Part 2 — GEOGRAPHY OF THE HEAVENS FOR MARCH.

BY PROF. M. B. GOFF, Western University of Pennsylvania.

ECLIPSES.

In the early ages of the world eclipses were regarded as alarming deviations from the established laws of nature, presaging great calamities, as famines, pestilences and earthquakes; and among heathen and superstitious peoples, as evidence of the displeasure of the Deity, or deities. Herodotus tells of an eclipse of the sun occurring in 585 B. C., which put an end to a battle between the Medes and Lydians, who were so terrified by the day turning suddenly into night, that the contending armies ceased fighting and concluded a peace which was cemented by a twofold marriage. Another total eclipse of the sun occurred on March 1, 557 B. C., which so terrified the defenders of the Median city Larissa, that they withdrew from its walls, thus permitting it to fall into the hands of its besiegers, the Persians.

Among the Hindoos, it is imagined that the moon, as it covers from sight the face of the sun, is a huge dragon which devours our luminary, and can only be compelled to disgorge and then driven away “by the beating of gongs and rending the air with discordant screams of terror and shouts of vengeance.”

An eclipse of the moon, March 1, 1504, was employed by Columbus to obtain provisions for himself and his starving companions. Having been wrecked on the coast of Jamaica, the natives refused him supplies. Knowing that an eclipse of the moon was about to take place, he informed them that the Great Spirit was displeased with them on account of their ill-treatment of the Spaniards, and would manifest his displeasure by shutting out the light of the moon. When the eclipse occurred, the Indians, terrified by the sight, hastened to him with abundant supplies, beseeching him to intercede with the Great Spirit in their behalf.

At the present day we look upon these wonderful events as the results of natural causes, whose operations have long since been explained. We have learned that an eclipse of the sun is merely the moon coming between the earth and the sun, thus shutting off from the former all or a portion of the light of the latter; that this event may occur as often as five times, and never less than twice in one year; that it can only occur at time of new moon; that it occurs only in limited portions of the earth at any one time, and hence, that although happening so often, for any given place it is a comparatively rare event—especially the last two of the three kinds, partial, annular, and total; and that the portion of the earth affected by a total eclipse does not exceed 170 miles in diameter; or, in other words, the width of the moon’s shadow, when it falls perpendicularly on the earth’s surface, is not more than 170 miles. We have learned, also, that an eclipse of the moon is occasioned by the earth coming between the moon and the sun; that this event can not occur more than twice in any one year, and may not occur even once; that it happens always at full moon; that it can be seen in all parts of the earth where the moon is above the horizon at the time of the occurrence; and for this reason, although it only happens in the ratio of 29 to 41 as compared with eclipses of the sun, yet there are more lunar than solar eclipses visible in any given place.

During the present month we shall have two eclipses, one of the sun and one of the moon.

THE SUN

Will be eclipsed on the 16th, first contact taking place in longitude 136° 49.3´ west and latitude 13° 25.3´ north, at 8:26 p. m., Washington mean time; and the last contact in longitude 32° 58.3´ west and latitude 49° 0.8´ north, at 1:22 a. m. on the 17th. The central eclipse will begin in longitude 156° 39.5´ west and latitude 35° 54.5´ north at 9:48 p. m., and end in longitude 15° 4.6´ west, latitude 71° 24.1´ north, at 12:00, midnight. The path of the central eclipse in North America will be about 35 miles wide, and will take a northeasterly course from a point near Cape Mendocino on the western coast of California, and will embrace Weaverville, Cal., Idaho and Boise cities in Idaho; Bannock City and Gallatin, Montana; cross the boundary line between the United States and the British Possessions in longitude about 105° west; pass through the central part of Hudson’s Bay; cross Hudson Strait, Davis’s Strait, and Greenland, ending as above in longitude 15° 4.6´ west, latitude 71° 24.1´ north. As this is an annular eclipse, the shadow of the moon being too short to reach the earth, parties located in the path named will see the edge of the sun like a bright ring around the dark shadow of the moon. Persons outside of this path will see the sun more or less eclipsed, dependent on their position. The beginning and end of the eclipse at a number of places in the United States is given below, in the local time of the cities mentioned: Bangor, Me., begins at 12:48 p. m., ends at 3:23 p. m.; Concord, N. H., begins at 12:32 and ends at 3:07 p. m.; at Montpelier, Vt., lasts from 12:26 to 3:03 p. m.; Boston, Mass., from 12:36 to 3:09 p. m.; Providence, R. I., from 12:33 to 3:05 p. m.; Hartford, Conn., from 12:25 to 2:58 p. m.; New York, 12:17 to 2:50 p. m.; Trenton, N. J., 12:13 to 2:45; Pittsburgh, Pa., 11:38 a. m. to 2:18 p. m.; Wilmington, Del., from 12:07 to 2:40 p. m.; Charleston, S. C., from 11:37 a. m. to 2:04 p. m.; Columbus, Ohio, 11:20 a. m. to 2:01 p. m.; Detroit, Mich., 11:21 a. m. to 2:04 p. m.; Indianapolis, Ind., 11:02 a. m. to 1:45 p. m.; Chicago, Ill., 10:55 a. m. to 1:40 p. m.; Jefferson City, Mo., 10:24 a. m. to 1:09 p. m.; Lawrence, Kan., 10:07 a. m. to 12:52 p. m.; Omaha, Neb., 10:04 a. m. to 12:51 p. m.; St. Paul, Minn., 10:26 a. m. to 1:13 p. m.; Des Moines, Ia., 10:18 a. m. to 1:04 p. m.; Janesville, Wis., 10:47 a. m. to 1:33 p. m.; Santa Fé, New Mex., 8:59 to 11:49 a. m.; Wheeling, W. Va., 11:32 a. m. to 2:13 p. m.; Washington, D. C., 11:58 a. m. to 2:31 p. m.; Louisville, Ky., 11:03 a. m. to 1:44 p. m.; Denver, Col., 9:10 a. m. to 12:01 p. m.; Bismarck, Dakota, 9:44 a. m. to 12:33 p. m.; New Orleans, La., 10:28 a. m. to 1:08 p. m. Our usual notes for the sun are as follows: Rises on the 1st at 6:33; on the 16th, at 6:09; and on the 30th, at 5:45 a. m.; and sets on the corresponding days at 5:51, 6:10 and 6:22 p. m. respectively. Spring begins on the 20th at 5:21 a. m.; northward movement, 12° 6´.

