Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-27
TWENTY PAGES.
SUNDAY. MAY 81, 1900.
THE ECLIPSE TOMORROW.

II fair weather favors. the people OF
Norfolk will be favored tomorrow not
merely with the sight of n life time"
but with the sight of all time. since in
the way of the spectacular there is
nothing approaching in sublimity a to-
tal eclipse of the sun. Both for this
reason and because it is pre-eminently
one of the opportunities that will not be
offered a second time 1t will be missed
by few herea bout.
The fact that at the time of totality
the sun will be half way between the
horizon and zenith will make 1t possible
for the observer to stand in any street
running east and west and witness the
eclipse. Since everybody can not get
on the tops of the tall buildings this
will be n great advantage. or course,
from the ground 1t will not be possible
to observe one of the most awe-inspir-
ing phenomena attending the suns OBJ
scuratiop, the on-rush OF the moons
shadow. Only those who are sufficient
ly elevated to command n wide stretch
of country will be able to get the full
benefit of this. This has its compcnsa-
tions. however, as the observer on the
ground can devote his whole attention
to 'the Corona, or halo surrounding the
obscured disk of the sun.
1t should be borne in mind that an
Indispensable adjunct to observing the
eclipse is bit of smoked glass. 1t
would be better for the observer to
provide himself with three such bits
of glass, say four or five inches long
and two or three inches wide They
can be smoked" by holding them over
gas jet or kerosene lamp. One should
be very dark for observing the early
stages OF the eclipse, one medium and
one Iight Tor later Use. The observer
can then take a position where his view
will not be obscured by any near OBJ
ject and the moon will do the rest
For those of Il scientific turn of mind.
Prof. S. p. Langley. of the Smithsonian
Institution, suggests how they may
help science by observing the Shadow
bands" which appear on the ground
and the sides of buildings just before
and just after the total eclipse. All
that is necessary is to procure a piece
bered 1,c, 8 and and spread the cloth on
the ground in any convenient open
space. About three minutes before to-
tality the observer turns his back to
the cloth. If the bands appear. he lays
one stick down in the direction in which
they lie and another in the direction in
which they move. He is then free to
watch the total eclipse After the rim
of the suns disc reappcars he places
the other two sticks in the same way.
The information desired is: % The di-
rection in which the bands lie; Co the
direction in which they move; (3) the
velocity with which they move; 90 the
width of the bands; CO their distance
apart. If the observer desires TO photo
graph the bands he can do so by TO-
cusing a camera on the cloth and using
quick acting plates. An ordinary cam
era or kodak will do.
AS the eclipse begins at 7:41 A. M.
and ends at 1915 there will be plenty of
time for noting all the phenomena of
the partial eclipse. AS the
total eclipse occurs at $3.50 and
lasts but minute and a
half. everything should be in readiness
for observing it. 1t Is hardly necessary
to point out that this minute and a
hall will offer the observer more than
all the rest OF the two hours and "a
minutes OF the eclipse.
-
A Pennsylvania bigamist when ar