Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-05-04
Observations hy Profes sor Pickering al
~Unequaled Success.

Observation by Profe, sor Pickering an
Unequaled Success.
VALPARAISO, April 2l.-The details
OF the total eclipse of the sun. as OBJ
served by Professor Pickering's party
at Nina Arts, are as follows:
[ Professor Pickering has worked out
.ome OF the observations. He reports
that the day broke absolutely perfect.
without the faintest cloud during the
entire period OF the eclipse, the first
contact, when the edge OF the moon be-
gar TO touch the edge of the sun, &C.
curing at III I'm. IS. a. m. The sec
ond contact, when the eclipse became
total. was at Sh. ION. 9s. The third
contact, marking the cessation OF
the total phase, was registered at Sh.
2lm. SOS, and the final contact, at
which the moon left the SUMS disc at
Oh. Bonn. los. All these periods are in
local time. Forty minutes after the
first contact, about 1.57 a. m, the
light OF the sun was observed chang
ing to a sickly yellow hue, and there
was a perceptible though faint chill
OF the air. Twenty minutes later the
corona revealed a round moon, before
the observation had become total.
During the period of totality there
were in the east and west dark lines,
like rain clouds, lowering on the hor-
lion. The colors were yellow and
faint orange in tint, the light resem-
bling that of a faint dawn. But gen.
orally 1t was less dark than at past
eclipses. Professor Albrech took OBJ
servations at a point 900 feet higher
than Professor Pickering. His data
were scant, having been obtained
only through the telescope.
The temperature fell three degrees
during totality. 1t MAS specially not
able, the observer considers, that the
condensed shadow bands, or ''fringes,"
were similar 70 hot-air waves over an
oven nr rippies on a pond, having the
velocity of a fast walk, None OF them
more than two inches i'm breadth.
They were from one TO three feet
apart. They were seen before and af-
ter totality; before ~totality they were
faint. The direction of movement
was variable.
Professor Pickering says that the
results of photographs obtained with
the differential spectroscope give
twenty lines, the reversing layer" of
the solar atmospbefe-the shadow
stratum of gas lying right above the
philosophers, and known to contain
the yaporso OF many elements common
ly found on our globe. Twelve OF
these brilliant colored spectral lines
were seen through the telescope.
This is the first time that these lines
have been successfully photographed.
Professor Pickering also says that the
spectroscOpic and corona pho
togrsphs taken on Sunday are very
satisfactory, and promise to yield i'm
portant data. Thirty-four seconds
before the eclipse became total, two
rays OF light were seen issuing from
the cusps, the terminal points corre- !
spending TO the horns of the new
moon. and the cusps were observed in
violent motion.
Before totaiity the coron showed a
conical structure, with a network of
fine filaments visible to the naked eye.
There were four light streamers from
The corona: the two upper were short
er than the lower mes. Seven prom
inences were observed. Douglas esti-
mates that they attained q height of
so, 900 miles. The integrating spec
troscope showed red and yellow lines,
two green lines and one blue in the
corona. The p~rominences were fine
and well photographed. The corona
was unusually brilliant, with much
detail. The expedition is satisfied
with the photometrlc results. Pho
tographs taken with a double-image
priSm uara caeurod