OUT GOES THE SUN

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 152, 24 December 1926, Page 8

OUT GOES THE SUN

PHENOMENA OF ECLIPSES

AWE-INSPIRING SPECTACLES

HOW COLUMBUS SCORED.

! The annular eclipse of the sun, which will bo visible at Eussell on '4th January next, is a near approach to one of the most awe-in-spiring of natural phenomena. ■Total eclipses of the sun always excite the greatest interest amongst scientists and laymen alike, although it is the luck of comparatively few to witness one. The coming annular eclipse, which will bo visible as a partial eclipse over the whole of New Zealand, the annular phase being seen only in the North, is at present the be3t that New Zealand can produco for astronomers and tourists, but given favourable weather conditions, it will bo a sight well worth witnessing.

Eclipses have always excited a great degree of wonderment, amongst the unscientific. In former days, upon their occurrence, humanity trembled in consternation at what was considered the judgment of Heaven, for surely here ■was tho work of some invisiblo hand throwing a veil over the luminary, or the earth had strayed off its appointed path, and was about to be deprived eternally of light. A celestial dragon or some other monster swallowing the luminous orb accounted, to many nations, for an eclipse, hence the beating of drums and other weird noises were adopted to scare away the intruder. Eclipses were terrible presages of dire events, and even -in civilised Rome it • was at one time considered to be blasphemy, punishable by law, to talk publicly of these phenomena being due to natural causes. Now that the causes of eclipses are so familiar, being known to every child at school, it is difficult for us to imagine how deeply eclipses affected men's minds before the dawn of astronomical science. HISTORICAL ECLIPSES. Eclipses have been noted by historians of very remote times. Tho first of which there is any written record is a total-eclipse of the bub which, according to Chinese authorities, occurred on 22nd October, B.C. 2137. This eclipse resulted in the two royal Chme«e astronomers of the day, Messrs. Hsi and Ho, losing their heads—figuratively as well as literally. They were decapitated by the Emperor's orders, not for failing to predict the phenomenon, but for forgetting themselves to such an extent that when the eclipse actually took place they wore too drunk to take the necessary steps, such as Nthe shooting of mows and the beating of drums, to frighten atfay the intruding shadow. The accuracy of these Chinese records is open to ' question, but not so the account of a total eclipse in B.C. 1069, of which a full description has been found inscribed on a Babylonian tablet, as also one visible at Nineveh in B.C. 762. Perhaps the most famous of these eclipses of ancient times is that recorded by Herodotus. It took place in B.C. 584, and was predicted by Thales., and the phenomenon was a means of preventing war between the M.edes and Lydians. In B.C. 413 a total eclipse of the moon caused the destruction of'the Greek army, for the Athenian general, Nicias, "was so dismayed, at the spectacle, regarding it as an evil omen, that he delayed his retreat until too late. An annular eclipse of the sun in the year 1033 saved the life of Pope Benedict IX., conspirators who intended to strangle him at the altar being so terrified at the obscuration of" the sun that they fled without achieving1 their object. As late as 1877 an eclipse has, momeii - tarily at any rate, affected national :pi';fairs. In that year an eclipse of it ie gun caused the Turks to forget thi ; ir preparation for war with Russia, a nd operations were temporarily suspen/ .led in order that they might shoot at tho celestial orb to deliver him from- tho devouring dragon. Bven in these enlightened days in prophetic aim} macs eclipse* are held to be tho forervi nners of calamities, and in China to thi ,s day rue used expiatory ceremonies pi* ascribe ! thousands of.' years ago to w» xrd off

