Arizona republican., 1918-05-30


 centuries, the scientists estimate.
 Phoenix will, on June s, enjoy the unusual privilege of witnessing an eclipse of the sun.
 To persons living on a narrow path running from the extreme northwest ern part of the United States to the extreme southeastern, the eclipse will be total. To Phoenix people, the sun will be about tWo-thirds covered. Not for 99 years-until 2017-will simi lar opportunity come to the United States, and not for 360 years will the states that are to be favored with a total eclipse on June s be again so fortunate Total eclipses are happen ing somewhere in the world most of the time, but they get all over the world only about once in every thrte and a half centuries.
 The big black shadow, which will be caused by the moon swinging be- tween the earth and the sun, will sweep across the country at an almost unbelievable rate of speed. It will cut a diagonal path across the United States about sixty miles wide, which vii run through parts of Washing ton, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Color ado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
 The moons shadow will touch the earth first at a point in the Pacific ocean southeast of Japan at the little island of Borodino. It will travel northeastward until it is about 50G miles south of Alaska, then it's course will be southeastward.
 Travelling at the rate fabout 1000 miles an hour, it will strike the American coast at the mouth e the Columbia river, the moving shadow then having traversed about two thirds of its path. Striking the United States at 1855 p. m., it will reach the Mississippi valley at about 4:37 D. m., central time, and will leave the United States at the coast of Florida at 5:42 eastern time.
 The darkness of the total eclipse will last about 90 seconds. Folks on both sides of the path will see but a partial eclipse, but pretty much all of the United States will get touch of the big event. Arizona is long dis tance from the path of totality, but people in this section will see about a three quarters eclipse.
 | Beginning at about 2:25 p. m., pec- pie in Phoenix will observe the sur passing in eclipse behind the moon As nearly 65 per cent of the suns face will be obscured, the strange darkness in the middle of the aftei noon will be very evident.
 The round black spot on the earth's surface, some sixty-six miles Tn dam | !, N ApC e n ton. in about 121 seconds; Denver 1T about S9 seconds, and Orlando, Flor ida. in about 50 seconds. The Twen' tjeth Century limited may, under ia vorable conditions, reach speed O 66 miles an hour. The eclipse shadow reaches that speed a minute.
 Astronomers are making all sort! of preparations to receive the pne nomena with due ceremony. Nam moth cameras are being placed in th' large observatories all along the route of the big shadow. One of these DE earth eyes has been placed at Denver hv the Yerkes observatory. Otheri making preparations are: The Ldcl Observatory at Goldendale, Washing ion. the Mount Wilson, at Greer River. Wyoming; the Smithsonian a Iatin. Kansas; the United States Ma val Observatory, at Baker, Wasnlng ton. The University of Coiorao does not have to go away from nom for the event.
 Science today has three problem which may be studied to advantas during a total eclipse. These are LII search for a planet or planets petweei Mercury and the sun, the study or LII corona and the making of observation which later may prove the truth falsity of the Einstein doctrine or reia tivity.
 Mercury is the nearest planet to tn sun, Its computed place in the heaV ems is always slightly in advance the observed place. Its motion uoe not appear to be governed preclsely the law of gravitation. Yet the seem ing error could be explained Tn ac cordance with Newton's law If othe planets existed between Mercury an the sun. The time of a total ecilps is especially favorable to the search 10 such planets, if they exist. Up to dat none has been found.
 It is only at the time when the moo covers the sun that what is called tn corona is visible. The corona IS envelope of pearly light surroundln
 the sun and extending ouf a great dis tance beyond the dark disc of the moo with streamers reaching at times length of three -fourths of a millio
 miles. No means of observing the co
 roma except at the times of an eclips :, has vet been devised. It is known ths j the character of the streamers is int
 mately connected with sunspot phe , nomena, but the nature of the connet :, tion is not yet clear. Years of sunspt , maxima and minema-that is veal when many sunspots or when few sur , spots appear-occur at about eleve
 years intervals, though no reason O known for this regularity. Photo
 graphs of the corona. taken in a ye; !, of sunspot maxima, have very diffel
 ent characteristics from those taken Q years of sunspot minema-
 s Excellent photographs have bee : taken of the corona in 1900 and ohtre years near sunspot minimum = This eclipse offers the opportunity ,l obtaining photographs of the coror a near a year of sunspot maxima. Scien' : hopes by comparison of the two typ : of photographs to throw light on Il a nature of the corona and on that e sunspots.
 # The other reason for the scientif $ importance of this eclipse lies in the d ries out on the frontiers of Scienc What is the ultimate nature of ma