The luminous disk of the sun is gradually corroded. Another disk, as black as ink, creeps in front of it and little by little invades it entirely. The atmosphere takes on a wan, sepulchral hue; astonished nature is hushed in profound silence; an immense veil of sadness spreads over the world. Night comes on suddenly, and the stars shine out in the Heavens. It seems as though by some mysterious cataclysm the Sun had disappeared forever."
Professor Moulton in his "Astronomy" gives another splendid description:
"It always occurs precisely at new moon, and consequently the moon is invisible until it begins to obscure the sun. Steadily the moon moves over the sun's disk; and, as the instant of totality draws near, the light rapidly fails, animals become restless and everything takes on a weird appearance. Suddenly a shadow rushes across the surface of the earth at the rate of more than 1300 miles an hour, the sun is covered, the stars flash out, around the apparent edge of the moon are rose-colored prominences of vaporous material forced up from the sun's surface to a height of perhaps 200,000 miles, and all around the sun extending out as far as half its diameter are streamers of pearly light which constitutes the sun's corona. After seven minutes at the very most, the western edge of the sun is uncovered and daylight suddenly appears."
In "New Astronomy," Langley tells of the sensations of an observer as the moon's shadow passes furiously on its way:
"The bright cloud I saw distinctly put out like a candle. The rapidity of the shadow, and the intensity produced a feeling that something material was sweeping over the earth at a speed perfectly frightful. I involuntarily listened for the rushing noise of a mighty wind."
On June 8th, 1918, September 10, 1923, and on January 24th, 1925, many people in the United States were privileged to view the wonderful spectacle of a total eclipse. Scientists came from all over the world to witness the solar eclipse of 1923, for not only was it visible from an attractive corner of our country at a pleasant time of the year, but the sun was at a convenient altitude for observation. Many photographs were taken of the great flaming corona, some even from airplanes.
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