The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-11-21

The Eclipse sunday Night Showed
MD Well I'm Tallahassee.

The total eclipse of the moon Sunday
night was watched by large crowds in
Tallahassee. The eastern sky was clear,
only occasional bits of feathery clouds OBJ
securing the view. The moon was in the
shadow when it rose and did not leave il
until nearly 9 o'clock.
Apropos of the eclipse the Savannah
News prints an interesting description OF
the technicalia of an eclipse, written by
Prof. Ashmore, as follows:
A lunar eclipse is caused by the moon
passing through the earth's shadow, and
can only occur al full moon. The shadow
of the earth projected by the sun extends
more than three times the distance Of the
moon from US, and sometimes the lunar orb
in its monthly journey around the earth
passes through this dark shadow and is in
part or wholly obscured from view. If the
moon comes between US and the sun, the
lunar shadow falls upon the earth, causing
solar eclipse.
DON'T ECLIPSE EVERY TINE.
The moon revolves around the earth
once in about every twenty eight days, and
one of the first difficulties presented to the
mind is why there is not an eclipse both
of the sun and moon every month. This
would indeed be the case If the plane of
the moons orbit were parallel to
the earth's orbit; but it is inclined about
FIVE degrees to the earth's orbit, 30 that the
moon passes in the one case above or be-
low the sun, and in the other above or be-
low the shadow, thus preventing an eclipse.
Sometimes the moon passes through the
edge Of the earth's shadow, causing par
tial eclipse, and sometimes it plunges CEN
trally through it, causing total eclipse
At the distance of the moon the diameter
Of the earth's shadow is about three times
the diameter of the moon.
A STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCE.
1t would appear that when the moon en-
tiers the shadow of the earth it would be
totally obscured from view, but such is not
often the case. During the entire time of
totality the moon usually appears as faint
dull red disk
The explanation of this strange circum-
stance lies in the fact that the suns rays
passing through the atmosphere near the
earth are by well-known physical causes
deprived of their blue light. and, being
detected toward the axis of the earths
shadow, tall upon the moon and family
illuminate its disk with a copper-colored
hue This appearance is largely dependent
upon the condition of the atmosphere at
the time of the eclipse. If it be clear the
quantity of light DETECTED 10 the moon
may be considerable, but if the atmosphere
be cloudy or filed with dust the moon may
be almost or quite invisible
In the lunar eclipse of 1884 the moon
was for time completely obscured from
view, a very unusual circumstance. A
half hour or so before the moon reaches
the shadow its edge begins to be gradually
darkened by the penumbra. 80 that it is al
most impossible 10 tell within half min.
ute just when the first contact takes place.
Two eclipees OF the moon cannot take
place in two consecutive months. The
greatest number of eclipses that can occur
in year is seven, of which FIVE are solar,
and two lunar; and the least number is
two, both of the sun.
The next total eclipse OF the moon visi-
bic here will be in 1909.