The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-08-26
O7Tespondence Baltimore County luton.
"A COMING ECLIPsE
HrRRvrrIr Mn A,o,st ood 100

HEBBvILLE, Nd, August ed, 1905.
Messrs. Editors: - One of natures grandest
phenomena is total eclipse of the sun. AS
such an phenomenon will occur in few days,
an account of it may be of interest to the reader
On August 30th the sun will be totally eclipsed,
but unfortunately the path of totality will be
many miles distant from us and we will have but
partial eclipse, lasting about two hours. Asis
generally known, a solar eclipse is caused by the
moon coming between the sun and earth and in
tercepting all or part of his light, according to
the relative position of the moon and earth AS
the moons motion is always eastward it is evil
dent that its shadow and partial shadow must
always move in this direction. It begins at sun
rise and travels eastward until it meets darkness
where it leaves the earth.
In the eclipse of the Both inst the first point on
the earth's surface where the sun and moon are
in contact at sunrise is in longitude 76o 20 W.,
latitude 370 30 N, which point is quite near the
historic city of Yorktown, Va. The shadow
path will begin near the city of Winnipeg, British
America, and move nearly eastward to the coast
of Labrador, where it passes into the Atlantic
ocean. After crossing the Atlantic it passes
through Northern Spain, the Mediterranean sea,
Northern Africa and ends on the south coast of
Arabia. For distance of more than fifty miles
on both sides from the central line of this path
the sun will be totally eclipsed totality lasting
about three minutes on the central line. The
time the shadow will take to traverse this path
will be about three hours, so the eclipse will be
entirely over in America before it begins in
Eastern Africa. In our State we will have
partial eclipse, beginning at sunrise and ending
between and O'Clock.
A total eclipse of the sun is most magnif
cent spectacle and leaves Impressions that will
last through life 1t was the writer's privilege
to witness the total phase at Norfolk, Va. of the
great eclipse of May 18th, 1900 AS the sun's disc
was gradually reduced to a slender crescent all
mature seemed to take on an unearthly aspect,
aud as the moons shadow rushed towards us at
speed of about mile in two seconds we were
whelmed in darkness in broad daylight. The
darkness was not that of night. 1 cannot de-
scribe it. The sun was of inky blackness while
the beautiful corona with its splendid streamers
flashing out in all directions from the hidden sun
added to the loveliness of the scene, while few
degrees away was the planet Mercury in its
brillancy, doing its best to make up for the APP
parently dethroned lord of day.
Total eclipses of the sun are of very rare
currence in any one place. Although one oc-
ours nearly every year the portion of the earth's
surface where it is visible is small that centu
ries may elapse before another will occur at the
same place. The next total eclipse that will be
visible anywhere in the United States will occur
June 9Th, 1915 when the shadow path will cross
our country from Oregon to Florida late in the
afternoon. On the central line of this path the
sun will be totally eclipsed for two minutes.
Perhaps some who may read this will be in
terested to know that total eclipse will be Wis
ible right here if we live long enough to witness
| it. I fear, however, that none of my readers
- - e "a z
A. D. 2O24, April 10Th. On that date the shadow
path will begin in Texas and move northeast,
passing the cities of Washington, Baltimore,
Philadelphia New York and Boston and out
into the Atlantic ocean, In our locality the sun
will be totally eclipsed for three minutes about
one hour after sunrise. Although little or no
interest can be tax, n in this far-off darkening,
it is just as sure to as the eclipse of next
| Wednesday morning. ]. B. Fl.