1889.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 47 



November 25, 1889. 



Stated Meeting. 



The President, Dr. Newberry, in the chair. 



Fifty-four persons present. 



Prof. John K. Rees read the paper announced for the even- 

 ing, upon 



the total solar eclipse of DECEMBER 22d, 1889. 



Total solar eclipses, taking into consideration the whole earth, 

 are not very rare, about ten in eighteen years. However, the 

 width of the path of totality being on the average less than one 

 hundred miles, any one total solar eclipse can only be seen over 

 a very small portion of the earth^s surface — about 1-200. Hence 

 it is calculated that a given place will be favored with a total 

 solar eclipse only once in every 360 years. 



If scientific observations are to be made on such eclipses, the 

 astronomers must, to save time, follow the total eclipse-tracks 

 about the earth. In the United States, during the present cen- 

 tury, there have been visible the following total eclipses : — ' 



June 16th, 1806, visible in New York and New England ; — 

 duration of totality 4^m, 



November 30th, 1834, visible in Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, 

 and Georgia; — duration of totality 2m. 



July 18th, 1860, visible in Washington Territory and Labra- 

 dor ; — iluration of totality 3m. 



August 7th, 1869, visible in Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, and 

 North Carolina ; — duration of totality 2f m. 



July 29th, 1878, visible in Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas ; — 

 duration of totality 2|m. 



Januarv 11th, 1880, visible in California ; — duration of total- 

 ity 32s. 



January 1st, 1889, visible in California and Montana; — dura- 

 tion of totality 2|m. 



The next total eclipse that will be seen in the United States 

 occurs on May 27th, 1900, and will be visible from Louisiana to 

 Virginia and have a duration of totality of 2ai. Moreover, 

 taking a wider survey, the tables of eclipses show us that after 

 December, 1889, it will not be until April 16th, 1893, that 

 another total eclipse will occur at any place where it can be ob- 

 served. Then again observers will be compelled to go to South 

 America and to Africa. 



'Young's "General Astronomy," p. 245. 



