The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-06-06
Eclipse Of Sun to be
an Interesting Sight

The solar eclipse 10 take place meat
Saturday afternoon will be an inter-
estin phenomenon both to astrono-
mers and people generally as it will
not be observable here again for
many years. The observation of the
sun win not be total in Canon City,,
altho the greater part of its disk will
be hidden TO spectators here. The
belt of totality will extend like
narrow ribbon from the Pacific coast
to the Atlantic coast from the north
west to southeast and will pass about
forty miles east of Colorado Springs.
II will touch the earh first in the
Pacific ocean south of Japan and will
enter thru United States near the lit
| tie city of South Bend, Washington.
and will leave the country at Orlan-
do, Florida, the fartherest point in
the southeast Canon City will be in
the line of vision. but not within the
belt of total obscurity. The eclipse
will arrive here at about $50 p. M.
and will last but a very short time.
The greatest totality here will con-
tinue for one minute and 90 seconds.
As partial eclipse it will be- visible
all over North America. but only
within the narrow band alluded to will
the eclipse be total. The shdow will
have passed over more than half its
course across the earth before 1t
reaches the United States.
Within the beh of obscurity the
moons shadow will take two minutes
and one second 10 cross the suns disk
but the time will diminish as one gets
away from the line of totality. For
about an hour previous to the eclipse
the moon will gradually encroach up
on the solar disk; daylight will fade
and then the narrowing crescent of
the sun will disappear and around the
jet black ball of the moon will be seen
the pearly radiance of the mysterious
solar corona. We know a great deal
about the heavens, but the corona has
not been explored to the satisfaction
of science. The light of the corona
is partly reflected sunlight and part
ly radiation due to the intense heat
it receives from the sun; but the most
interesting part is due to an unknown
gas, called coronium. which has not
yet been found in the earth or in the
spectrum of any other sun. But
chemists and physicists are delving
and delving and. as with helm. the
new element will be brought to light
one of these years. The properties of
coronium have been predicted from
the rays it emits, but the service this
strange gas may play in our under
standing of things cannot be told. 1t
may advance the study of radio-ac-
tivity
Astronomers have gone to the ends
of the earth to witness a total eclipse
and secure photographs for scientific
| use. Science has learned great
deal from an eclipse, and this year
| it expects to advance a little in its
knowledge regarding the corona, sun
spots and adjuncts to the sun. As
tronomers will study the light of the
corona with spectroscope, photometer.
holometer and polariscope. Photo
graphs of the region around the sun
will be taken as usual for the pur-
pose of discovering Vulcan" and to
find whether the places of the stars
have shifted since last time.
A few moments before the sun is
wholly covered the observer should
watch for the coming of the shadow
of the moon from the northwest. Its
swift approach will be something to
be remembered. Two or three min
utes before the shadow comes. look
for the shadow bands or ripples of
light and shade. which may be seen
on light colorer ground or sheets of
white spread out for the purpose by
the amateur observer.
Astronomers from some of the
greatest observatories in America will
be in Colorado to study next Satur
days eclipse. A number of them are
! already at Colorado Springs and will
make observations of the phenonen
from the summit of Pixies Peak. +,
GATE CITY CIRCLE MEETS.
Gate City Circle No. 120. Neighbcrs