The Calumet news., 1914-08-20
SUNS ECLIPSE
MAY Be UNSEEN
War May Interfere With Plans of
Worlds Astronomers

Washington, ID. c.. Aug. 20.-The
eclipse of the sun tomorrow-total i'm
part of Europe and Asia and part
eclipse in northwestern America-has
been attracting widespread attention
among astronomers and scientists, but
now IL is feared that the European
war will seriously interfere with. even
if il does not entirely prevent the oh j.
selvations which the scientists had
planned to make of the phenomenon.
The eclipse will be observable along
a line extending from Alsteno, on the
west coast of Norway, through Hern-
the Baltic, MinslS and Kiev in central
Russia, and leaving Europe at Theo-
dosia on the Crimean coast.
Many scientific expeditions had been
planned to observe the eclipse. The
most OF these expeditions were design
ed to take their observations from
points in Russia, where the duration
Of totality will be longest. Under ex-
isting conditions 1t will OF course be
impossible for the scientists of other
lands To visit Russia at the present
time. At the present time 1t will be
almost equally impossible for the sci
cntists to change the base of their op-
crations to the Scandinavian penin-
sula, for the reason that weeks OF
preparations are necessary to set up
In gt rnt lro nth hnf
cessary preparations. The difficulty
of reaching Norway and Sweden at the
present time is so Great that il is un-
likely that any expeditions To those
countries will be undertaken, In view
Of the existing circumstances it is
probable that no noteworthy observa-
tions will he made of the eclipse, with
the possible exception of those that
may be made by the Russian astrono-
mcrs themselves.
Many Expeditions Arranged.
Before the outbreak of the war near
ly all civilized countries were prepar-
ing expeditions for the study Of the
eclipse, and u number of private eXpe-
ditions 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 a sec
ond one, subsidized by the Prussian
state, was being planned by Professor
Miethe of the Charlottenburg Techni-
cal school.
In. I,nuIapl. io,, ,uora
being made up to view the eclipse from
Alsteno and Riga, and from the fact
of the eclipse coming i'm the holiday
season it was expected that great
numbers of sightseers would avail
themselves of the opportunity, which
will not rccur in Europe till 1927.
Professor c. G.. Abbott. head of the
astronomical branch Of the Smthson-
ian Institution. and a recognized au-
thority on solar phenomena, gives the
following account Of the eclipse and
the scientific results sought from such
events.
Tomorrow the moon will pass exact
ly between the earth and the sun, and
there will he a total solar eclipse. II
will not be observed i'm America, ex
cept as small partial eclipse at sun
rise i'm the northern states and Canada,
but in Persia, Russia and Scandinavia
the full effect will be seen.
Shadow Will Be Gone Shaped.
Although the moon looks about the
same size as the sun, it is very much
smaller and nearer. The sun is $1,000
miles i'm diameter and 93,000,O00 miles
away, while the moon is 2.1G3 miles in
diameter and $4,000 miles away. on
account of the moons small size COM
pared with the sun the shadow cast by
the moon is cone, and the point of
nv -