Evening star., 1936-06-14
nv HARLAN T. STETsON.


the other side of the world the sun Is
to be eclipsed at midday next Friday.
More than one eclipse has been
used in history to force amicable set
Elements of strained relations. More
than one eclipse has thrown armies
into CONSERVATION and has precip-
itated unprecedented incantations TO
appease some sun-eating dragon.
Perhaps some ignorant but astro-
nomically minded people still blame
eclipses for many world calamities.
| An eclipse of the sun occurred In Rus
sia in August, 1914; 1t was the OUT
standing astronomical event marking
the beginning of the World War. But
the Archduke of Austria had already
been assassinated, and Russia ana
Germany were In a state Of warfare
before the eclipse happened. 1t was
a most inconsiderately tardy event II
one wishes to view that phenomenon
as a foreboding Of Europe's dark four
years.
Eclipse of Sun in 1918.
An eclipse of the sun occurred In
June, 1918, in the United States. Its
track stretched diagonally across the
country from Oregon to Florida. OF
course the United States was already
involved in the war, but perhaps, If
the August, 1914, eclipse ushered in
the great catastrophe, the American
eclipse of 1918 marked the coming of
the armistice. In any event, In q few
months there was q cessation Of hos
tilities and the treaty Of Versailles.
The treaty at least outlasted several
eclipSes.
Probably every one in the Eastern
States remembers the eclipse of jan
uary, 1925, for the moons shadow on
that occasion swept across the most
densely populated section. perhaps.
that an eclipse track has ever ira
versed, certainly in recent years. From
Buffalo to New York City. the shadow
sped at a rate of some 2.000 miles an
hour across New York State and
Southern New England.
This event aroused the most wide
spread popular interest, and scien-
tifically 1t was one Of the most sue
cessfully observed eclipses on record.
Special trains ran from outlying sec
tions to points within the moons
shadow. There. for a space of two
minutes and half, the sunlight was
obscured by the inky black disc Of the
moon as, on scheduled time, 1t cut
across the face of the sun.
Many See 1882 Eclipse.
The eclipse of 1892, stretching from
Vermont through the White Noun
tains to Cape Cod, also brought thou
sands of tourists to witness this great
est spectacle of the sky that nature
ever performs. When the moon S
shadow crosses Asia next Friday the
railroads of the East will be collecting
the extra tariffs from eclipse fares and
there will be little excitement on
Broadway. The press, however, will
bring us news flashes from many CEN
ters in Russia and Japan. where SCI
entists have fiocked from all parts of
the world. For during this eclipse we
may learn things about the sun and
its effect on the earth which so far
have defied discovery.
Just what happens when an eclipse
of the sun takes place? Why is it
such an extraordinary event, and why
can 1t be observed only in restricted
and ofttimes remote regions of the
globe? The explanation is simple.
The moon in its journey around the
earth passes near the sun at new
moon. Only on relatively rare occa-
sions, however, does it pass directly in
front of Old Sol and thus cut of the
suns light and radiation for q few
minutes.
Comparative Size.
The sun and moon are bodies Of
very unequal size. The sun Is some
865, 900 miles in diameter-about ITO
times that of the earth. The moon Is
only 2,100 miles in diameter-about
one-quarter that of the earth. Some
often wonder how so small body can
possibly cover up the entire sun and
blot out its light. Though the moon
Is such q relatively small body, it is
comparatively close to the earth as
astronomical distances go-some 240,-
900 miles. The sun, on the other
hand, is $4,000 900 miles away. Just
penny held close to the eye may blot
out the whole of the Empire State
Building, 50 the moon, small as 1t Is,
Is just close enough to the earth to
cover the suns disc completely when
it comes into the proper position.
However, the shadow of the moon
barely reaches the earth; therefore, tc
see the sun completely covered on
eclipse day. one must be within the
narrow track over which the moons
shadow sweeps as 1t moves forward in
its orbit. The width of this path Is
scarcely ever more than q hundred
miles, yet its limits may be calculated
with mathematical accuracy. Fur
thermore, within second or two every
astronomer knows where the moons
shadow will be during the time that
1t sweeps across Asia and the Pacific
Ocean on this fateful day Of June 10.
The man In the street is usually
greatly impressed by the accuracy with
which astronomers can compute far
earth's surface over which the shadow
will pass, and the exact day, minute
and second at which their apparatus
must be operated. Only with such
knowledge can their elaborate cameras
be clicked to catch the solar corona,
that outlying glory of the sun that
flashes out during those precious mo-
ments when the suns brilliant surface
Is obscured.
No Fun for Astronomers.
It is this crowning glory of the
sun, for which the name corona is
chosen, that calls astronomers from
far and wide to witness the spectacle.
Yet, strange as it may seem, astron-
omers are frequently the last people in
the world ever to enjoy looking at an
eclipse! They are too busy operating
their apparatus, analyzing the myste-
rious light Of the corona, or the chro-
mosphere from which gorgeous hydro
gen flames burst forth, oftentimes