The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-26

Tho following article on the eclipse OIL
the sun next Monday morning is taken
from the Baltimore Sun. The diner-
nuce IN time between Baltimore and
Wheclins is about seyentecn minutes
which win make the flrst point Of con-
traction in this city about s a. m:
widespread interest is being shown in
the coming great astronomical spacta-
Gle, the sun In eclipse, which Will be
seen May IS. The belt Of totally In the
United tsatcs-that Is, the area within
which ths ccllpge will be total--ls shown
a the map by three parallel lines.
This belt begins at Atchafalaya Bay
on the southern coast of Louisiana and
nretehes through Louisiana, MlssIssip-
- Alabama, Georgia. South Carolina,
North Carolina and southern Virginia.
1t passes into the ocean altar covering
Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News,
Virginia Beach and places in their i'm
mediate vicinity. Before touching the
United states the path of tdtality ex-
tends across Northern Mexico. From
Norfolk and It's neieAborhood the path
crosses the Atlantic to western Portu-
gal and Algiers and ends at sunset near
the Red sea.
Astronomers from all overAthis coun-
try are talSIng up stations within the
path so as to observe the eclipse at Its
best, A number OF sightseers have
planned to so to Norfolk and other con-
vanient places where the spectacle Will
u finest.
The most interesting phenomena OF
the ecllpse-the suns outer atmosphere,
the corona: Its lower atmosphere. the
chronomsphere; the red flame or promi-
pences, and the moons shadow bands
can only be seen when the sun is wholly
obscured.
In Baltimore the shadow Will begin
about 40 minutes past O'Clock in the
morning, approaching. as shown in the
figure, at the southwestern Limb of the
sun.
When the lunar eclipse occurs the
moon overtakes the shadow of the
earth, and her eastern limb enters the
shadow flrs.. SO a lunar eclipse always
begins on the cast side and ends on the
western side In a solar eclipse, how
ever. the moon. in her eastward motion,
overtakes the sun and conceals the
western limb first, SO a solar eclipse be-
gins on the west side Of the sun and
ends on the east side.
The last contact, as seen by observers
IN Baltimore. win occur at II minutes
past 10 o'clock AT places in Maryland
west Of baltimore, the contacts will be
made slightly earlier; at places more
easterly, little later. The time of max
;mum phase viii be at 81 minutes past
s. at which time, as shown in the figure,
81 of the SUMS surface will be obscured
to observets in Baltimore, the amount
decreasing as the latitude Of Norfolk is
approached.
The position angles which will be use
full 10 workers with the telescope will
be 25s degrees for the first contact and
80 degrees for the fourth contact, the
angles as shown in the diagram being
measured from the north point OF the
suns disk toward tbs east.
Persons out of the path Of totally will
be able to observe four contacts. OBJ
seryations of the internal contacts can
be utilized in computation without a
knowledge of the error of the time
piece, but with the external contacts
they will be Of no value unless the err
ror is accurately known by Washington
or local time.
The observer should see that the
minute and second hands of his watch
agree and then from to-day until May
Is should compare 1t with a standard
chronometer at noon each day, careful
~. noting the difference in time. The
times Of the contacts without any cor
rection and description. OF the local.
ity where they were taken, with refer
ence to the nearest prominent land
marks, may be sent to the naval obser-
vatory.
Amateur photographers may try their
skin in securing pictures of the points
Of contact. Telescopes used should be
held firmly at each end, to be perfectly
steady. and the exposure previously
tested upon a bright star of the second
magnitude. Any good lens in a light
tight tube win do II the motion of the
sun and the Photographic focal plane
are carefully determined, and the time
exposures may be short.
Exceedingly slow development OF the
picture inter the eclipse is n requisite.
The average possessor OF camera can
net good results without telescope by
simply mounting his instrument so as
TO be stationary and carefully directing
X to the sun with a snapshot exposure
In viewing the eclipse small spy