The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-05-17

available territory Wnlcn IL covers.
From the Columbia river the path
of the total eclipse will sweep south
asst. will pass the Mississippi river
at 5:37 p. M, central time. and will
leave the coast of Florida at 6:43,
eastern time. Three minutes later it
will be lost in the sunset 400 niles
at sea.
Those persons living on the track,
" those sufficiently interested who
travel to a point in the path. will be
totality. Residents Of other sections
TALLY, according to their distance from,
the track, but it nevertheless will be
an imposing sight. Cambridge, Mass,
FIR instance, is many hundreds Of miles
from the path, but the percentage of
~totality even there will be 6 per cent.
Return of That Of 1900.
Scientists have noted with interest
that the coming eclipse is a return
# the n Of 1900. The length Ct
the saros, or interval between eclipses,
was determined by the ancient Chal-
deans as is years II -l3 days 40 1-3
|davs if five leap years had intervened.)
The eclipse Of May 20, 1900, occurred
about 8 a. m. If 10 years II 1-3 days
be added to this, it easily can be seen
how it may be expected to return at
4 D. m. on June 8, 1918. As q matter
of fact, a strict calculation will throw
this in doubt only a matter Of some
minutes.
In an eclipse of the sun, the MONS
| shadow passes over part of the earth.
| The greatest width of the shadow is
| 1877 miles. It passes over the Observer
at the equator at the rate of 1000
miles an hour, but for higher attitudes
| the speed is much greater and when
the shadow falls very obliquely this
speed may amount to 5000 miles an
hour. The lentgth of the moons
| shadow varies between 228, 300 and
236,O5O miles. The longest duration
of a solar eclipse is eve minutes
and So seconds. In our latitude, how
ever, the duration of q total solar
eclipse can barely exceed six minutes.
Anyone who has witnessed a solor
eclipse under favorable conditions
doubtless remembers the feeling of
awe which it inspired. Shortly be-
fore totality shadows of foliage as
sumed a peculiar appearance. The
light, coming from the edge Of the
sun only, produced an effect more like
that of oxy-hydrogen light. Animals
acted strangely and in a perplexed
manner and birds went to roOst.
Temperature Usually Falls.
AS a rule, too, the temperature falls
a few degrees and sometimes dew
appears. Alternating light and dark
bands appear on white surfaces, sup
posed to be due to irregular atmos-
pheric ~refraction of the light from
the suns still exposed surface. AS
soon as totality begins the corona and
the prominences off the u appear
and stars of the first three magni-
tudes also are visible.
The thing that scientists will be
looking for most intently will be the
corona. The corona is a ring of light
that completely surrounds the sun,
and by some is called a halo, the u
being the only thing in the universe,
by the way, that has a real, honest
to-goodness halo. Preparations are
already in progress for the setting up
of astronomical instruments on some
of the lower p%lateaus Of the western
states in the path of the total eclipse,
especially for the purpose of viewing
the eclipse.
A curious circumstance in this con-
nection is the fact that from the
state of Washington to the Missis-
sippi river the path of totality fol-
lows almost exactly the line Of the
Union Pacific railroad, so that it will
be necessary for locomotives on this
road to have their headlights burning
in the middle of the afternoon.
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