Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-05-25
ECLIPSE OF THE sun
That Phenomenon Will Occur Early
On Monday Morning Of Next
Week.
A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE
The Sun Will Be Partially 0bscured In
New Mexico Scientific Explanation
of the Occurrence and How 1t
Should Be Viewed.

ShouAe LIZ :" |
Prepared by the assistant in the
local weather bureau ofice.)
On May 2S the people of the southern
states will have the are opportunity of
seeing the most superb spectacle with
in the whole range of natural phenome-
ma total eclipse of the SUM-. The ordi-
nary observer will see it best without
of any kind, n the
grandeur and beauty of the sight will
linger in his memory for years. To the
professional astronomer seeking the So
luton of important and difficult prob
structure and composition of the sun
the event will be one of intense inter-
est, and will demand the utmost skill
in the use of the most delicate and pow
erful Instruments known to modern as
Economical science. The most impor-
tant observatories throughout the world
will be prepared to study the eclipse
from points of vantage in the United
States or Africa.
AN ECLIPSE EXPLAINED.
The moon, an opaque body, shining
only by reflected light, is always &C
companied by a conical shadow over
24O, 900 miles long. When our satellite
passes exactly between the sun and the
earth the shadow sweeps over the
earth's surface in a curved path. Tina
the time of the occurrence of an eclipse
and the location of the course of the
shadow can be so accurately predicted
is one of the wonders of mathematics.
no an observer within the shadow the
SIM is completely hidden and the
eclipse is total" The path OF totallty
on May 2S begins in the Pacific ocean,
west of Mexico, longitude lit degrees
west of Greenwich, north LATITUDE
about IS degrees, then the shadow
els toward the east, passing through
Mexico, and enters the United States
at New Orleans at 1880 a. M; then II
nroceeds in a northeasterly dire ctlon
over Mobile, Montgomery and Raieigh'
and leaves the United States near Nor
folk, Va, at 1858 a. m. eastern time;
crosses the Atlantic, Spain and A'glers,
and finally leaves the earth at the
northern end of the Red sea, at ~ de-
srees longitude east of Greenwich, n
about 26 degrees north latitude. TIT
greatest length of totality is two MIN
utes and eight seconds. In our south
ern states the duration of the total
nhase varies from one minute and
| twelve seconds at New Orleans to n
minute and forty-two seconds at NOR
| folk. and all the astronomical WORK
must be accomplished during this prle1
ueriod. The width of the shadow pain
varies from about fifty miles at New
| Orleans to sixty miles at NorfolK.
| There will be many parties from TINS
country, and a number from ABROAD
distributed along the path of totally IN
, orr southern states; parties from the
| lick observatory, the University of
| Chicago, Harvard, Columbia, Prince
| ton, University of Pennsylvania. Ma
val observatory and the University OF
| Michigan. Those who car might obtain
| valuable observations in a number OF
ways-by making naked eye sketches OF
the corona and ~prominences; by OBJ
| serving the number and direction or
the moons attraction shadow bands
| Immediately before and after the
e%clinse: by observing the times OF con-
tact with a telescope; and by photo-
! graphing the corona with a camera or
| telescope. %
TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS.
For visual observations careful pro-
vision should be made for shade glasses,
! and for Photographic work the stellar
focus should be found by experiment
ing on the trails of stars. For those
who wish to obtain photographs, from
experience in previous eclipses 1T is sup
nosed that for the rapid Photographic
plates the exposures should be:
For the prominences, 1-60th to l-45th
of a second.
For the inner corona, 10th to 18th
of a second.
For the outer corona, perhaps one
second.
VISIBLE IN NEW MEXICO.
In New Mexico, of course, we shall
see this eclipse as partial, over nine
tenths of the sun being covered. FOL
| Santa Fe the standard times of begin
ming and ending approximately are hVe
hours and %thirty-twO minutes a. m. ana
seven hours and thirty-three minutes
a. m. respectively.
HOW TO OBSERVE THE ECLIPSE.
AS to the best method of observing
the eclipse, the Scientific American has
this to say: while a proper telescope
is desirable, small spy glasses and OPP
era glasses nay be used. Fol- the first
and last contact shade glasses are nec-
essary, The most Objectionable color
for a shade is red; either a neutral tint
or green should be used, and deep blue
is also recommended. The first contact
is a slight indentation in the suns limb,
and it usually attains some size before
the observer, unless he is especially
trained, sees it. The internal contacts,
or beginning and ending of totality, are
phenomena of such definite character
that the instant of their occurrence can
be noted within a small fraction of a
second. For a minute or two before the
predicted time Of second contact the
suns thin and now fast waning cres-
cent should be carefully watched
through a neutral or green shade glass
Presently the crescent will become 9