The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-07-28
THE SUN WILL DARIsEN.
Partial Eclipse of the Orb of Light Mex
f#.a Thursday ,-

| TdElfal eclipse OIL the ORD OF Light Next
Thursday.
Much interest has bceL awakened by
the eclipse OF the sun which will occur
on Thursday next. The eclipse Will only
be partial here. At the parts Of the
! earth. where line drawn through the
center OF the sun and moon reaches the
earth, the eclipse Will be an annular
| eclipse, meaning that the moon will not
| hide the entire surface Of the sun. II
the moon hid the enti'e surface OF the
sun; then the eclipse would be a total
| eclipse.
The approaching eclipse will begin in
the Pacific ocean. west OF the Western
| coast OF Mexico, in longitude w. 100 de-
Rree9 40 minutes, and latitude n. q e
| grees 80 minutes. II will pass through
| Mexico. and The Gulf and touch the
northern part OF Cuba, Cape St Rogue,
In South America. and will end in he
South Atlantic. The greatest length of
time that this eclipse will be vi=ibIe, as
an annular, will be about one minute
! and forty-five seconds.
Total eclipses have duration of
something like six or seven minutes
These minutes arc precious, and extern
sire preparations are made by astrono-
mers some time before hand. to uae the
period OF totality, to the greatest ad-
vantage. They travel great distances
to the point most favorable for otser-
walton. II Is during a total eclipse that
the corona and outer corona become Wis
iblc. as also the prominences, which are
immense eruptions of luminous cares
projected from the sun to great heights.
| az much as 100000 miles. These promi-
nenccs can now be Eecn by means Of the
spectroscOpe. without the AID Of al
| eclipse. by means Of the lines III the
soiar spectrum iii" astronomers have
identified ih:ty-.:iX elements in the sun
which exist on tho earth
The spectr0scopc has also revealed the
lact Ina: the sun is surrounded by a
cooler layer than the body OF the sun
is composed of, and n total eclipse of the
sun Is Of value in demonstrating this
fEc:. for during totnlity only this outer
liEc: Is visible. and as In this case the
| light received in the spectroscope has
not suffered absorption. the lines should
| be bright instead of dark II Is a re-
ma!kable fact that the apparent dame
tr" OF the sun and moon ere so nearly
/ alike. If the sun was Very much near
| CT 10 the earth than it is, we would
! never have total eclipse OF the sun.
! If the moon was very much further off
| the result would lie the same. When
the sun is nca:cr and th@ moon farther
/ away from the earth. we have an annu-
! lar eclipse of the sun. When the sun
/ Is farther away and the noon nearer
| we have a total eclipse.
On the eclipse next Thursday the
! suns scmi-diamater will equal fifteen
minutes fOrty-fvc seconds, and the
moon VIII equal fifteen minutes twenty
seconds. making difference of twenty
! five seconds.
| The eclipse will begin here at about
| cigh; hours thirty minutes, and end
eleven hours twelve minutes. To deter
mine the time Of an eclipse requires con-
siderable calculation. Long before 1t
MIS- known that the earth revolved
| around the sun, tile arc.cnts p!edic.e
cclipses win certain amount of ac-
curacy. They arrived ut the rules by
| comparing records made through extern
! s'!rc periods of time. Astronomy is one of
the cavlics: sciences and an offspring of
| aStrnl0ry. away back in the cary
| dawn of civiliza ion, astrology was re-
S1tdcd as \ silence. l is now no m re
than :peculltiGn, although /; still has
| its vo;a.:.cs y fetal eclirrse Of the sun
| also oac'' an opportunity OF detecting
any stray small planes which Nigh; &c
volve between .he sun and mercury