The central phase begins in Lat. 50° 8.8 S., Lon. 29° 55.3′ W., and ends in Lat. 24° 41.3′ S., Lon. 232 39.7′ W. of Washington. It occurs at noon, in Lat. 54° 6.5' S., and in Lon. 301° 32′ W. of Washington.

III. A partial eclipse of the Moon, July 23d, invisible in America. Visible in Eastern Asia and Australia. Size, 0.566 of the diameter, or 6.792 digits on the southern limb.

IV. A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, August 7th, in the afternoon, visible either as a total, or a large partial eclipse, throughout Eastern Asia, and all of North America, and the West Indies. This will be the most interesting eclipse that has occurred, or will occur, in the United States for many years.

The eclipse first begins on the Earth at sun-rise in the Pacific Ocean, east of Japan, in Lat. 36° 53.3′ N., Lon. 138 37.4′ W. of Washington. It becomes total first upon the Earth, in Siberia, at sun-rise, in Lat. 52° 41.9' N., Lon. 165 26.4′ W. of Washington. The eclipse is

total at noon in Alaska, Lat. 61° 46.9′ N., Lon. 68° 4.6′ West. The line of the total eclipse now runs south-easterly, grazing the coast near Sitka, thence running off into British America, and entering the United States near the origin of Milk River, Lon. 30° W. Thence through the South-west corner of Minnesota, and diagonally through Iowa, crossing the Mississippi River near Burlington, Iowa; thence through Illinois, just north of Springfield, and crossing the Ohio River near Louisville, Ky. Thence through the south-west corner of West Virginia, and through North Carolina, just south of Raleigh, and thence to Newbern, and entering the Atlantic, just north of Beaufort, N. C., and ending at sun-set, in the ocean, in Lat. 31° 15.2 N., and Lon. 9° 36.6 East.

In all the dark part of the engraving the Eclipse will be visible and partial, except along the heavy black line, where it will be total.

Along the line described above, the eclipse will be total, and at all other places in the United States it will be partial. The partial eclipse ends on the Earth at sun-set, in Lat. 14° 48′ 54′′ N., Lon. 13° 10′ W., being near the City of Guatemala. Along the Atlantic coast in the United States, the eclipse ends at about sun-set. For the times of the phases of this eclipse, see the following table. For its general outline, see the engraving.

This eclipse occurred last in 1851, July 28th, and the total phase was visible in the arctic regions of America, and in Sweden, Norway and Russia.

About one hundred little planets called Asteroids, have been discovered, whose orbits are between Mars and Jupiter. Every year new discoveries are made among them, and soon the number will doubtless be many more. Some of them are so exceedingly small, that it might seem inappropriate to call them planets or worlds. But any solid body having an orbit, if it be no larger than a cannon-ball, is entitled to rank as a world. A vast number of these may exist between Mars and Jupiter, which will never be discovered because of their littleness. Indeed, this may be said of all the inter-orbital spaces in the solar system. Asteroidal bodies appear to be revolving around the Sun, in orbits not far from that of the Earth. Others, also, revolve around the Earth like the Moon, attending our planet as invisible satellites. The Aerolitis, or falling masses of stones, are really Asteroids, whose orbits cross the Earth's track, or else wind spirally inward, as a consequence of the Earth's superior attraction. When one of these bodies and the Earth approach each other, at the intersection of their orbits, the former must strike upon the Earth, representing a miniature collision of worlds.

VERSED SINES OF THE ILLUMINATED DISCS OF VENUS AND MARS.

Venus will exhibit a gibbous phase, until December 13th, except about the 9th of May, when It is Full, or a perfect circle. At its greatest elongation, December 13th, it shows half its diameter, and after that it becomes a crescent. Mars is always gibbous, except when Full, being least at the quadratures.

The disc of Venus will be nearly circular, and not of much interest, until October. It becomes a crescent after the 13th of December.

EVENING STARS.

Venus, from May 9th to the end of the year.
Mars, all the year.
Jupiter, until April 17th, and after Aug. 12th.
Saturn, from March 7th to Dec. 11th.

MORNING STARS.

Venus, until May 9th.

Jupiter, from April 17th to Aug. 12th.

Saturn, until March 7th.

Mercury, March 21st, July 19th, and Nov. 7th.

NOTE.-The exterior planets are regarded as Evening Stars from their western quadrature to conjunction with the Sun, and as Morning Stars from conjunction to western quadrature, rising in the latter case between midnight and sunrise. The interior planets are Evening Stars from superior conjunction to their inferior conjunction, and then Morning Stars to superior conjunction. Venus does not reach the inferior conjunction this year, but it runs rapidly to it after its greatest elongation east, Dec. 13th, being about this time very beautiful.

EPHEMERIS OF THE PRINCIPAL PLANETS,

showing their Declination at transit, and time of transit, over the Meridian of Washington, and their rising and setting at night for the latitude of Washington. The rising of Uranus may be found very nearly by subtracting 7h. 19m. from its meridian passage, and its setting by adding 7h. 19m.