The Srx's Eclipse: A Questiox Ti 



Recall some well-known facts. The moon's surface is excessively 

 rugged. On the side which is always turned towards us there are 

 more than thirty-three thousand mountains. Part of the very rim 

 of the moon is outlined by long mountain ranges. The moon's shadow 

 cone, when it reaches the earth — as it must to make a total eclipse of 

 the sun — is about two hundred and forty thousand miles long. It 

 tapers from its base at the moon, two thousand miles across, to a width, 

 where it meets the earth, of never more than one hundred and sixty- 

 eight miles. Sometimes, at the earth, the shadow is less than one 

 mile wide. 



The observer of totality- must be in the comparatively small shadow 

 spot. 



My theorij is that both sets of bands, the familiar ''shadow bands" 

 and the newly observed "rcHectiou bands" are caused by furrows of 

 light in the surface of the shadow cone — furrows constantly lessening 

 as they converge to the point of the cone — grooves of light broad and 

 deep at the'cone's base around the moon's mountain-peaked, serrated 

 rim, but quite small where the shadow cone reaches the earth uear its 

 point. 



The eclipse of 1900 was in the morning. Just before totality we 

 were in the under surface of the shadow cone — the ridges of shadow, 

 between adjacent light grooves, hanging or pointing down. 



The eclipse of June 8th will occur in the afternoon. Just bef<n-e 

 totality the observer will be in the upper surface of the shadow cone — 

 the ridges of shadow pointing up. He may therefore expect tliat 

 ''reflection bands" seen then will have, not peudeiit tongue-;, Imt 

 tongues pointing up. 



But facts are wanted. ()n the 8th of June, who in the long lint- of 

 observers — from Southbend in Washington on the Pacitic Coast to 

 Orlando in Florida on tlie Atlantic — will get the facts i 



Who of them will pro])are in advance smoked glasses, and will look 

 for "reflection bands" just before totality and just after totality? 

 And who will have in readiness a kodak to ])ictnr(> tlu' bands across 

 his smoked glass? 



Wakk Fokkst, N. C. 



