New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-06
THE LICK ECLIPSE EXPEDITION.
TWO PARTIES FROM THIS COUNTRY WILL WATCH
THE SUN IN JAPAN NEXT AUGUSTA
NOVEL INSTRUMENT.

TWO PARTIES FROM THIS COUNTRY WILL WATCH
THE SUN IN JAPAN NEXT AUGUSTA
NOVEL INSTRUMENT.
Professor Edward 8. Holden. director OF the
famous Lick Observatory. has written to The
Scientific American" to say that an expedition will
be sent out from Mount Hamilton to observe the
solar eclipse OF next August. which will not be wis.,
Bile in America. The English astronomers Will con.
duct their observations on that occasion from an
island In the Arctic Ocean. away up north OF the
Scandinavian coast. But the two parties OF Amer.
leans one from Lick Observatory under PROFESSOR
Schaeberle and the other from Amherst College un.
der Professor Todd. Will operate In Japan. hehce
the weather is not favorable at one station. there
NIL, stu ne n chance OF obtaining results at another.
These occasions are SO and so brief that II 10
good policy aside from considerations OF mere con-
venience) to distribute observers as widely as possi
Bile along the path OF totally.
Professor Schaebere is well known not oh'y tor
his Interesting and favoraby received theory as TO
~. origin 81 the wonderful corona halo seen around
the sun only at moments OF total eclipse out also
for his excellent photographs taken at the 'he OF
the eclipse OF April, 1893 The scentinc worid VIII
rejoice therefore. to know that the means nave
been provided (by Colonel c. f. Crocker. one OF the
Regents Of the University OF California. and men,
h.r ., tho standing committee on the Lick Obserya-
,orv, for fresh study Of the subject by PROFESSOR
schaeberle The principal work done on THESE occa-
sions nowadays is Photographic, for' proper rec
ords OF the form OF the corona having peeh once
secured they can be manifolded tor exchange WIN
other astronomers and can be scrutnized at leisure
for the facts which they may reveal visual ooser-
walton Is too hasty and unreliable 70 yieu res"S oi
any value In regard TO the corona
During the eclipse Of next August PROFESSOR
schaeberle Will again employ telescope ioi'y iee'
in length which his main reliance three years
ago. taking his pictures on sensitive plates measure
ing eighteen by twenty inches ana getting az nase
~ the sun about four and half Inches IN diameter
Tn. r,or. delicate portions OF the corona sometimes
extend for distance equal to two or three SOAR
d,ameters away from the edge OF the disA' - n,uoh
shorter telescope and a fine DaiineyeT Poi""' '''S
will also be used for minor Photographic SERVES
during this eclipse. IL, 1,
A novel and interesting bit of apparatus Will be
tried by another membsr OF the LICK party u"s
year Owing 10 the greater bril.iancy OF the corona
cos. TO the sun than in the outlying regions IL II
impossible to get a satisfactory picture oi oo' -
the same time An exposure or the sehs'uNe P'a'e
which will be sufficient to register the inner ooroa
will not reveal the outer part at all. and an ex-
,o.rrs wb,ch s protracted SO a get the fainter
p,rtions vii! be much long for the brighter ones
and the flamental structure or the later VIII "o'
be represented The picture vii! only snow great
white blur instead. Hence II is desirable TO regu-
late the exposure in such way as 10 diminish 'he
light from the inner while the outer corona
halter Of Oakland. Cal, who Will accompany fFo-
fessor Schaebcr.e. has invented an attachment 10
telescope intended produce this result In 'front.'
OF the sensitive plate wherein the solar image t~s
q metallic plate Or diaphragm Of peculiar shape wi!
be rotated rapidly BY c.ockwork. IL Is esumated
that this mechanism VIII allow only one ss sga
exposure close tae edge OF the moon SHADOW,
while the pate will get four seconds for regions
at a distance OF twenty-slX minutes OF arc nlne
seconds forty-sIx minutes away fourteen seconds
sxty-six minutes of, twenty seconds at eighty
minutes and twenty-four seconds at los minutes
The suns average diameter. as seen from the EARN,
is such as to span angle OF thirtythree minutes
Should Mr. Burckhaters ingenious device work as
he hopes, one plate would show the Whole corona
properly. ut Will no longer be necessary then"
saws Professor Holden. TO build up as II WERE the
real corona from a series OF plates. each one OF
for another and correctly timed for another"
The claims made by an Enslsh amateur astrono:
mer D. T.. Packer. few weeks ago. that he had
found a way 10 photograph the corona without wait.
ing for an eclipse. although put forward in good
faith doubt. are not credited by experts; and as
all other attempts in this direction up TO date have
failed, science must still rely upon photographs
taken during the momentary observation OF the sun
BY the moon for further knowledge regarding the
nature OF that strange soar appendage.