The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-05-25

troscopc and camera, thousands OF
eyes viii nctc things which perhaps
have not before been described as visi.
bic or as occurring during total
eclipse.
Here is ihc reply given hy Professor
Burnham Of Chicago. when asked by
budding astronomer for advice as to
the best Instruments to use during the
coming eclipse. He said:
Use the most valuable instrument
God ever gave yoU-your eye. Watch
the effect of the strange phenomenon
Oh nature, and learn a lesson in her
laws that you'll never forget, sir; nev.
er forget"
Some details OF the eclipse which are
of interest are as follows: The track OF
tOta!ity begins on the Pacific ocean just
west of Mexico lit sunrise, trends due
eastward over Mexico, enters the Unit.
ed States very near New Orleans, eX-
tends northcastward over Mobile and
Montgomery, near Atlanta, over Raj.
cigh, and leaves this country in the re.
gion of Norfolk and Cape Henry. 1t
then crosses the Atlantic ocean and
touches Europe at Coimbra, Portugal
takes in .Algicrs and northern Africa,
! terminating near the northern end of
the Red sea at sunset.
The eclipse. therefore, may be obscrv.
ed in the United States in the morning
hours from about T:2O to 9 o'clock, and
in Spain and Africa in the afternoon
after 4.
The local hour Of totality increases
! from west to east, beginning at 1:27 a.
H., near New Orleans, ana growing lat.
| er to $50 near Norfolk, as the shadow
sweeps over the country. The duration
! of tOtality is l minute and 13 seconds
| near New Orleans and minute and 10
| seconds near Norfolk. This fact con-
! stitutcs Il powerful argument in favor
! of locating the stations as far east.
ward as possible in North Carolina and
! Virginia, since the gain Of half q min.
ute is made in the duration Of totality,
! which is important when every Sec
ond is precious for observations.
! Scientific men have made elaborate
| preparations for observing the eclipse.
! The United States government will
have two stations, and every big col
| lcge in the country will have its ap-
paratus located somewhere in the track
| VI tIc IlOOli SfdNO". iOIu -Nc" vi
leans to Norfolk there will be an al
most continuous line of telescopes and
cameras pointed skyward. To n man
in Il balloon it would look as IL we were
planning for q fight with Mars.
The amateur photographers who are
q legion in themselves, will be out in
full force. They are spurrcd on by the
knowledge that the most successful
photograph OF the suns corona was
| taken by an amateur. This amateur
was Mrs. Maundcr, wife of an English
astronomer, who accompanied her hus
band to India to witness the solar
eclipse Of 1898. She used n DallmeyeI
stigmatic lens OF 1ia inches aperture
and inches focal length.
The silvery white halo of the corona
which looks as If 1t belonged to the
moon, is the most impressive cbjec
seen during an eclipse. Portions Of th'
corona unqucstionably extend severa
million miles from the body that 1t sur
rounds. The structure Of This envelop
cxcitcs wonder even in the inexperl
enccd observer, but it is made the sub
ject of careful research by the scien
| tist.
Down at the base of the snow whit
corona lies n crimson ocean of hydro
gen, heiium and other gases. 1t
called the chromosphere. Langley
Young and other experts say it is abou
5000 or 5000 miles deep. Up fror
this rose red, or blood red, sea at time
!, rise cloudlikc prominences over 10000
: miles high. Young has seen one swif
5 iy grow to an altitude of 100000 mile
! With spectroscope it is now possib
, for the astronomer to study the solf
chromosphcre and prominences at
D most any time, but the amateur can Sc
: them only during total eclipse.
: After it is all over, perhaps the n
+ trmomcrs may tell us the answers
c many questions about the corona whit
as yet have never been answered. The
g may also have news Of Vulcan, th
y mysterious star, that lost world, whit
is supposed to exist somewhere b
tween tho sun and Mercuxx.