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Show ECLIPSE OF 11 TO BE SEENT011W Astronomer Says Part of Big Shadow Can Be Seen From Here. A total eclipse of tho moon will occur early tomorrow morning, according to Alfred Al-fred Rordajno, local astronomer. He Bays that forty-eight minutes will elapse between be-tween tho time the moon entors tho earth'fl shadow and tho arrival of tha sun abovo the horizon, the light from the latter gradually making the darkened night orb Invisible. In describing the scheduled eclipse Mr. Rordame said yesterday: yes-terday: , A total eclipse of the moon occurs In tho early morning hours of September Sep-tember 15, tho beginning of which will be visible here. The moon enters the shadow of the earth at 3:53 a ni., the beginning of the totality occurs at 5:01 a. m. and the middle of eclipse at 5.-1S a. m., when the moon sots. The sun will appear above the eastern east-ern mountains at about the same time, and if the moon Bets behind tho Oqulrrh and if the weathor is clear, it should bo very Interesting to soe how long the eclipsed moon is visible before the light from Its faintly illuminated il-luminated disc Is overpowered by that of the sun. It would naturally ba thought that the moon would entirely disappear In the dense shadow of the earth, and the fact that It does not do bo In due to tho transparent atmosphere surrounding sur-rounding the earth which bondB a portion por-tion of the rays of sunlight out of their course and these falling on the moon give it a ruddy sunset tlngo. If the portion of tho eorth'a atmosphere atmos-phere through which the Bun'a rays aro refrooted is filled with clouds, the light -will be stopped, and the moon will take on a dark shade, but this happens hap-pens very seldom. Generally the moon appears as a dull copper-colored globe and also appears noticeably smaller than when not in eclipse, an effect due to Irradiation, which causes bright bodies to appear larger than they really are. An eclipse of tho moon Is one of those astronomical phenomenon which show to bettor advantage to tho naked cyo or in an opera glass than in a large telescope. The advancing shadow has such an Indefinite outline out-line that it is Impossible to not the critical Instant in which It bloects any one feature of the lunar surface. This does not detract from the importance of the lunar eclipses, however, for many dates In chronology aro fixed by certain ones. For Instance, tha dato of tho Christian era is determined deter-mined by a lunar eclipse, which hap-pended hap-pended upon the night before Herod died. When the moon Is eclipsed It Is poa- slbla to observe it3 passage over small stars which cannot bo soon at all when near the moon except at such a time. Observations of these star occultatlons made at different parts of the earth furnish tho bost possible possi-ble data for computing the dimensions dimen-sions of the moon, lta parallax: and for determining its precise position in the orbit. |