Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-05-23
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.
Rare Spectacular Celestial Phenom,
enOn.
TO OCCUR ON THE 18TH INST,
The Path and Duration of TotaIity-
Where Observations VIII be Made
bv Scientists.

Washington, d. c., Special.-The
forth coming total eclipse OF the sun on
May 2S. is attracting worldwide atten-
tion. and astronomers everywhere have
long been making preparations for OBJ
serving and photographing the phe-
nomenon. Besides making the usual
time observations, interest largely CEN
ters in photographing the corona. the
coronal streamers, the spectra of tho
chromosphere. and particularly the cell
ebrated fash spectrum appearing both
at beginning and end OF totality. For
tunately it will he possible to witness
the phenomenon from many sections OF
the United States.
The johns Hopkins University eXpe
'itions TO observe the solar eclipse will
work in unison with the United States
Naval Observatory and under the SUI
pervision of the latter. The observa-
tories OF the Naval Observatory will be
divided among five parties. AT Pine
hurst. n. c.. there will be four astron-
omers from Washington. under the di-
rection of Professor Skinner; the Johns
Hopkins party from the Coast and
Goedetic Survey. under Professor G. a.
bauer. At Griffin. Ga. there will be
one Naval Observatory party. consist
ing of DR.. l.. S. Mitchell. OF Columbia
University; Professor Henry Crew and
DR.. Tatall. CT the Northwestern Univer-
Sity OF Virginia. and l.. r. Jewell. Of
the Johns Hopkins University: Profess
Sor :. j. Brown, Astronomical Direc-
tor OF the Naval Observatory. will CON
duet observations at Barnesville. Ga.
The colleges and universities of the
country will be we'll represented. EX-
peditions will be dispatched by Har-
ward. Yale, Columbia, Princeton, the
University of Pennsylvania, the Uni
versity of Virginia, the University OF
Chicago, etc.
On May 2S the circular shadow of the
moon cast by the sun upon the earth.
and about eighty miles in diameter.
viii come sweeping across the Ameri-
can continent from New Orleans to
Cape Henry. Along the centre of the
path Travelled by this swiftly moving
shadow the sun will be completely hid
Gen for d period Of about two minutes.
More than forty miles away, on either
side OF the track the eclipse will he
partial, not total.
IN eclipse of the sun that will be Wis
ihle can occur only when the moon is
new. At that time she passes exactly
between the earth and the sun. Ac-
Vording to the calculations of Profess
sor Lumslen. the round black shadow
in out OF space some time after sun
rise ON the morning of May 2S. This
gigantic arm will come into contact
with the earth somewhere near the
Revilla Gigedo islands in the Pacific
ocean. With tremendous velocity the
shadow Will rush toward the mainland
and will enter Mexico. near Corrientes.
at speed of more than 100 miles a
minute In eight minutes it will have
crossed the Rocky Mountains, and by
1880 central or 80 eastern time it will
have crossed the Gulf and entered
Mexico Then on it will pass, over its
selected path. until it is lost again in
space.
The period OF totality of the eclipse
varies at different points along the
track. At the Rocky Mountains the
spectacle will last but about thirty sec
ends, and at New Orleans the period
will have been heightened thirty y-sev-
en- seconds. AT Union Point, Green
county. Ga. the centre of the path for
tho United States, tho time of tality
will be niney-two seconds, while those
who arc at the Atlantic coast, just
south OF the city OF Norfolk, will ne
able to continue their observations for
l05 seconds