THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 673, 14 January 1852, Page 4

THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

The following highly interesting letter from Mr. Hind, the astronomer, detailing his observations of the eclipse of the Sun on the 28th of July, appeared in the Times, August 7 :— Having, in a former letter which I addressed to you, endeavoured to describe the various phenomena recorded in previous eclipses of the sun, perhaps you will allow me to state very briefly the results of my own observations during the eclipse on the 28th of last month, which were taken under favourable circumstances at a point within the zone of totality. I had originally fixed upon Carlskrona, on the east coast of Sweden, as au advantageous position from which to view the eclipse, that place being near the central line; _but. on arriving at Ystad, the difficulty of reaching Carlskrona in time for the observations appeared so great that I resolved to retrace my steps by way of Copenhagen to Helsingborg on the Sound, from which place an excursion up the country could be made on the day of the eclipse, far enough from the southern edge ci the shadow to give about two minutes of total obscuration. I accordingly observed at a small village called Ravelsburg, one mile north of the pretty town of Engelhom in Sweden and about 18 English miles from Helsingborg, in the direction of the central line. The view from this place was very extensive, Kullen Point lying west south-west with the intervening Bay of Engelholm, while the landscape to the north included many miles of hill and dale over which to note the effects of the total eclipse. At half-past one o’clock the day was very fine. Light clouds of the modification termed cumuli spread over the horizon in nearly every direction, a light cirrus cloud covered the southwest sky to an altitude of about 15 degrees, the zenith and the heavens for 40 degrees around it being perfectly clear. At 10 minutes before three o’clock clouds of the same character had somewhat arisen in the southwest, but the sun was still quite free. At 2h. 59min. p.m., local mean time, the first contact of the limbs of the sun and moon took place. The definition of the limbs was beautifully sharp and clear, beyond anything I ever witnessed, even under the most favorable circumstances, in this country. As the moon advanced I remarked that het edge was extremely rough, the mountains ou her surface near the limb being numerous and some of them of considerable altitude. A fine line of light along the moon’s limb off the sun was suspected for an arc of about 20 degrees 8 minutes after the eclipse had commenced. At 2h. 12min. the diminution of daylight was perceptible upon the surrounding landscape, and at 3b. 30min. the distant hills looked dull and misty. At this time there was no appearance of illumination of the moon’s limb, though 1 looked very closely and attentively. The clouds in the south-west had risen considerably, but the sun was perfectly clear. At 3h. 35min. I noticed a tinge of colour upon the moon’s surface, usually red or reddish purple, but it appeared variable and at times of a dark olive hue. Soon afterwards it was remarked that the diminution of daylight was very sensible, particularly on the sea and mountains of Kullen Point, the mistiness of distant objects increasing. At 3h. 40min. I remarked that the moon’s disc was certainly of a dull coppery red, and suspected there was a slight illumination of her At 3h. 43min. a-great diminution ft light, particularly towards the south, as much as a dense cloud would cause if it overspread the sky ; gloomy out at sea, and towards Kullen Point. At 3h. 46min. the whole of that part of the moon near the sun was strongly illuminated with a coppery light gradually shading off, and strongest at a short distance from the sun’s border. Objects oo ed very dull. I thought the outline of he moon could be traced for some degrees by t e difference of colour between the coppery

red of her surface and the neutral tint of the ' field of view. At 3h. 49miu. objects towards the north presented a very peculiar appearance, as though they were illuminated by a vivid flash of lightning, or the electrical light. At 3h. 51 min. a chilly feeling in the air, the horizon looked closer in every direction, and the daylight now diminished very perceptibly. A thin cirrus cloud began to form about the sun, but it was of so light a character as not to interfere in the slightest degree with the observations. The azure blue of the sky had very much deepened, particularly north of the zenith, where it was of a deep violet. The moon’s limb appeared very uneven, quite a gap on her south edge. At 3h. 55min. everything very gloomy —the air felt chilly and damp, the sky of an intense blue colour. From this moment my eye was applied to the telescope until the sun had gone out entirely. Just before the commencement of the total eclipse a considerable mountain of the moon’s edge appeared to shoot forward and join the sun’s limb, thus cutting off a small portion of his disc near the southern cusp. About 20 seconds before the totality the same appearance presented itself with respect to many other irregularities upon the moon’s edge, and instantaneously “ Baily’s beads ” were formed. The only visible portion of the sun resembled a string of fine luminous beads, separated by irregular inte.vals, and clearly caused in the present instance by the sun shining between the mountain peaks and along the valleys on the apparent edge of our satellite. The same exquisite definition of the limbs of the sun and moon, to which I have before alluded, continued during the partial eclipse, and the phenomena of ‘‘the beads” were seen in all their beauty, until the beginning of the .total eclipse was marked by their instantaneous disappearance.

