Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-11
ECLIPSE OF sun APRIL II
Annual Affair Will Be Visible
throughout New England.
when Old Sol Rises the Disk Of the
Moon VIII BeGin Creeping across
His Face-How TO See II
from This Section.

An eclipse OF tHe sun, NiStDic Htie, win
occur April IT. It will not be total
eclipse, but what the astronomers call an
annular eclipse; that Is, the sun will APP
pear when the eclipse is central as a
ring of light.
April \ New England will he the favor
Cd spot in this country for view or
this eclipse. In fact. only in New England
and in Eastern New York state will the
annual eclipse be visible to this coun-
try. In the other Eastern states the sun
after sunrise will be seen partially eclips-
ed the sun for those points OF view
having passed through the annular eclipse
before sunrise.
At Boston and in the New England
states. excepting n portion of Southern
Connecticut. when the sun rises the disk
Of the moon will be seen slowly creeping
across the disk of the sun. The sun VIII
appear as though a scallop Of black were
painted on one side Of 1t.
In a few minutes the disk OF the moon
will be wholly over the face of the sun.
The sun will then appear as n narrow
but distinctly defined rim of white light.
This condition Will last for about four
minutes. Then the disk OF the moon Will
be seen to pass off the other side of
the disk Of the sun. tho eclipse becoming
partial again till the moon Is clear of
the sun.
| A haunting twilight will overspread the
earth, but there will not be the ave-
inspiring darkness that obtains during
total eclipse of the sun and which In
ignorant ages terrified man in the belief
that the world was coming to an end.
! The annular form OF eclipse Of the
sun happens when the shadow Of the
moon, cast as it intervenes between the
sun and the earth, falls short Of reach
! ing the earth. A total eclipse occurs
when the shadow cast by the moon does
reach to the surface Of the EARTH the
spectacle being visible to persons at places
on the earth that are located within the
area where the shadow passes. A penny
held between a half dollar and the eye
and adjusted at a proper distance from
the eye so as to make only the rim of
the half dollar visible. will serve as n
rough Illustration Of how the annular
eclipse happens. bearing in mind that
the sun is a luminous body and casts a
shadow back Of the moon.
The duration of the total eclipse de-
ponds chiefly upon the size OF the shad-
surface that is. upon the nearness Of the
moon to the earth. And similarly upon
the distance of the moon from the earth
depends whether the eclipse will be total
or annular.
A unique feature will attend the COM
ing eclipse Of April II. Though 1t will
be an annular eclipse at all other places
where 1t will be visible. 1t will actually
be a total eclipse at one spot on the
earth. This rare spot Of eclipse totally
Will be on the sea, a short distance north
west of the coast of Spain. On land this
totality will be visible on the very north
west corner Of the peninsula Of Spain
and Portugal.
This results from the fact that. while
the shadow of the moon will not be suffi-
cisntly long to reach the surface of the
earth at sunrise, that particular point
Of the earth during the middle of the
eclipse will be near enough TO the moon
for the shadow to reach It,
But totally will last at that favored
spot on the northwestern point Of Spain
but one and one-half seconds of time.
Some astronomers are planning to OBJ
serve this total eclipse brief though Its
duration will be- The British Astron omi-
cal association will send an expedition via
steamship to observe the phenomenon. q
total eclipse being worth the study even
under unfavorable conditions such as
will attend this one.
But the brief moment during which 1t
will come into View will be source
of anxiety to the observers. Doubtless
| some Of the observers will be fated. after
waiting nerve-racking moments for the
phenomenon OF the corona to make Its
mOmentary appearance. to wink just 1t
docs happen. a misfortune that occurred
to the late Prof. Young OF Princeton uni
versity once when awaiting the arrival
OF h special feature OF a total eclipse.
Al the Harvard Observatory In Cam
bridge a corps OF observers will study
the eclipse and will make drawings and
photographs Of 1t. Similarly observations
will be made at the observatories In
Southern Europe and in Russia located
in the eclipse path. Scores Of amateur
observers In New England Will grasp the
rare opport unity thus afforded of View
ing a sight so unusual here with their
small telescopes.
But the layman with no telescope may
enjoy the sight Of an annular eclipse
on April II, and will find 1t worth look
Ing at. though a view through telescope