The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-08-10
ECLIPSES OF MOON AND SUN
Each Promises to Be of Interest to
Scientists and Astronomers.

4
of the sun and one of the moon,
both of which are visible in the
United States, says the Scientific
American. The lunar eclipse !
comes first on the night of the
18th. 1t is partial, only about (
one-third of the moons diameter j
being immersed in the shadow. /
The moon enters the penumbra at |
500 P. NJ, Eastern standard time |
that is, at the moment an OBJ /
server stationed at the proper
part of the moon would first see
the sun begin to disappear behind
the earth. But it will not be till |
some time later that the darkening
of the moons southern limb will
be apparent to the eye.
At 9.39 P. NJ. the moon enters
the earth's shadow proper, from
which all direct sunlight is ex-
cluded, and she continues to press
further into it for an hour and
then gradually moves out of it
again, leaving it altogether at II4I,
and gets clear of the penum
bra at I,I2 A. NJ.
This eclipse is therefore very
conveniently observable in one
part of the world, but little infor-
nation of scientific valne can be
anticipated from it, thanks to
the fact that the earth's atmos-
phere prevents the edge of the
shadow from being sharply de
fined so that it is impossible to
tell with any degree of accuracy
when it reaches any given spot
on the moon.
Far more important is the solar
eclipse on the 3oth, which is one
CT the most interesting ones for
many years. 1t is a total eclipse
of pretty long duration, and the
line Of central eclipse passes
through several regions which are
conviently accessible for observing
parties.
The eslipse is total at sunrise in
Manitoba, just north Of the United
States boundary. Thence the
shadow sweeps eastward across
Canada, north of the settled dis
triCts, and comes out on the Labra.
Dor coast. 1t turns somewhat tc
the southwark as it crosses the At.
lantiC and reaches land again on the
Spanish coastnear Cape Finisterr e
Crossing Spain the shadow ira
verses the Mediterranean, passes
near Tunis; enters the African des-
ert, passes over the Nile near AS
suan, and finally bids farewell tc
to the earth somewhere in Arabia
less than three hours after it began
in Canada. The duration of the
total phase is the greatest in Spain
where it is about three and three
quarters minutes, while it is abou
two and one-half minutes in Lab
rador, and a little less than three
minutes in Egypt.
Several parties of. at+onomers
are going to Labrador, and many
more to stations in Spain and Al
geria, so that goodly store of OBJ
} servations may be expected, i
! only the weather behaves as wei
as it did in 1900, when the tract
! Of the shadow on the European
side Of the ocean was almost the
same as at present.
! Weather permitting a great dea
of spectroscopic and other infor
! nation about the suns surround
ing will undoubtedly be obtained
! Perhaps the most interesting OBJ
( servations from an amateur
: standpoint are those that will b
in the search for a possible small
planet near the sun than Mercur.
!. by photography of the whole re
gion of the sky near the eclipse
v sun. This has been done at sew
y eral recent eclipses without result
d only known stars being found o
the plates; but the brilliant sue
" cess of the Photographic method
Y in finding new satellites make
i, one feel that the search for an III