THE ECLIPSE

Hokitika Guardian, 21 October 1930, Page 5

THE ECLIPSE

PARTIAL IN NEW ZEALAND. TO-MOR ROW (WEDNESDAY) MORNING. BEGINS AT 8.33 a.m. (By Telegraph—Per Press Automation.) WELLINGTON, October 21. The ecli.pse.tof tile sun will be total at the Island of Natifou in the South Pacific.

It will be.visible, as a partial eclipse throughout New Zealand. The circumstances of the eclipse are: Begins (first contact)' 8.33 a.m. New Zealand summer time. Greatest phase, 9.31 a.m.

The magnitude of the eclipse is 12.42 which means that at the greatest phase, slightly loss than half of the sun’s diameter will lie obscured by the moon. Observations will he made at Kelhurn by the staff of the Dominion Observatory assisted by members of New Zealand Astronomical Society.

A series of photographs of the eclipsed sun will be taken with a 7 inch equatorial telescope of the City Observatory, the camera shutter automatically making the record on a chronograph. 1

A moving picture of the eclipse will also lie taken by a camera which will be attached to a o inch equatorial telescope. ' "

From yesterday (Monday) to Friday next, that is, for l/to days oi either .side of Wednesday’s eclipse of tho"fihh." , Wflto l transmission tests be-' teen a large number of stations bordering on and in the Pacific will be carried- put,states' the “Post,” New Zealand 1 will participate in these tests. Signals of ten' minutes’ duration, followed by five minutes of silence, are to be sent out nt certain hours in the morning, corresponding to the times of the eclipse. The strength with which these arc received at tbs- various stations will be recorded, and it is hoped tbfts -to collect some interesting data in regard to the effect of the eclipse on radio. The object of the experiments on days before and after the eclipse is to provide comparison for the strength of the signals sent on the actual morning of tin-, eclipse, Wednesday, '(to-morrow.)