THE MOON

Will be partially eclipsed on the 30th, entering the earth’s shadow at 9:50 a. m. and leaving it at 1:02 p. m. Magnitude of the eclipse, .886. As the moon does not rise with us on this date till between 6:00 and 7:00 p. m. it is evident that the eclipse will not be visible in the United States. It will be visible, however, in the western Pacific Ocean, Asia, and the eastern portions of Europe and Africa. On the 1st, moon rises at 6:42 p. m.; on the 15th, at 5:29 a. m.; and on the 31st, at 7:39 p. m. It presents the following phases: Last quarter, 8th, 1:46 p. m.; new moon, 16th, 12:28 p. m.; first quarter, 23d, 12:15 p. m.; full moon, 30th, 11:32 a. m. Farthest from earth, 9th, 3:12 p. m.; nearest earth, 23d, 3:54 p. m.; least elevation, 9th, 30° 17´ 23´´; greatest elevation, 23d, 66° 41´ 16´´ (in latitude 41° 30´ north).

MERCURY

Has a direct motion of 52° 59´ 4´´; increase in diameter, one second; on 7th, at 9:00 a. m., 1° 3´ south of Mars; 13th, at 1:00 p. m., in superior conjunction with the sun; 16th, at 8:02 p. m., 1° 37´ south of the moon; 28th, at 4:00 a. m., nearest the sun. On the 1st, 16th and 30th, rises at 6:23, 6:26 and 6:22 a. m. respectively; and sets on same days at 4:51, 6:16 and 7:42 p. m. Can be seen with naked eye on the last few evenings of the month.

VENUS

Continues as morning star throughout the month, but makes little display, both on account of her distance from us and her proximity to the sun. Her diameter diminishes from 10.6´´ to 10´´, and her time of rising is as follows: On the 1st, 6:02 a. m.; on the 16th, 5:51 a. m.; on the 30th, 5:36 a. m.; on the 6th, at 6:00 a. m., she is farthest from the sun; on 15th, at 1:42 p. m., 3° 32´ south of moon; 27th, at 10:00 p. m., 36´ south of Mars. Her motion is direct and equals 37° 23´ 30´´.

MARS

Rises on the 1st at 6:32 a. m. and sets at 5:24 p. m.; on the 16th, rises at 6:00 a. m. and sets at 5:28 p. m.; on the 30th, rises at 5:33 a. m., sets at 5:25 p. m. Motion direct and amounts to 22° 25´ 38´´; diameter, 4.2´´; on 7th, at 9:00 a. m., 1° 3´ north of Mercury; 16th, at 12:50 a. m., 2° 34´ south of moon; 27th, at 10:00 p. m., 36´ north of Venus.

JUPITER

Lessens his diameter two seconds, and makes a retrograde motion of 2° 56´. On 27th, at 9:57 a. m., is 4° 40´ north of the moon. He rises on the 1st at 4:42 p. m. and sets on the 2d at 6:07 a. m.; rises on the 16th at 3:35 p. m. and sets on the 17th at 5:09 a. m.; rises on the 30th at 2:34 p. m. and sets on the 31st at 4:10 a. m.

SATURN,

As a telescopic object, is still improving, and his time of setting permits him to be viewed with less than usual inconvenience. On the 2d he sets at 1:44 a. m.; on the 17th at 12:49 a. m.; and on the 30th at 11:55 p. m., affording thus all the evening for observations. On the 7th, at 3:00 p. m., he is “in quartile,” or 90° east of the sun; on 22d, at 10:28 a. m., 3° 56´ north of the moon.

URANUS

Retrogrades 1° 12´ 23´´; his diameter remains at 3.8´´; on 2d, at 11:59 a. m., he is 1° 6´ north of moon; 21st, at 3:00 a. m., in opposition to the sun (on the other side of the sun from the earth); 29th, at 7:05 p. m., 1° 13´ north of moon; sets on the 1st at 7:31 a. m.; on the 16th, at 6:30 a. m.; on the 31st, at 5:30 a. m. Morning star till the 21st; after that evening star.

NEPTUNE,

With his diameter of 2.6´´ moves some 44´ 46´´ of arc in his orbit, which is not so slow after all when we consider that his average absolute motion is 3.36 miles per second, and that his aggregate for the 31 days of this month is a little less than nine million miles. His right ascension on the 1st is 3 hours, 15 minutes, 18 seconds, and his declination 16° 17´ 57´´ north. He sets on the 1st at 11:33 p. m.; on the 16th at 10:29 p. m.; and on the 30th at 9:43 p. m.—an evening star.