; n eclipse, and to restore the lif javenly bodies to ffieir normal paths and . duties. COLUMBU3 SCOSBS A PC INT. More than once in the world } j history ha* the foro knowledge of t<n eclipse been turned to advantage. Perhaps Ijhe most striking instance o £ this was When in 1504 Christopher Columbus Wai in danger of etarval ion on the island of Jamaica, contun lacious savage* refusing to give hio i provisions. Forewarned by Ms aatron .omical almanac of a, coming lunar eclj pse he threatened to deprive the C» .ribs of the Jight of the moon if thej / did not meet Ins wishes. They pea .rioted in their refusal, and he kept hi 3 word. Hardly had the earth's shadow started to creep across the surface of tho moon than the terrified savages w ere grovelling at nil feet nnd promisif ig sufficient vicfa&ls for. all emergencies. The same idea has been used tl mes without number in adventurous fl etion, but the ease of Christopher Columbus is historically authenticated, and I ie has not been the only one to turn a popular superstition to good account: WHEN EOIrIPSES OCCUR. An eclipse of tfhe sun cao. only occur at the time of new moon,, when tho moon is directly between the earth and the sun. Where it not for the fact that the plane of tb 0 lunar orbit is slightly inclined to thai'; of the terrestial orbit, an eclipse cyf tfne sun would take place at every ng.w moon, but the inclination of the planes results in the moon more often thaz* not failing to conic exactly between im< 'and the sun. For tho same reason aja eclipse of the moon, when ;that or?< is on the side of the earth furthest away from the sun and therefore liable to bo enveloped in the earth'a shadow, does not occur at every full moon.

Of.' eclipses of the sun and moon ,the,Tfj must be at least two every year, ar/d there cannot be more than seven; as a matter of fact, there are rarely more jflfa.ii six in any one year. If there are .pnly two they must be both eclipses „ttf the sun, but by no moans necessarily total eclipses. The moon is totally eclipsed on an average about once every two years, but tho fact that an eclipse of the moon is visible simultaneously in all parts of the earth where the moon at the time happens to be above the horizon is the reason why it is popularly thought, although contrary to fact, that an eclipso of tho moon is of moro frequent occurrence; than-one of the sun. During ;* solar eclipse, from the sinallucr.s of the con o of the moon's shadow, Hie p;irt of t/.ie earth affected is so small that u.ny given place will experience an ec]/.ps'o extremely infrequently compared with .the frequency oi their occurrence,. In .Tune of next year the North of England will have a total solar ellipse, but .those in the Homeland will nofc have 'another chance of seeing one wit/jri August, 1990, and then only if they happen to lie at Land's Knd.

New Zealand was favourer!, with a total eclipso of the sun in lfjffUS, but it will be many years before tli.e Dominion 's inhabitants will agai/n witness such a phenomenon. Tho qoming aniular eclipse approaches V&i'jr nearly

to totality, and should provide A unique spectacle. In 1055 and again in 1073, total eclipses of the sun lasting for over seven minutes will take place at spots easily accessiblo to scientists, and these, one may be sure, will be eagerly looked forward to by the astronomers of those dates. A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE. Those who have been privileged to witness a total eclipse of the sun under \ favourable atmospheric conditions will never forget the experience. As tho total phase approaches, the sharply dofined and ragged edge of thu moon^j disc as it creeps across the face of tb c sun contrast? strongly with tho suit and uniform outline of the sun's liirib. Then comes the awe of the sudd.on darkness —a darkness which rescm7 >].<;s neither night nor twilight. A weird light is reflected from the parts o.f. the atmosphere not enclosed in tho slwfiow. Planets and stars begin to shine, and there is an uncanny stillness and, animals are dismayed. If the tota'iUy is of lengthy duration, and it may last for more than five minutes, bir djs will go to roost greatly perturbed at t/ho upsetting of their normal routine.

It is while the total phase Itf.rjts that astronomical expeditions, whi eh often travel thousands of miles a« id spend months in preparation for obsf rving tho phenomenon, got busy. T1 hen it is that they can photograph ai id observe the sun's corona—tho ring of leaping and shooting flame which sir rrounds the disc. Prom its spectroscoppic observation we know pretty well ' the composition of the sun. The more recent total eclipses of the sun h« ivo boon utilised to tf-st the truth or otherwise of Einstein's theory of relativity.