The Oskaloosa herald., 1916-01-06
TIE sun AND THE Moon
Both Will Be Briefly 0bscured In
the Near Future.

Among the most interesting of the
phenomena observable in the heavens
are the eclipses. A few of these weird
.spectacles are billed for the near fu-
.ture. A stargazer writes:
There will be this month a partial
eclipse of the moon visible from be,
ginning to end throughout the United
States. 1t will occur the morning OF
January 20, at approximately three
O'Clock. The total duration of the
eclipse will be about an hour and 4
half; If We count from the moment the
moon enters the half-siiaiOw or pc
numbra, the duration of the phenOm
enon will be about five hours. The
time given above is about the hour
of the moons entering the real dark
shadow and is Washington or Eastern
standard time, so that those living in
Ia different standard time belt, will
Ihave to make the necessary correc.
Ition Subtract an hour for Central time
two hours for Rocky Mountain time.
three hours for Pacific time and add
one hour for Colonial time.
The phenomenon of lunar eclipses
is primarily due to the fact that in the
solar system the only body that gives
off light of it's own is the Sun and
that all the other bodies, therefore,
shine only by reflected sunlight, and
are visible to us only by virtue of this
borrowed light. The earth rotates
about the sun and the moon in turn
rotates about the earth. When condi-
lions are right it is possible to con.
ceive that the earth gets in precisely
between the sun and the moon. leaV.
ing the latter for the moment in com.
plete darkness. OF course the contin.
ued rotation of the moon about the
earth soon brings it out again where
the sun can once more shine upon it's
face. This is perhaps the same as
saying that the earth casts a shadow
in space, as any other thing does.
which is illuminated by direct light.
and that when the moon enters this
shadow it becomes invisible and we
see it again directly it emerges from
the earth's shadow. This explanation
of the sudden darkcning of the moons
disk was first given by the Greek as
tronomer, Hipparchus.
| An eclipse of the moon can occur
only at the time when the moons
phase is full moon. because only then
are the sun, earth and moon approx
mately in a straight line, with the
earth in between. The phenomena OF
moons phases and eclipses are not to
be confused, though they are in some
ways related. However, not always
will there be an eclipse of the moon
at full moon, because not always al
the full of the moon are sun, earth and
moon near enough iii a straight line
for the moon to touch or enter the
earth's shadow, r.. is RALLY ,conceiv
able that since the plans of the moons
orbit and that of the earth's around
the sun do not coincide, the moon may
at times be too far above the line
Joining the sun and the earth for the
shadow to fall on it.
The eclipse of the sun on Febru
airy 3, next will be the total over the
narrow belt stretching across the Pa
cific ocean, Columbia, Venezuela, and
IGuadeloupe, and over The Atlantic
past the Azores. In the United States
it will be visible only as a partial
eclipse, the entire disk of the sun
not being obscured In the vicinity OF
Washington and New York the eclipse
will commence approximately at ten
o'clock in the morning and end after
noon. In the central part of the cOun
try it will begin earlier.