The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-05-23
Facts About an Eclipse.
ASTRONOMICAL
EVENT.
Total Solar Eclipse Visible in
the United States May %.
THE SUN WILL LOOK LIKE A
BURNING CANDLE.

N. Y. Commercial Advertiser.
Ga May % Of the present year we
shall have an opportunity to see an
uncommon astronomical occurrence
The sun will be totally eclipsed. and
the event will be visible in parts OF
the United States
Occasionally, as we know, the
moon passes between us aud the sun,
cutting off the ia.ter's light complete
II This we call solar eclipse
Luna eclipses, co the other hand, are
caused by the moons reaching such
. position that the earth is directly
between it and the sun The moon
has no inherent. brilliancy like the
sun it shines only by rejecting
solar light /; and when that Eight IS
eut off, the moon simply s1goes out "
But the sun is self luminous, and is
IN reality Ginning just the same when
undes eclipse as at any other time.
In the former, the moon having sud
denly ceased TO receive or reflect
light, the eclipse is observable wher-
ever the moon, if uneclipsed, would
be visible But at any given moment
We can usually see the moor from
one-half the ea1th's surface Conse-
qneatly, if a lunar eclipse takes place
) majority of the earth's inhabitants
have an opportunity to observe it.
and thus lunar eclipse is something
that almost any person can remember
to have seen But it is very differ
ent with the sun. As we have said.
Ae. continues to give light when
ecli2sed, 80 that it is only iu places
where the sun is actually covered mp
by the noon that he will seem to be
eclipsed. The moon under eclipse
i, like candle that has been extln
guished it is dark from whatever
aide we look at it But the eclipsed
sun is like q burning candle, which
will be invisible 10 him only whose
view is obstructed by the interposi
ton of some Opaque object
That Opaque object is the moon
But she is comparatively small and
cannot render the sun totally invisi
BE from more than tiny circular or
oval spot on the ear,h's surface. In
the eclipse of May % tina. little spot
will be only sbout IS miles wide !;
and if the moon were not In motion
the total phase of the 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 gradually upon
the eartb's surface Thus, instead
of spot, we shail nave long strip
or band about IS miles wide and
by waiting for the right moment. it
will be possible to see totality from
any point within this band The
whole thing is much as though there
were huge pencil, with it's point
touching the earth. and having it's
other end pivoted to the sun. If the
moving moon we're then also attach
ed to this pencil somewhere near the
point, she would draw the pencil
along. and the point would trace out
the eclipse path on the earth Any
one standing in that path could then
look along the peDciI. and at the
proper moment see the moon cover
ing the sun and obecuripg the light
In places situated near this path of
totality. as it is called, we sball be
able to see the eclipse, but not as 3
total one. For euch places the moon
will cover the sun only in part 80
that some of his brilliant surface will
remain in sight The amcunt of 90
scnration always depends upon the
observers nearness to the totalisy
line The nearer he is, the more
nearly total the eclipse will be-
CO Msy 28th the path of totality
begins in the Pacific ocean just wes,
of Mexico There the point Of the
huge pencil we have imagined first
touches our earth 1t then passes
eastward across Mexico, and entering
the United States near New Orleans,
proceeds in nor.heasterly direction
until it leaves the continent cloee to
Norfolk, Va Then it crosses the
Atlantic, touches Portugal. aud after
ward passes across Northern Africa
leaving the earth finally near the
northern end of the Red sea- In this
coultry the cities of New Orleans.
La, Mobile, Ala. montgomery, Ala,
Raleigh, n. c., and Norfolk, We. are
all on the totality path At New
Orleans the sun will be completely
covered at 7 80 M while at Nor
folk this will not happen until 8 So a
m IN the former city totali,y viii!
last IS seconds, aud 10 the latter l02
seconds At intermediate places both
the time and duration of totalty will