THE COMING TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. 5 



makes it easier for those at the instruments to enjoy a more com- 

 fortable observing position than if it were nearer the zenith, where 

 one must look directly upward. Of course, a storm of some kind 

 may occur on that day to modify these general weather conditions 

 and upset all calculations. While the cloud observations suggest 

 that Georgia and Alabama have the best sites for the eclipse, it 

 must be remembered that the duration is about one minute and 

 twenty seconds in Alabama, and one minute and forty seconds in 

 North Carolina. As a gain of twenty seconds in observing time 

 will be considered by many of sufficient importance to take chances 

 on the cloudiness, stations will be selected in North Carolina for 

 that reason, although the probability for minimum cloudiness is 



Chart II. — Probable State of the Sky along the Eclipse Track. 

 Average percentage of cloudiness in May and June. 



twice as good in Georgia and Alabama. The table shows that the 

 chances are only one to six against observers located in these States, 

 while near the coast they are about two to six against them. On 

 the whole, the general result is that observing in this region ought 

 to be successful, because the favorable chances for good weather 

 are above the average at that season of the year. 



On Chart I there are six lines drawn across the track: No. 1 

 near New Orleans, and No. 6 on the ocean to the east of Norfolk, 

 Va. These represent the places for which the times of the dura- 

 tion are computed in the American Nautical Almanac, with the 

 following results: 



