Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-07-25
LUNAR ECLIPSE
HAS NO INTEREST
SCIENTIFIC VALUE AMOUNTS TO
NOTHING
Solar Observatory People Did Not
Know There Was to Be an
Eclipse-Laymen Do the
Rubbering
Pasadena Agency,
n North Raymond Avenue.
Phones: Sunset 1907, Home 2124.

| PASADENA, July 24.-No account OF
the partial eclipse of the moon tonight
is being taken by the scientists in
the solar observatory on Wilson's peak
Prof. G. w. Ritchey, asked If there was
not an eclipse of the moon, said: Eyes
They are of frequent occurrence"
When asked whether he would take
any observations of the phenomenon he
said he would not, as he is too busy
with construction work just now to give
any attention to lunar eclipse.
A member of the observatory staff or
top of Mount Wilson, when asked abou
the matter, said he had not even though
of there being an eclipse tonight unit
his attention was directed to it. No OBJ
servations at all would be taken from
the peak, he said, because a lunar
eclipse. especially partial one as this
is, has absolutely no scientific Interest
to an astronomer. 1t is very different
from an eclipse of the sun, which is al
ways full of interest for the scientist.
An eclipse of the moon is caused by the
moon passing wholly or partly through
the shadow of the earth, and as all its
light is reflected from the sun the por-
tions in the earths shadow appear
eclipsed. But the moon is better studied
through a telescope when it is lighted
by the suns rays than when it is in
shadow. Its light is never brilliant at any
time.
Sun Eclipse Different
Wholly different is an eclipse of the
SUM- This planet has a brilliant glow
from it's own heated mass that makes
telescope study near to its surface prac-
tically impossible under ordinary con-
ditions on account of the powerful light
The sun Is eclpsed when the moon comes
between the observer and the earth. This
obscures part of the brilliant illumina-
ton from the great origin of light and
provides favorable opportunity for as
Economical study by the use of telescopes
in the region about the sun. These are
given as the reasons why so great in
terest is attached by astronomers to an
eclipse of the sun and so little to lunar
eclipse.
while astronomers are Indifferent to
the eclipse, it's occurrence at such IA
vorable hour for observation make it of
more than ordinary interest to the lay
man who has never ceased to rubber"
with a sertain degree of awe on these &C.
casions since Columbus gained the rever-
ence of the natives of the West Indian
island by foretelling the time of total
eclipse of the moon.
The eclipse tonight is visible wherever
the moon is in view at the hours of the
shadows duration. The moon arose IN
shadow here and Pasadenans had fine
view, the atmosphere being clear.
Computed by standard time on the Pa
cifc coast the schedule of the eclipse is
as follows: Moon enters penumbra at 5
hours 5S.7 minutes p m. Moon enters
shadow at hours 03,7 minutes Moon
energies from shadow at hours and 22.4
minutes. Moon energies from penumbra
at 9 hours Al minutes. Total duration
of eclipse, hours 42.4 minutes. Magni-
tude of eclipse, siXty-two one-hundredths
of the moons surface.
This is the fourth and last eclipse for
the year 1907 and the. only one visible
here. The others were two eclipses of the
sun and one of the moon, all visible In
this part of the western hemisphere.