The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-15
LuNA,s TINE TO BLusH.
The Moon 20 Hide Her Face an Houl
and Twenty-four Minutes Tonight

The Moon 20 Hide Der Face an Hour
and Twenty-four Minutes Tonight.
The total eclipse Of the moon tonight
viii be an event OF good deal Of interest
In the astronomical world and incidentally
the world at large. At least that portion of
it around Savannah will be on hand to see
what is going on. II the weather bureaus
forecast is true everything will be favorable
Tor the phenomena
The eclipse, as It will be seen in Savannah
IL the weather is clear, will begin at 4:59
o'clock this afternoon when the moon will
enter the shadow. The total eclipse viii
begin at Col o'clock. The middle Of the
eclipse will be at CAB o'clock. The total
eclipse win end at 7:45 o'clock, and the
moon will leave the shadow at S:27 o'clock.
That will end it.
The worst feature about the eclipse is
that, occurring at the hour at which IL is
booked to occur, it is likely to interfere
with church-gOInz people. Those who ara
anxious to see the phenomena, though, can
take in the most Of it and yet get TO church
on time by observing the end of the total
eclipe on their way to church. It will
take just one hour and twenty-four min
utes for the moon to pass through the con-
ical shadow that the earth casts out indefi-
nitely into space.
Lunar eclipses as a general thing. may be
said TO have outlived large share of the
real use TO which they used to be put before
tho science of astronomy was in such an adj
vanced stage as It is to~day, and no newfacts
OF any importance are likely to be unearthed
by toe coming ohser vations. The only thing
they will do will be TO corroborate some
facs and figures that are already pretty
well established.
One of the hes. proofs of the rotundily of
the earth used 10 be that no matter what the
position of the earth might be at the time of
an eclipse the shadow that was cast upon
the moon was Invariably round one. 1t
has been some time since any one has main
tanned with hattering success that the earth
was any other shape than round, and it is
hardly to be expected that any body will de-
vote much time to noticing what the shape
OF the shadow will be this time.
When the m on is in eclipse it acts pre-
cisely as q scr cen, and the stars that are in
such position that the moon comes between
the earth and hem are blotted out in
sta tly or occulated, as tue astronomers
call it, When the moon is darkened this
way many stars in that part of the heavens
that are usually invisible when the moon is
shining. on acc cunt Of the superior light of
that body. come out clearly and may be
observed as they pass behind the
moon. Then stars may be seen down
to the ninth or tenth magnitude, v lille
under ordinary circumstances the second or
third are about as small as could be OBJ
served. Tonight upward of thirty stars,
varying in size from the sixth down to the
eleventh magnitude, will occult with the
moon.
The exact point of each stars occulation
is computed some time before an eclipse
The time that elapses between the moment
star disappears on one side of the moon
and comes out on the other is carefully
noted, aud as the rack Of the star is known,
the velocity of the moon and all that, it be-
comes mathematical possibility for those
who know how to figure out the size of the
moon.