The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-08-20
WAR MAY PREVENT
ECLIPSE OBSERVATION
NOT VISIBLE IN AMERICA Elk
CEPT IN NORTHWEST IN
STRIP IS MILES WIDE.

Washington, D. c., Aug 20.-The
eclipse of the sun tomorrow-total in
part of Europe and Asia and part
eclipse in northwestern America-has
been attracting widespread attention
among astronomers and scientists, but
now it is feared that the European
war will seriously interfere with, even
if it does not entirely prevent the OBJ
servations which the scientists had
planned to make of the phenomenon.
The eclipse will be observable
along line extending from Alsteno,
on the west coast of Norway, through
Hernosand, on the Swedish coast, Riga
on the Baltic, Minsk and Kiev in CEN
trail Russia, and leaving Europe at
Theodosia on the Crimean coast.
Many scientific expeditions had been
planned to observe the eclipse. The
most of these expeditions were de-
signed to take their observations from
points in Russia, where the duration
of totality will be longest. Under
existing conditions it will of course
be impossible for the scientists of
other lands to visit Russia at the pres
ent time. At the present time 1t will
be almost equally impossible for. the
scientists to change the base of their
operations to the Scandinavian penin-
sula, for the reason that weeks of
preparations are necessary to set up
their instruments and make other
necessary preparations. The difficult
ty of reaching Norway and Sweden at
the present time is so great that it is
unlikely that any expeditions to those
countries will be undertaken. In view
of the existing circumstances 1t is
probable that no noteworthy observa-
ton will be made of the eclipse, with
the possible exception of those that
may be made by the Russian astron-
omers themselves.
Before the outbreak of the war near
| ly all civilized countries were prepar-
ing expeditions for the study of the
eclipse, and a number of private ex-
petitions were also being fitted out.
AS previously stated the most of them
had chosen Russia for their goal.
Among other German cities, Hamburg
was fitting out an expedition, while
second one subsidized by the Prussian
State, was being planned by Professor
Miethe of the Charlottenburg Techni-
cal School.
Moon Passes Between Earth And SUM-
In England steamboat parties were
being made up to view the eclipse
from Alsteno and Riga, and from the
fact of the eclipse coming in the holt
day season it was expected that
great numbers of sigthseers would
| avail themselves of the opportunity,
which will not recur in Europe till
1927.
Professor C. G. Abbott, head of the
astronomical branch of the Smith
SOuldu luSIltlOu, anu d iOooShiNOu ~
thority on solar phenomena, gives the
following account of the eclipse and
the scientific results sought from sucf
: events.
Tomorrow the moon will pass exact
ly between the earth and the sun, ant
there will be a total solar eclipse. /
: will not be observed in America, eS
. cept as a small partial eclipse at sun
; rise in the northern states and Cana
; da, but in Persia, Russia and Scand
navia the full effect will be seen.
Although the moon looks about tn
II same size as the sun, 1t is very niue
IS smaller and nearer. The sun is S65
l. 900 miles in diameter and 100000
n miles away, while the moon is 2,1t
h miles in diameter and $4,000 mile
IS away. On account of the moons sma
n. size compared with the sun the shade
o. cast by the moon is cone, and II
Il point of this cone just barely reach'
the earth.
u In tomorrows eclipse the diamet
$ of the cone at the earths surface
IN only about So miles, so that the eclip
er is visible as total only in belt abo
Ks S5 miles wide, stretching over Il
e, countries already named AS a pa
I'd tial &c ipse it will be seen over We
pc wide area, including northeaste
America, Greenland, Europe, half
Asia and half of Africa. Within tn
region only a part of the suns di
at will be hidden by the moon.
ns Wherever the soiar eclipse is sc
Ia as total, the sky viii become neal