Year: 1876




The sketch herewith given shows tie limits Of this
eclipse. u IS Eowhere total; but along . line OF
few miles vide described in the diagram as line OF
central eclipse" he moon VIII he directly between
tie earth ard the SUM- and will for few seconds cn:
Of all the icht Of the latter except IiHg on tho
outside edge. H. along the central path, all the
light were cut of, this would be called " total
eclipse hat as a ring Of sunlight Will DC lett, IL s
called "annnlar" Astronomers take great pains to
ascertain exactly the locality Of the line If q central
eclipse since there, if anywhere, it may be OBJ
served t. advantage In the eclipse Of Saturday
this path begin. in the Pacific Ocean rot very far
from the equator; more precisely, iD latitude
s. 3lLs north. and longitude lii0 2S.S west
from Washington. At this point the sun
when rising in the morning will be com
pletely eciipsad except az to = ring of heht
around the edge; but there will be nobody
t. see tie phenomenon unless some vessel may hap
pen TO BE- sailing in the vicinity. There NAV be one
or two small islands in the path whicn runs thence
eastward, and curves mole AID more 10 inc north
east oil it strikes the Sandwich Islands, but it
touches no inhabited land before the hawaiian
eroup. The line crosses Kealakeakua Bay where
Cant. Cook was killed by the savages on Feb. II,
I7-el and passes over the capital OF the Island OF
Hawaii where there are good appliances for obserY-
Ing the eclipse and there is usually falr weather.
The time of tho eclipse ~ this point is s:ii a. M
duration OF the annular phase seconds width OF
the path about six miles. This statement OF the
time AT the Sandwich Islands differs materially from
that recently given in a foreign publication The
line passes by the north slope of tho volcano Mauns
Loa and leaves the island on the northeast


Curving slightly 10 the north from due north-
easterIy direction the central line strikes cur west
arm coast at Vancouvers Island, the local time OF
the ecIiuse there being very nearly noon. At this
noint the eclipse is more nearly total than anywhere
e,se bnt the ring Of light being exceedingly mar
row its duration rs an annular phase Is only Two or
three seconds. The rest of the path is through the
uninhabted northern portion OF our continent
barely clearing the north border OF Hudsons Bay,
crossing Bailin's Bay, and ending with sunset III
Greenland near the western coast. 1t IL OF course
possible that there may be some observation OF TINS
part of the path if it should happen that detach-
ment from the British polar expedition Is seht 10
observe it. and TO leave dispatches for England at
more southerly point. Something of this sort has
been suggested but is not at all probable lhe ex-
petition itself should by this time De lar up othS
Sound at the head of the bay.


The rest of the diagram explains itself the larger
loon including the localities where the eclipse begins
and is visible during sunrise the smaller loop those
where il ends during sunset Tho line on the rlght
hand shows the eastern and sonthern limit IN when
any part of the eclipse is included; from this III VIII
be perceived that the eclipse viii be visible al over
the United States except in Florida, A brief ex-
planation concerning the features OF an annular
eclipse may prove interesting. The moons shadow
thrown by the sum- so far the central portion OF
an eclipse is concerned. is of conical shape, ter
ninating in point. This cone projected into space,
may be considered for present purposes as OF in
variable length An observer placed at the point OF
this cone would SEQ for instant total eclipse OF
tho SUM- But the moons distance from the
earth varies very greatly - about one
seventh of the whole. Her average dis
tance Is about $4,000 miles, which is
more than the length of the shadowy cone measured
through its center. An observer on tho earth Do
hind the point of the cone when 1t fails 10 reaoh the
earth. will see the sunlight in ring around the
roon A. an annular eclipse SO great is the differ
snce between our possible distances from the moon