Of Eclipses

emerged. After 10 minutes, it was three-quarters visible; finally, at 7:54, it was entirely full again. Thus, it spent 57 minutes in its emergence; my calculation gave me 58. However, it remained within the shadow for 1 hour and 41 minutes, whereas my calculation predicted 1 hour and 51 minutes. The midpoint falls at 6:05, which would be at Uraniborg The famous observatory of Tycho Brahe on the island of Hven. in Denmark at 5:57, for which I calculate 6:17, and thus 20 minutes more. This eclipse appeared in 18° 11' Gemini original: "$Π$", under which sign, among others, the land of Württemberg is usually placed by astrologers.

Whether this unusual, unforeseen, and fairly strong—yet strange—light from the North, which was distinguished from the true light from the South, signifies nothing at all, or what it might portend—since one takes meaning from virgae Latin: "rods"; meteorological phenomena appearing as streaks of light., parelia Latin: "mock suns.", paraselenae Latin: "mock moons.", irides Latin: "rainbows.", and similar appearances—I leave to the consideration of those who arrogate such interpretations to themselves somewhat more than I do. Otherwise, the Moon was not poorly positioned, being between Jupiter and Saturn, though closer to the latter, with which it also conjoined on the following night.

Concerning the Great Solar Eclipse of the Year 1621.

Now I come to the forthcoming eclipses of this year, the first of which occurs to the Sun on May 11/21; this will now be totally eclipsed in several lands.

For the Moon's shadow touches the Earth's surface in the North Sea behind the Azores at polar altitude 37 Meaning 37 degrees North latitude.; there the Sun will be completely covered at its rising. From there, the shadow strikes out over the Azores and above the Kingdom of Spain, through the Aquitanian Ocean original: "Oceanum Aquitanicum"; the Bay of Biscay., and touches the island of Great Britain between Ireland and the headland of Plymouth. There it strikes through the middle between England and Scotland, over Stafford, where one will count 7:45 when the Sun stands totally eclipsed. From there, the shadow passes over the Norwegian Sea, through Denmark, Sweden, and over the Bothnian Sea through Finland. There, this total eclipse holds its center, so to speak, in the very ninetieth degree original: "in ipso nonagesimo"; referring to the nonagesimal, the point of the ecliptic 90 degrees from the intersection of the ecliptic and the horizon., where one will count 10:20. Furthermore, the path goes through Muscovy, Tartary, and the Kingdom of China, over Japan; there it leaves the Earth's sphere again in the wide Eastern Sea, so that the Sun sets there in total eclipse.

Thus, this eclipse will also be very large in Spain, Brittany, the Netherlands, the Baltic Sea, the Hanseatic cities, Livonia, etc., but not entirely covered, for a small "horn" of light remains below. In Austria, it reaches 10 points original: "puncten"; also known as "digits," a measurement where 12 points represent a total eclipse.; in Swabia and along the Rhine, it will be somewhat higher. Conversely, in Scotland, upper Norway, Lapland, and in wild Tartary, it will again be very large but not totally covered, for there a very small portion remains above.

If the sky is otherwise clear around the Sun and not—as mostly happens, and as occurred in the years 1567 and 1605 during both great solar eclipses—surrounded by a shining ethereal matter Kepler is likely describing the solar corona, which prevents total darkness during an eclipse., it may well happen that not only in England and Denmark but even in Germany it would become total night. The stars would appear, especially Venus on the upper right and Saturn on the lower left, along with the brightest fixed stars, and perhaps even Mercury, near the...