The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-08

ows against the skr an'! /" iakr M
ont IN space Il position suitable for the
purpose. wc ,hould rrrsivr at 10th
the raril and tlo nnun ca-, behind
them vast blar, cone, pointed away
lroulihc ~uu il.l cmmon source of
illuiDiunti.u Nplli -, MEASURE these
colc~ So Scala liu! bat be lalow
of flc p..rih i ~lVU UJD inil,-. au.l that
the -h@'inA If tie morr i DIS .OOn
mil ir av,r..r l.naih The moon.
path iir from iri.r cxac,ly cirrg
cnlar. l. i rilipli-ai. or egg slal
81 lliai willie ,hr i>taucc whicl.
alatc l!n chril, anl moon from I,
otLcr * raleS 2ip.UOD miles. t.ri. ....t
day, when She is only 2l2 Onp i.,,.
away. and other days when -hri =,
FAR OH a~ 2o2 900 miles. a 'ii!l.ri.crnf
3O,oJV miles And ,h- he reason
that. t. he naked eye orr satellite Il,
times appears to be lll.rr u smaller
than at other t:m,- Any one who
follows her through IL sufficient mum
Der OF lunation, viii detect not only
these but other interesting diircrcn-
ccs, and will notice that She never
"fulls twicr in the same part Of the
sky, because she is constantly chang
ing her position by rising or falling
from night to night. thus passing, as
it were. every month. .hroIg'; many
degrees Of north and south dcclina-
ton. And it will be further observed
that. in obedience to some law, the
mnnr !" ~" "l'n,:lrl, becomes full at
ar meas Il. inn"s, ,,int as she hangs
over Ne SnI,i., hnriZOn, and in our
Winters =; t,r highest point over our
heads, thus providcntally aTorlng
light to that pole, for the time being,
most in need of it. An eclipse OF the
sun visible to us can occur only wien
the moon is new, that is, when she
passes exactly between us and the sun.
just as one might pass his ccnchcd
hand from right to left between his
face and Il lighted lamp. Now, if an
eclipse happen when She is at her
least distance, 22O 900 miles, from us,
and, therefore apparently greatest in
diameter, the apex or point of her
shadow.conc will come in contact with
the surface Of the earth, and BE- brok
en- Oft to the extent Of some thousands
OF miles. If, however, one happens
when the moon is at her greatest dis
tancc, 252 600 miles from us, and,
therefore, apparently least in diane
ter, the apex Of the shadow will pass
over our heads at Il distance Of many
thousands Of miles, and somewhat af-
ter the fashion Of balloon floating by
at considerable height. In the first
instance, the eclipse will be total
along tho path more or less curved,
over which the broken shadow travels,
because the moon will be large enough
to hide the sun. In the second, the
eclipse will be annular, because the
moon will have been, by her distance,
apparently diminished to that degree
that at no instant while she is cross
ing the solar disk, can she completely
obscure it, for around her coal-black
body will blaze ring Of the white hot
sun.
OF the stupendous scale Of total
eclipscs, moon-cast shadow -appari-
tions are impressive and awful to the
last degree; they arc phenomena nevc
forgotten by those WHO see them.
Than Prof. Langley there is no better
authority, he having observed three.
No wonder he declares that repetition
does not dull the interest, and that
total eclipse Of the sun is worth
journey round tho world to behold.
For the purpose Of observing these
phenomena, scientific men and women
do not hesitate, literally, to so to the
ends cs the earth. Especially prom
ising eclipses have found enthusiastic
observers on the steppcs of Russia,
tho wastes Of Asia, the inhospitable
shores Of Africa, the peaks of the
Andes, the lonely rocks in mid Pacif
ic. The total phase is the only por-
tion of solar eclipse Of the slightest
value to astronomers Or solar physi-
cists, or, indeed, Of real interest to the
mere sight-sccr, and this phase, under
the best possible conditions, cannot at
any one place last so long as eight
minutes; commonly, the duration
does not exceed three minutes. Not
withstanding this, and the chance Of
complete failure, owing to the pres
cncc of clouds, costly expeditions are
from year to year fitted out by govern
mnnts ohonruNforina ennintins nnd