This passage was only pointed out to me by a friend after the eclipse had actually taken place, and I had sent him some notes of what I then saw. My notes on the occasion comprised, amongst others, the following remarks:—“The tints of colour also during partial eclipse, owing, no doubt, to the moon’s considerable altitude, were singularly bright and well contrasted. Silver-grey, dusky copper-red, and the same tint clearer and brighter were ranged side by side with a lovely jewel effect. We noticed also at times a crimson-scarlet tint, deeper and less mixed with yellow than the copper colour. This last tint reminded me much of a crimson glow common to the Aurora, and which I also once distinctly remarked (of course in a weaker degree) in the zodiacal light” (antè, p. 68).
Eclipse, Aug. 23-24, 1877. Sky clear, but eclipsed moon misty and indistinct until total obscuration. Succession of colours.
On the occasion of the eclipse of August 23-24, 1877, we were favoured at Guildown, in common with many other places, by a singularly clear sky during the progress of the moon’s obscuration and subsequent clearing. In the early part of the evening, however, the moon, from some cause (possibly atmospheric vapour), seemed to have, as the earth’s shadow advanced on its disk, an unexpectedly misty and indistinct appearance, which lasted up to and including total obscuration. Golden yellow, yellow copper, dull copper, ruddy copper, and dull red were successively the principal colours observed at different times and at various portions of the moon’s surface.
As shadow passed off, indistinctness gave way to a sharpness of the moon’s features as seen through shadow. Two patches of crimson light described.
After referring to some spectroscopic appearances, my notes then ran on thus:—“As the shadow began to pass off, and the bright sharp crescent of the illuminated portion of the moon to appear, the general aspect of the moon’s disk seemed to me to greatly change. The certain amount of indistinctness noticeable during approach and continuance of totality, gave way to a considerable sharpness of the moon’s features as seen through the shadow. The shadowed part glowed with a richer copper tint, on which were seen dark, almost black, spots and patches.” Then follows a description of these; and the notes continue:—“Two features here struck me—the one a continuation of the upper limb of the illuminated crescent, so that it seemed to form a bead of light just on the centre of the upper edge of the moon; the other two patches of crimson light, similar to those I described as having been seen in the last total eclipse. One of these, quite a small one, was just under the elongated bead before described; the other, a much larger and more diffused one, was seen towards the south-west limb of the moon, about midway between it and the centre. The spots or patches were of a decidedly crimson-red, in contrast to the ordinary copper-red of the disk, and were noticed by my friend as well as by myself.”
Patches well seen in field-glass; lost in small refractor. They gradually deepened in tint.
These were eye observations. The patches were quite well seen (but not so brightly as with the eye) with a double achromatic field-glass. With a 3¼-inch Cooke refractor and low power, they seemed lost in the general moon tint; but they were then diminishing in brightness. From a comparison of my two sketches, the patches seem to have gradually deepened in tint, and we considered them to have disappeared in a like gradual manner.
Two sketches taken.
My first sketch was taken shortly after end of total phase; the second about ten minutes later. I have reproduced the original sketches in preference to any drawing prepared from them (Plate IV. figs. 2 and 3).