The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-07-03
Scientists Lay Plans
To Study Solar Eclipse

NEW YORK, July 2 Up Next
weeks total eclipse of the sun, one
of natures grandest spectacles TO
laymen, will climax months of
hard work and journeys of thous-
ands of miles for astronomical sci
entists.
Solar eclipses are serious bust
ness to science, providing chance
that comes only once every decade
or so to gain further information
on the many mysteries of the unlS
verse.
If weather conditions are right,
July 9, the long preparations ana
news o. t., ncr eXpadi-
tions-two American and one Ca
nadian-will be well worth the ef-
fort. They will set up delicate IN
struments at remote points IN
Northern Montana and Manitoba
and Saskatchewan in Western Can
ada in the hope of gaining ne"
and important information on sun
spots, radio reception and photo
graphic data on the flash spec
trunn,'' the shell OF glowing gases
around the sun visible only at total
eclipse.
The July 9 eclipse will be the
first total solar blackout visible IN
the U. S. since 1882 and there
won't be another total phase until
June 30, 1854. :.
The belt of totality in the United
States, some IS miles wide, BEGINS
about 10 miles southeast of Cas-
cade, Idaho, where the sun Will
r tTu-- e.: l. t4 III.
(Mountain War Time). From there
the moons shadow will streak
northeastward at mile second
clip. five miles south OF Butte,
Mont, into northeast Montana, INTO
Canada and over Russia where the
eclipse will enc at shutdown.
Although the eclipse in all its
phases will last about two hours
-. 60, nc o. tie f@''
ton of totality in America Will pc
only about half minute, varying
from 26 seconds in Butte to "a
seconds in Saskatchewan and 10
seconds in Greenland.
First in line along the belt OF
totality will be a party of astron-
omers from Princeton University,
led BY Prof. John @. Stewart, as
sociate professor of astronomical
physics. The Princeton group,
which will include DR.. James Stok-
lev of Schenectady, N Y, General
Electric Co., scientist, and DR.. and
Mrs. Ira M. Freeman, plans to
observe the eclipse from point
on the center line about Is miles
south of Malta in northern Mon
tana.
This party, with the aid OF lay
men observers in Idaho and Moi
tana. plans to concentrate on OBJ
servations of the moons shadow IN
the sky and general illumination
during totality, which Prof. stew
art said had been made only IN
frequently in the past because as
trornomers had centered on the
chromosphert and corona.
Another American expedition,
sponsored by the Philadelphia Bul-
letin. and headed by DR.. Roy K.
Marshall, director OF the feis
Planetarium at Franklin Institute
will set up headquarters at the
little Saskatchewan town OF Wolse'
lev. about go miles east OF Regina.
Included in this party, which will
flv from Philadelphia, will be DR..
Richard M. Sutton, professor OF
physics at Haverford College and
DR.. Orrne Mohler of the University
of Michigan.
This group, equipped with pat
terry of cameras ranging from
4O-footer with a five-inch lens le
an automatic motion picture cam
era set to make exposures every
four seconds, will photograph
every phase OF the spectacle 1ol
thorough study later. The sclen'
!. lists plan four-day rehearsal or
!. the spot to insure that there VII
be no slip-ups during the 34-seconc
period of totality.
Still another group, headed p5
C. E. Leseur o. the Dominion oh
servatorzetadf and A. G. Cannon
an astrological student from wlnhl
!, neg. will set up an observation
= nos a. note CnHrcnill, Manitoba
In addition to photographing the
;, eclipse in all phases, the expedl
tions plan intricate tests to deter
:, mine what effect the crossing O.
y the moon before the sun has or