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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 978, 15 September 1868, Page 3

ji i The Solab Eclipse. — The solar eclipse ,on the 18th is thus described in The 1 .Jirgus :'■— ", In accordance with the; an-

- BOiineemerit made last week, the- solar «cUpse came off on Tuesday afternoon. - The sky in the west at? the '.time „of the ■commencement of the eclipse was ps!r,tially J.TejljJd at times with thin light clouds, j.mhioiL sufficiently/ dimmed the light of '^h.e sun to permit of its being observed :with the naked eye without obscuring it "; altogether. The consequence was, that at the time of greatest obscuration, the eclipse could be distinctly seen with the unassisted eye as aix indentation on the /■aright hand side of ; the disc. There was . Jnbt sufficient surface covered to make any yperceptible difference in the light of the J..Bun,. pjot so' much as the smallest cloud occasions. Small as was the eclipse, however, it excited sufficient interest to induce .; a larga number of. amateur astronomers ■■':; to watch its progress, and many of such ob- • servers could be seen on the sunny side of Collins-street,lookingat it through smoked .glasses.. Of course, the small indentation the orb was all that was to be seen, . ..the, not being sufficient to -:;• occasion any of the more remarkable phenomena of eclipses. Along the line of to"'tal eclipse, ho doubt, the many talented „ observers who were sent out by the vari.;Ous Governments of Europe were diliengaged in noting the many and interesting phenomena which this remarkfable" eclipse must have exhibited, and their | xepopts:will be awaited with great interi es^-; ? Mr^ Ellery, :pfthe Melbourne Ob- | jer^i^ory, supplies the following notes of '■V ; Wfys)}P 3e * rom a .- Melbourne ■ point of | ft^e^^^iThe first contact of the eclipse |^|h|Jt|^rhoon was observed to take place 34-7 sec, and the last at sh. , ' r 'Q&v£it3i%rssec. Melbourne mean time. %*. pPheiiobsburation at: the greatest phase bey<|agsbar^ly of the sun s disc, no yx;Ben^bler diminution of light was experi[fp;(Bi|6|H^Th'e -coritacts were observed very clearly/ although light clouds occasionally : intervened.