156 ASTRONOMY FOR 1889, 1890. 



spectrum is generally very nearly the same as that iu tbe electric arc, 

 witb only a few exceptions, as, for instance, calcium. The cases men- 

 tioned b}^ Lo(;kyer are generally those where he mistakes groups of 

 lines for single lines or even mistakes the character of the line entirely. 

 Altogether there seems to be very little evidence of the breaking up 

 of the elements iu the suu, as far as my experiments go." 



M. Janssen, in August, 1890, repeated the observations that he made 

 in 1888, upon Mont Blanc, this time ascending to the summit. He 

 confirmed completely his former result that the lines of the spectrum 

 due to the action of oxygen iu our atmos[)here diminish with the alti- 

 tude, indicating that at the limit of the atniosphere these rays would 

 disappear entirely and in consequence that oxygen is not actually present 

 in the sun's atmosphere. This conclusion had already received confir- 

 mation from a series of observations of the spectrum of an electric 

 light placed on the Eiffel Tower, as viewed from the observatory at 

 Meudou. 



ECLIPSES. 



Eclipses 0/ 1889, and 1800.— During the year 1889, there were five 

 eclipses, three of the sun and two of the moon; and during 1890, three 

 eclipses, two of the sun and one of the moon. Two of the solar eclipses 

 of 1889 were total, and one of 1890 was total over a portion of the 

 central line. 



The Almanac records also a lunar appulse ou June 2, 1890, the near- 

 ness of the approach and the uncertainty as to the effect of the earth's 

 atmosphere rendering it doubtful whether the moon would actually 

 enter the earth's shadow. Of the eclipses of the moon nothing of 

 especial interest has been reported. A brief summary of the observa- 

 tions of the solar eclipses is given below: 



Total eclipse of the sun January 1, 1889.— The event of chief astro- 

 nomical interest in the year 1889, was the eclipse of the sun on New 

 Year's day, the last total solar eclipse visible in the United States in this 

 century. The line of central eclipse crossed California, Nevada, Idaho, 

 Wyoming, Montana, and Dakota, the width of the belt of totality being 

 about 90 miles in California; the partial phases of the eclipse were 

 visible over the greater part of North America, first contact being 

 observed at Washington a few minutes before sunset. Ample prepa- 

 rations weie made for utilizing tlie less than two minutes of totality, 

 and printed circulars suggesting to amateur observers the most efficient 

 manner of employing the means at their command were widely circu- 

 lated. The most thoroughly equipped party in the field was that from 

 the Harvard observatory under the charge of Prof. W. H. Pickering, 

 at Willows, California. This party alone secured between 50 and 60 

 photographs taken with 14 telescopes or (jameras and 8 si)Cctroscopes, 

 one of the telescopes being of 13 inches aperture, the largest ever used 

 in observing a total solar eclipse. A party from the Lick observatory 



