NO. 9 BRIGHTNESS OF LUNAR ECLIPSES — FISHER II 



18S4 IV 9; 1.438; Grade 0? 



c Antarctica, Indian O., Burmah, Lena Valley, Mississippi Valley, 



Yucatan. 



c = 4.9 Java, Java Head, astronomical twilight. 



= 2.8 Java, Bantiman, dark. 



Ch. Diifour, (53), states, on an authority not given, that the very rare 

 occurrence of a dark eclipse, in which the moon disappears, happened 

 twice in the year 1884, as it was observed, first, Apr. 10, in the island 

 of Java, second, October 4, in Europe. Java Head and Bantiman 

 are extreme, maritime positions given in Bowditch's Navigator. 



Grade 0, with interrogation point because the original authority is 

 not stated definitely. 



1884 X 4; 1.533; Grade i 



c Lena Valley, Arctic Archipelago, New England, Venezuela, E. Argen- 



tina, Antarctica, far Western Australia, China Sea. 



This eclipse was widely observed in Europe, and has generally been 

 classed with dark eclipses like that of 1816. But the records hardly 

 justify that; while Young's General Astronomy, (1898), p. 254, says, 

 " . . . . the moon was absolutely invisible to the naked eye . . . .," 

 the following observations show that it was brighter, though quite 

 dim. Coming in the period of the Krakatoa phenomena, it was much 

 discussed in that connection. 

 Parsehian, Constantinople, (63) ; conditions excellent. 



c=i.2 5.0 cm.; Tycho, like a star of the second magnitude. The moon during 

 totality was feebly but definitely colored in red. 

 Berge, Romorantin, France, (55) ; nothing about sky or means. 



c = i.5 During totality the eclipsed moon remained constantly visible, and the 

 Mare Tranquilitatis, Mare Serenitatis, Oceanus Procellarum, etc., 

 were easily distinguished. 



Byl, Brussels, (56) ; atmospheric conditions hardly favorable, sky 

 very cloudy and often completely covered. 



0= 1.6 ID cm. ; during totality the disk was continuously visible, colored dark 

 red, with a luminous circle around, white within, blue vvithout. The 

 seas were visible as brownish spots, very dark ; the peaks, as brilliant 

 points with slight red aureoles. 

 Guiot, Soissons, France, (60) ; nothing about sky or means. 



b 1.6 c Moon very dark, although sharp; Tycho, Copernicus, Plato and Gri- 

 maldi easily seen, but not Aristarchus. 

 Trepicd, Paris Obsy., (65) ; sky not stated. 



b 1.6 c 25 cm.; early in the partial stage the shadow edge was tinted red, and 

 beyond 2' or 3' within it nothing was perceptible. Later the shadow 

 suddenly brightened, it became possible to see the limb and the prin- 

 cipal details of the surface. On the whole the shadow was completely 

 uniform, of a pale but decided blue. 

 Spitta, Clapham, Engl., (64) ; sky cloudless. 



cr^i.6 10 inch reflector; during totality the moon was, generally speaking, 

 exceedingly faint .... at times barely visible to the n. e., and 



