The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-21
ECLIPSE NEXT MAY
TT WILL BE THE GREAT AsTRO-
NOEIICAL EVENT OF THE
YEAR 1900
TOTAL IN SOUTHERN STATES

Face of the Sun Will Be Darlened
as Viewed by the People From
Raleigh to New OrIeans-AstrOnO-
mers Making Preparations Al
ready to Observe the Phenomena
Which May Be Presented.
The astronomical event of 1900 will be
a total eclipse of the. sun, which occurs
on May %, and will be visible through
the Southern states. The central path
way of darkness, wherein the eclipse will
be total, is fifty-five miles wide and ex-
tends from New Orleans to Raleigh, and
after leaving Virginia trails over the At
lantic ocean and southwesterly across
Portugal, Spain and Northern Africa
The duration Of total eclipse varies from
one minute and fifteen seconds in Louis
lana to one minute and forty-fve sec
: onds In North Carolina. Along the lines
on each side of the central line the sun
will remain hidden for only an instant.
Astronomers are making arrangements to
observe this glorious spectacle, and it is
to be hoped that their efforts may be
crowned with success
A total eclipse of the sun takes place
when the moon, coming between the sun
q and the earth, hides the light of the sun
and causes darkness for few moments
wherever. the shadow trails. The moon
being an Opaque body casts a shadow,
and. since the moon Is a sphere the
shadow presents the appearance of a long,
/ narrow cone stretching away into space.
The tip of the shadow trails eastwardly
along the earth, and as the earth is NOV
ing in the same direction the tip of the
shadow may be compared to the point
of q lead pencil marking a line on whirl-
! ing ball representing the earth.
4 The densest part of the shadow, where
z in the eclipse Is total, IS called the UNI
bra and rarely exceeds 100 miles In width,
while on each side of it is less dense
shades, from which the suns light Is.
only partly hidden, and this is called the
penumbra. The shadow glides through.
space at rate exceeding 1000 miles an
hour and as the earth is turning or ro-
tating in the same direction at the rate of
+ 1 900 miles an hour the greatest velocity
< of the moon 8 shadow will be 1000 miles
+ an hour To an observer the shadow
seemssto advance with lightning rapidly,
E ana some times it seems to travel in wavy
/ bands, the waves being a few 1inches
e broad and several feet apart, rushing,
along with sthe velocity of an express
train.
IMPRESSIVE SHADOW.
Prof. Langley in his New Astronomy"
gives an account of an observer who de-
scribes the terrifying advance of the
j shadow as OVERWHELMING He was on the
+ Superba, at Turin, at the time, and he
y remarks, II felt almost g1ddy for mo-
ment, as if the massive building under
y me bowed on the side Of the coming
+ shadow"
\ Frequently the effect upon the beholder
Is of something material sweeping over
the earth from the west and with con-
siderable speed. Another observer said
: that at the approach of the waves OF
shadow he found himself listening for
the rushing noise of a mighty wind. 1t
has also been noticed that the shadows
of the leaves are sickle shaped during the
Il waning light Of thess sun just before to-
tally.
While awe-inspiring, vet a total eclipse
of the sun isJmos impressive, with. the
swift onrush of darkness from the west
the Pickering CULVER OF the last expiring
CLEANS of sunlight and the sudden fail
of night when the silvery radiance OF the
corona, or crown of glory, surrounding
the sun becomes visible, the dazzling
glare of that fuminary being hidden by
the dark globe of the moon.
AS the moon approaches the point when
it will be exactly between the sun ara
the earth peculiar darkness creeps over
that part of the earth in the neishbor-
hood of the shadow, and the light of the
sun grows dim The sky assumes an
ashen hue as before a storm, and the
air becomes decidedly chilly. Flowers
close their petals, as at night, and others
that give forth their fragrance at night
are sweeely perceptible as long as the
sun is obscured Even the birds are de-
ceived by the unusual appearance OF the
sky. and fly home to their nests in the
trees
A story is told about an unruly cow
accustomed to break into a meadow at
night, and was found there after the
eclipse was over. A man hearing Of this
FASTENED to the barn in great excitement
to see what the chickens were doing,
but they were apparently too busy to
observe astronomical phenomena and
were calmly pecking away as though
nothing in particular had happened. But
the eclipse. was over by this time and
the sun shining brightly as ever. How
over eclipScs, as rule, cause Tear IN tho
animal kingdom, and the writer can well
remember while awaiting view of the
total eclipse of the sun from the deck OF
the steamship Ohio, on the morning OF
Aug. g. 1896, the shrill cries of the sea-
eulls. which had been circling around our
Ship as they flew away. affrighted by
the approaching darkness.
ECLIPSE IN DETAIL.
On this memorable occasion the Ohio
occupied a position off the western coast
of Norway near the Kunnen promontory.
and twenty miles south of the Lofaden
islands. When we fastened on deck on
the morning of Aug. our first chances
were directed toward the sky, which was
blue and clear Of clouds save for Few
feecy white ones edged with the palest
mink, while behind the intervening nllls
CLEANED rosy light merged in the golo-
en- mist of sunrise Although 1t was only
2 o'clock in the morning the sun had al
ready risen three or four degrees above
The horizon, for We were In the Arcue
regions during the long summer days IN
the Land of the Midnight Sun. The
mountains on the Kunnen promontory
were sharply outlined against the clear
h,ua sky, while tho distant mountains
on the mainland were merged in a soft.
misty haze Omnibus gray clouds were
IN the west, but, fortunately for us, they
remained there until the eclipse was over.
About 3 o'clock Greenwich mean time)
wc noticed a black notch on the upper
right side Of the suns disk. This was
the moon, which soon became plainly VS.
ib,e to all who were observing II WIN
r.A1 lNAtNn a