Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-01-22

Totally Eight O'clock A Do Not Interfere


AS the time approaches, the inter-
est of every one, whether an astron-
omer or not, tends to focus upon the
coming total eclipse of the sun. We
spoke last month Of the general cir
cumstances which attend this re
markable event This time we write
especially for those readers who hope
to be, on the morning of the oath of
January, within the wide belt, cross
ing New York and New England,
within which the eclipse will be visi-
BILE as a total one.
A word as to weather conditions.
The records of the Weather Bureau
show that the best chance of clear
kies will be found near the ocean,
where the chance is about fifty per-
cent. For points farther west the pro-
liability of favorable weather slowly
but steadily decreases. Residents any
where along the shadow-path are SIM
ply justified in making preparations,
even if the chances of good weather
are against them Those who travel
20 see the eclipse will be wisest to
lake their stations east of the Hud-
son.
Here a word of warning to the in
experienced may be in order Do not
tire your eyes by looking to long or
too often at the relatively uninterest-
ing partial phases of the eclipse. Do
lot look directly at the sun at all
Mess you have some kind of dark
glass" through which to look.
Nothing is better for this purpose
than a Photographic plate or film
which has been exposed to the light
ind then developed One so dense
md black that the sun is just visible
through it when the plate is held
close to the eyes is about right.
With the aid of such dark glass
the steadily growing nick in the up
per right-hand edge of the sun will
be worth watching as a prelude to the
play.
BY nine o'clock when only a mar
row crescent of the sun remains in
sight, the country will take on "a
weird appearance. The light from the
suns edge is not merely fainter, but
is different in color and quality. All
the color values of the landscape be-
come altered-usually in most un-
canny fashion.
The obscurity steadily grows. At
two or three minutes before totality
the moons shadow comes into sight
in the west, darkening all the sky and
advancing with tremendous speed. On
the present occasion, where the sun is
low in the sky, the shadow will
come almost directly downward out
of space. The darkening of the west
ern sky should be rapid and very
striking.
This crowns the impression made
by the strange coloring and the adj
vancing gloom. No one who has seen
it can doubt the ancient tales of bat
ties stopped in their highest heat by
an eclipse. It really seems as if the
sun had gone out, even that the
world is coming to an end.
But the precious seconds of totality
are too few to spend in alarm. The
moment that the darkness sets in all
eyes must turn toward the vanished
sun In a few seconds one realizes
that it is not by any means pitch dark
but much more like a moonlight
night. Only a. few Of the brighter
stars can be seen and there is no diff
ficulty in finding ones way about.
The sky is not black, but a deep
slaty blue. In it hangs the disk of
the moon, slaty blue like the sky, and
around the moons edge shines that
wonderful fringe of light which the
astronomer has named the corona
The Crown of The Sun-and which