10 study
tine spectrum of the corona TO
determine its composition. These will
reach from yellow rays 20 extreme ultra
violet For the latter purpose a spectre
scope was employed with lenses and
prisms composed exclusively of quartz I.
seven observations were made with pho /
/ tometrO measure General illumination I
during totality was found lighter than .
the cclipses of 1878 and 1886. The corona .
was similar 10 those of 1868 and 1873, bat /
showed much more detail than The latter /
/ it was
Az EXCEPTIONALLY FINE CORONA,
extending usually on one side to two
solar diameters A striking characters
tic was TWO forked wings of light polar
rays well defined and considerably
shorter The meteorological obseUa-
lions were under the direction of VIM
/ sow Upton. of Providence R. l., and \.
/ j. B0tch of Blue Hill observatory The
+ photography and specior0scoPe were
under the direction OF Professor w. II.
. Pickering. chief of the Harvard college
party. assisted by $ Baylcy, 4. $. King /
and robert Black Of Harvard
At ClOyerdale the eclipse was observed
with great accuracy by the Pacific Coast
Amateur Photograph Association. The
weather was favorable, no apparent wind
and q cloudless sky, excepting "a few
floating cirrus clouds The eclipse was
20 hrsi noticeable ~ 1928. the totality
commenced az l4642, lasted one minute,
i0Uy-f0ur seconds time Pacific stand
ard Shortly before totality the cirrus
clouds were all tinged with the
MOST DRLLIANT COLORs or THE RAIN
BOW
Venus appeared early in The eclipse
and Mercury and other planets were
plainly in view The arrangements of
fbc club were most complete and every
phase of the eclipse was photographed
Dy some one of the party
A party of observers from Carleton
college. NOrihfeld MINI, consisting of
Professors Payne, Pearson and Wilson.
were located on an open plot on the
famous rancho of General John Bdwel
The party used q siX-inch photograph
telescope, and other Photographic
apparatus and q twO-inch zenith teie-
scope Professors Wilson and Pearson /
exposed nine plates during the period
of toiality, and six between the first \
and last contact observation. Sketches
Of the corona were made by Professors
Wilson and Payne and Surveyor Brown.
The sky was not perfectly clear -Four
long strcamers were seen from prOmi-
nences. and The chr0uOspher was strong
for full quadrant distance OF the west
side of the sun The northern and south J
ern limbs Of tho sun showeda great num-
ber OF fine radiating hliments.
AN INTER-MERCURIAL PLANET.
At Anaheim the eclipse was plainly
visible No photographs were taken,
but 1t is claimed am intermercuTial
planet was seen during the period
of the suns greatest ObscuratiOn.
Professor Davidson camped near there S
and made scientific observations. ,
At san Jose observations were taken
bv the normal school observing
party, which consisted of Professors !
Klceberger, Holway, aud Randall, with
a 4-inCh refractory telescope and smoked ,
glasses Al the time of the greatest !
ohscuration Baileys beads the
corona, and prOminenCes were care
fully looked for but were rem
dercd invisible boy floating clouds and ,
The unobscured portion Of the sun. I
Venus was plainly seen with the naked J
eve Among the incidents OF the phe- 4
nomena observed was the effect of the
eclipse upon the images OF the sun form
ed where its light shOne through aper- 2
turcs A beam OF light shining through 4
q crack In shutter formed innumerable \
interiaced and oyer-tOpping crescent =
shaped images OF the sun. :
The University of the Pacific has Il i
fine transit inst lment and six-inch re- !
factory telescope I'm its observatory i
Observations were made by Professor .
William W. ThOburn, assisted by Pro
fessor A. IL. Briggs During the first
quarter of the eclipse the sky was Oh.
gcured by clouds, but from that time on
was comparatively clear At the moment !
of greatest obscurity the sun was almost .
hidden, except very thin crescent on y
tho southern edge
THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON I
were clearly seen outlined against the J
sun The sharpness Of the moon edge :
on the disc of the sun was especially &
marked During the last half OF the
eclipse the Obscurity seemed 10 be ths of
twilight Three OF the planets were ylsl- r
Bile Venus and Mars I'm con junction were D.
easily distinguished with the naked eye. +,
81 that IS known of the observations az J,
Lick Observatory is contained in the T
following message from Professor Hold n
en-. THE eclipse was successfully OBJ =
served, and photographs were taken here.
The expedition al Bartlett Springs was
perfectly successful
Al Leigan, seventy miles north of
Reno. Surveyor General Irish of Nevada,
and his party managed in spite of
cloudy skies, 20 note the time of the
first and second contact. They secured
ten Photographic views during the TO- 1
taliiy. which was but one minute forty y
four seconds duration
Atthe observatory Of Professor George 5