THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1088, 29 March 1911, Page 3

THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

1 WHEN VISIBLE IN WELLINGTON. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, March 27. The solar eclipse which will occur next jiionih will not be total ea far as N-eUr Zealand is concerned. Some, information for residents iu the Dominion was given to a "Herald" reporter last evening by Mr. C. J. Meriield, who is a member of the Australian eclipse party. From the eastern States of Australia, and lrom New Zealand, ho said, the eclipse will lie seen as a partial one on the morning of Saturday, April 20. In Wellington the eclipse will appear to commence at 7 hours 27.5 minutes a.m., and the greatest phase will be attained at 8 hours 25.1 minutes, and the sun will shine forth . unobscmed at "J hours 27.0 minutes. F'rom Auckland tlie eclipse will begin a few minutes ea-rlicr, and it will be completed a few minutes later than the times given lor Wellington. Three-fifths of the sun's disc wilt be obscured by the moon's shadow. The organisation of the principal English party is wonderfully complete, and its equipment is probably tho finest that could be gathered in England... .An account of the equipment and, the'programme of the expedition was given to a "Heraid" reporter last evening by Mr. Joseph Brooks, of Sydney, who was associated witli the expeditions of 190S and 1010. Little reliance will be placed on ocular observations, hut the entire effort .of the expeditions will be concentrated on the photographic work, and it : is hoped that by a most elaborate system a complelc record of the eclipse will be made in the permanent form of photographs. The most valuable instruments of the equipment are designed just to facilitate the photographing of the moon-obscured sun, images of which will be transmitted bv means of mirrors into cameras. Photographs will be taken much in the ordinary way, but other cameras will bo used to'secure spectra of .tho lights, from the corona and other , solar sources. The photographs will he finished before the expedition loaves Vavau, and sets of copies will be sent to England by various roules in order that all record of the results may not be lost, and from them ail expert, 'Air. W. 11. Wesley, will make a composite picture embodying every important feature revealed. Those features will in turn be examined by experts, who will extract, from I hem 'such elements as may be new to science.'