The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-05-23
AN UNUSUAL. EYENI.
Total Eclipse Of the Sun on Next
Monday Morning
IT OCCURS AT 8 O'CLOCK
And Lasts About Two and Halt
Hours The Beautiful
Crown Of lhe Fiery
OBJ.

have an opportunity 10 see an uncom-
mon astronomical occurrence. The sun
will be totally eclip=ed, and the event
will be visible il parts of the United
States. Occasionally, as We know, the
moon passes between US and the SUP,
cutting of the lstter's light completely.
This We call solar eclipse. Lunar
eclipses, On the other baud, are caused
by the moons reaching such a position
that the earth is directly between 1t
and the sun. The moon mas no inher
ent brilliancy like the suu; it shines
ouly by rejecting solar light; and when
that light is cut of, the moon simply
goes out. But the sun is self lumin-
Gus, and is i1 reality shining just the
sane when under eclipse as at any other
time. Thus We arrive st this funda-
mental difference between lunar and
solar eclipses. In the former, the moon
having suadealy ceased tc receive or
reject light. the eclipse is observable
wherever the moon, if uneclipsed,
would be visible. But st sny given
moment We can usually see the moon
from one-balf Of the carths surface
Consequently, if lunar eclipse takes
place, majority of the earih's lnhsbl
rants have an opportunity to observe 1t,
and thus lunar eclipse IS something
that almost any person can remember
TO have seen. But it is very different
with the sun. As We have said, he
continues to give light when eclipsed,
so that it is only io places where the
sun is actually covered by the moon
that he will seem to be cclipsee. The
moon under eclipse is like candle ex-
tiDguisbed; it is dark from whatever
side We look st it. But the ecllpseo
sun is like burning candle, which will
be invisible to him Only whose view IS
obstructed by the interposition OF some
opaque object.
That opaoue object is the moon, but
she is comparatively small, and cannot
render the sun totally invisible frem
more than tiny circular or oval spot
Oh the ear.h's surface. In the eclipse
of next Monday that little spot will be
only about Is miles wide; and if the
moon were not in motion, the total
eclipse could be seen nowhere else.
But the moon is travelling all the time
through space in its orbit around the
earth. So the little spot is moving,
too, and changing its position gradual
IL unon the earths ss-fsce. Thus. io-
stead Of spot, we shall have long
strip CT band about IS miles wide; ard
by waiting for the right moment, 1t Elli
be possible to see lo,ality from any
point within this ba,d. The whole
thing is much as though there were
huge pencil, with lis point touching
the earth, and having It's other end plv-
oted to the sun. It the moving moon
we're also attached to this pencil some
where near the point, she would draw
the pencil along, and the foiDt would
trace out the eclipse path on our earth;
Anyone standing in that path could
then look along the pencil, and the
proper moment see the moon covering
the sun, AID obscuriDg the light. Ia
places situated near this path Of totali-
~, as it is called, We shall be able 10
see the ECLIPSE, but not as total one.
For such places the moon will cover the
sun only in part, SO that some Of his
brilliant surface will remain in sight.
The amount Of observation always de
pends upon the observers S nearness to
the totality liue. The nea1er he is, the
more nearly total the eclipse will be.
On next Monday the path OF totality
begins in the Pacific ocean just west Of
Mexico. rhere the point Of the huge
pencil We have imagined first touches
our earth. It then passes eastward
across Mexico, and entering the United
States near New Orleans, proceeds in
northessterly direction unit! 1t leaves
the continent close to Norfolk, Va.
Then it crosses the Atlantic, touches
Portugal, and afterwards passes across
northern Africa, leaving the earth 6n-
ally near the northern end Of the Red
Sea. In this country the cities Of New
Ocleans, La; Mobile, Ala Raleigh,
n. c., and Norfolk Va. are all on the
to,ality path. AtNew Orleans the sun
will be completely covered at 7:30 a.
H., while at Norfolk this will not hap
pen until S SO 70. In the former
city totslity will last 75 seconds, and
in the latter, l02 seconds. At inter
mediate places both the time and dura-
,ion of totali,y will fall between these
extreme values. For places nearer to
New OrlesDs than Norfolk the numbers
Will be nearer those given for New Or
leans, and vice versa.
Having thus explained the ciIcum-
stances Of this eclipse, we shall now
touch upon s1me Of the interesting
things that will be seen, if the sky is
clear Total solar elipses appeal equally
II the general public and 10 the profes-
s;onal astronomer. On the one hand,
thew present the most superb spectacle
vi,hin the whole range Of astronomy;
and on the ether, they Offer the best
onDortunisy to study the mysterious
structure and composition Of our sun.
One Of the things to which astronomers
attach importance is the accurate, OBJ
serva,ion Of the times Of beginning and
ending Of the eclipse 1t is easy to see
that The mathematical considerations
upon which are based our theories Of
lunar motion will be put to very Sc
we're test in predicting the exact instant
when the sun will be covered up By the
moon. If observation agrees with pre-
diction, we have tie strongest corrobo..
-a,;ve evidence Of the correctness OF
onr tbeory asd of our numerical calcu-
Iatiops. On the other hand, if it be
found that the predictions are slightly
in error, the amount Of that error
can be determined By o6seTVa
ton. and mathematical theory thus
corrected for the benefit Of future pre-