Up to this moment I had employed a dark glass, throwing a neutral tint over the field of the telescope, and my attention was so arrested t>y the unexpected distinctness of ‘‘Baily’s beads’’ that I omitted to remove the shade for a few seconds after they had vanished, and thereby lost the view of the sudden formation of the corona, or “ ring of glory,” round the sun ; and when I looked without the dark glass, certainly not more than five or six seconds after the extinction of the sun, the corona and red flames were already conspicuous. With respect to the former I should describe it as a luminous ring, very much brighter toward the sun, and gradually fading away to a distance of about half the diameter of the moon, where its light became lost in the ground colour of the heavens. Its colour resembled that of tarnished silver ; but I am inclined to attribute this to the intervention of a very thin cloud, and think it very probable that in the absence of this cloud, the corona would have appeared perfectly white. There was a flickering or unsteadiness in its light, but nothing resembling circular motion. Divergent rays of a somewhat paler colour than the corona itself appeared to stream off in every direction from the border of the sun, and I think their extremities were frequently visible beyond the limits of the corona ; those portions nearer the sun appeared to be shining through this luminous ring. The rose-coloured, prominences described so minutely by the observers of the total eclipse of 1842 formed by far the most striking feature during the eclipse of the 28th ult. The most remarkable one was situated about i»ve ucgfees north of the parallel of declinanation on the western limb of the moon. It was curved like a sabre near its extremity, but perfectly straight throughout two-thirds of its length. The edges were deeply tinged with rose-red, which faded off towards the centre, but I saw no violet colour about this prominence. On first viewing this remarksble object through the telescope, a few seconds after the commencement of totality, I estimated its length at about 45 seconds of an arc, and being most desirous to obtain a confirmation or otherwise of the observations at Honolulu, described in my letter in the limes of July 10, I watched attentively for any alteration of size that might be apparent, and in less than 30 seconds found that it had lengthened considerably ; for though it had remained perfectly stationary, I now estimated its length at about one minute and a half or twice as great as at the first glimpse, the dark body of the moon having appeared to move away gradually, and leave more and more of the projection visible. About ten degrees south of the principal prominence, and at a distance of one minute of arc from the moon’s dark limb, I saw a luminous triangular spot of the same colour as the great flatne, yet perfectly detached from the imb; it was evidently of the same nature as the large prominence, and must have existed in the upper regions of the solar atmosphere. The edges were of a bright rose pink—the centre paler. With the exception of a gradual receding of this spot from the moon s limb as she moved across the sun I could distinguish no change. Its form, ap-

pearance, and position, relative to th i projection, continued exactly the same 1 f tge as 1 could discern either. On the dark r 8 of the moon, on the side near the ho ' there appeared an uninterrupted success? 0 ”’ rose-coloured inequalities, which in a state of fluctuation, though notUo l °” t an extent as materially to change their nuT 1 and positions. The tops were of a full’ red, but their bases presented a bright v? 6 tint, which appeared to spread along th e p. 1 of the moon. Near the western extrenfit this long range of “ red flames” there Wa , ° f isolated one of about forty seconds’ altit and another of similar magnitude, at an i of 145 deg. from the north towards the e * I was too closely occupied in watching ?? larger prominence to pay much attention the smaller ones during the short lime allow i me, and I am consequently unable to st t from observation whether they underwent tV same gradual variations of apparent magni' tude. The moon’s surface was decidedly ted dish-purple soon after the beginning of total eclipse ; but half a minute later it seem d to have lost the reddish tinge and assumed', dull purple colour. The position of the ap proaching re-appearance of the sun was indi cated by the visibility of a bright gl Off ]/ twilight, on that part of the limb of the moos where the continuous range of rose-coloured projections had presented itself, and a few Se . conds afterwards the “ beads" were again no" ticed, not so numerous as before, but larger and more brilliant ; five seconds more and this beautiful appearance vanished, the sunreappearing as an extremely narrow but rapidly widening crescent. About ten minutes sab. sequently clouds began to form near the sun and be was soon hidden from this cause so that no opportunity was afforded of watcbiag the declining phases of the eclipse. ’ Such are the principal telescopic pheno, mena which I was fortunate enough to wit. ness, but I doubt if any language can convey an auequaic - iuipTessiuir of "the grand; ®.- awlul phenomena on the earth and in the heavens during the continuance of the total eclipse. The entire landscape was overspread withan unnatural gloom—persons near me assumed an unearthly cadaverous aspect—the sea, in the distance, appeared of a lurid red—the whole of the southern heavens were of a sombre purple or purplish grey, the only indi. cation of the sun’s place being the ring of light which we are accustomed to term ths corona. North of the zenith the sky was of the most intense violet and appeared veryoei/, and, to crown the whole, the north-west and north-east heavens were occupied by broad bands of light of a yellowish crimson, ot Claude Lorraine red, which gradually sinking into the unnatural purple of the sky at greater altitudes produced an effect that will neverbe effaced from my recollection, though I feel that I can convey no just idea of its awful grandeur. I envy those observers who were not compelled, in their character of astronomers, to withdraw their eyes from the cootemplation of these astounding phenomena od the earth and in the atmosphere to view the less imposing, though doubtless not less remarkable, appearances which the telescope exhibited round the sun. A few secondt, however, were sufficient to fix the general aspect of nature, in my mind, beyond the chance of forgetting it long as life lasts.

I saw no stars or planets, but on iny journey home was frequently assured of their having been distinctly seen, even at Copenhagen, where the eclipse was not total. It was so gloomy in this city that persons bad difficulty in recognising each other in the streets. One remarkable proof of the accuracy of astronomical calculations relative to the eclipse came to my knowledge. According to the best theories of the sun and moon the eclipse snouid have been total at Helsingborg or. the Swedish side of the Sound, but partially only on the opposite coast at Elsinore ; and the captain of a steamboat, passing at the time between these places and about half a mile from Helsingborg, describes the curious effect produced by the country being dark in Swden, the gloom increasing the further the eye was directed from the coast ; while in Denmark the sun was evidently shining during the continuance of the total eclipse in Sweden. I he southern limit of the shadow must therefore have passed over the Sound rather nearer to the Swedish than to the Danish coastprecisely as predicted, m t.- i . ~ J. R. Hind. Mr. Bishop s Observatory, Regent’s Park, August 6.