Eclipse

For the 56th time in 100 years and the 17th time since 1900, the moon's course last week intersected the imaginary line between the earth and the sun at a point close enough to the earth, so that the sun was blotted from the sight of earth-dwellers. The moon's shadow, an oval patch of twilight some 40 miles wide, fell first on the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Ireland, sweeping across Liverpool and Hartlepool to the North Sea, across Scandinavia and Siberia, disappearing over the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.

A few moments before--as the moon's age is reckoned--such an event would have caused cowering, ululations and doomsday prophecies among mankind. But last week, instead of scurrying into caves or cellars, mankind made merry and flocked to the totality belt for observation, lay and scientific. In the British Isles there were eclipse houseparties and a national holiday. Scandinavians, accustomed to staying up late at this season of the midnight sun, redoubled their nocturnal festivities to view a sight that will not again be seen by most of Europe until 1961, by England until 1999.

Clouds and fog thwarted observers in many places, but not in Giggleswick, England (pop. 950), whither gathered 70,000 and Sir Frank Dyson, Astronomer Royal. Shortly before the time that the eclipse was due--which scientists miscalculated by three seconds--the clouds over Giggleswick parted, making way for the heavenly two-ring circus. For 23 seconds, the sun was totally obscured by the black disc of the moon. When the sun is in this condition, its pearl-white corona is visible, with vivid scarlet flames streaming from it. The corona was once thought to be only reflected sunlight, but modern observers know it has gaseous structure; contains an unknown element which gives a green ray in the spectroscope. This element is called "coronium" for convenience.

Said Astronomer-Royal Dyson: "I believe science was well served today and I am looking forward to the eclipse in Siam in 1929."

Grimy Manchester reported: "The sun was eclipsed here as usual."

At Stockholm, Sweden, the view was good. But at Fagernas, Norway, thick clouds made useless the efforts of Dr. Samuel A. Mitchell of Leander-McCormick Observatory (University of Virginia), head of a large U. S. expedition.

In Germany, cameras clicked at the cause of a greyish-green hue covering the landscape, recorded huge spots on the portion of the sun remaining visible from that angle.