Evening star., 1925-01-25
MOON COMES LATE
FOR DATE WITH SUN
AND LEAVES EARLY
Astronomers Here Wonder at
Mysterious Vagaries of
Earth'S Satellite.

The man in the moon outguessed
the men on the earth by a few
seconds yesterday.
Six seconds late arriving at the
family reunion in the heavens and
10 seconds early bidding mother sun
adieu for another two centuries, so
concerned, was the official edict at
the Naval Observatory Immediately
after the eclipse.
Months ago science had set the
time that the meeting should first
be noticed here and when it should be
terminated. The first contact was
figured to occur at just 1855 o'clock
in the morning. The parting was to
have been accomplished by 1922
o'clock.
Few Seconds Late.
When stop watches and delicate
astronomical apparatus had clicked
on the last tabulation and notes were
compared 1t was discovered that the
moon had not reached the meeting
point until 7:55:0s o'clock. And it
was precisely 1O:32:56 when it scared
calmly off
Up to it's old tricks, l see" re-
marked a scientist as he scanned the
record again to make sure of his no.
tations.
Science had figured that the eclipse
should have lasted for just 2 hours
and 27 minutes. According to the
Naval Observatory figures, 1t was ter
minated at the end OF 2:26:50. But
astronomers who have been on talk
ing terms with the moon expected
little better of 1t.
Moon Is Mysterious.
1t seems that in astronomical cir
cles the moon has had a bad reputa-
tion for some time. 1t Is forever do
ing senseless little things like show
ing up at some unexpected place al
an equally unexpected time. That
freak OF its nature is one of the many
may be cleared by yesterdays eclipse.
Although astronomers know that
the moon describes a circle of some
shape in its travels, they can not un-
derstand why ii refuses to follow
a beaten path and at precisely reg
ular time schedule. Its vagaries are
measurable in terms of seconds, true
enough, but science refuses to be
thwarted by even such minute differ
ences.
Make Minute Studies.
AS result one of the most i'm
portant observation tasks undertaken
Yesterday was that Of making time
records of its passage across the face
of the sun down to the fraction of
a second. While Prof. Asaph Hall
and DR.. George A. Hill were making
these records with apparatus from the
roof of the observatory, a huge
camera was taking even more minute
hn1
Photographs of the eclipse were
snapped during it's many phases here.
AS each plate recorded the phe-
nomenon with indisputable accuracy,
the action also recorded at the same
time tho hour, minute and second that
1t occurred. Days of computation
must elapse before these results can
be made known, but II is not be-
lieved they will vary far from the
observations made from the big tele-
scopes of the observatory.
The eclipse from here was an elo-
ouent demonstration of the power of
the sun to assert Itself even under
rhe most unfayorable conditions. AL
though 95 per cent of Its surface was
blotted out in this vicinity, the long,
thin line of it's bright face that re-
mained exposed was sufficient to spoil
much of the beauty of the eclipse
for Washington.
Not only was it impossible to see
the faintest trace of the corona, but
even the other guests at the tryst in
the skies, Jupiter, Venus and Mer-
curry. were all but obliterated from
view to the thousands of anxious
Washington folks who watched the
celestial wonder of the age in awed
expectancy.
Get View of Venus.
Venus could be seen more easily
than the other two. That planet lay
lust above the western rim of the
sun, and from the Naval Observatory
where a distinguished gathering wit
messed the passing phenomena,
seemed to be perched square on the
tip of that stations flagstaff Only
a handful of experts at the observa
tory, accustomed to picking out their
positions, found the other two
planets.
A ghostly dusk fell upon the city
as the eclipse reached its greatest de-
gree Of totality here; a weird. dull
light of a shade never before seen by
any Of the watchers atop the observa-
tory bathed the National Capital in
eerie shadows for a fraction of a
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