NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON:

THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY.

1885.

EIGHTH ANNUAL PUBLICATION.

A 55

1885

COPYRIGHT, 1884, BY AINSWORTH R. SPOFFORD.

THE AMERICAN ALMANAC AND TREASURY OF FACTS

Is published in two editions:

1. Popular Edition, handsome paper cover. Price 35 cents.

2. Library Edition, with 100 additional pages; elegantly bound in full scarlet

cloth. Price, $1.50.

Copies of the former issues, 1878, 1879, 1881, 1882, 1883, and 1884, may be had,
Library Edition, bound, at $1.50 each

The American Almanac for 1880 is out of print.

AIMBORLIAD

The Solar Cycle embraces a period of 28 years.
The Roman Indiction is a cycle of 15 years.

The Lunar Cycle is 235 synodical revolutions of the moon = 19 years.
The Epact denotes the age of the moon on the first day of January.

ECLIPSES IN THE YEAR 1885.

There will be four eclipses in the year 1885, two of the Sun and two of the Moon. 1. Annular eclipse of the Sun, March 16. This partial eclipse through the United States generally, will be visible in its annular phase in the northwest, where the path of the Annular crosses our northern boundary in longitude 105 degrees west from Greenwich. The annular phase will last only about fifty seconds. It will be visible at Washington as a partial eclipse.

2. A partial Eclipse of the Moon on March 30, invisible in the United States. 3. A total Eclipse of the Sun, September 8, invisible in the United States.

4. A partial Eclipse of the Moon, September 23-24, visible at Washington; also on the Atlantic Ocean, in North and South America, and the Pacific Ocean, Moon enters shadow September 24 at 1h. 6m. A.M., Washington mean time. Middle of the eclipse, 2h. 40m. Moon leaves shadow 4h. 13m. A.M.

THE NEW STANDARD TIME.

In 1884, by general agreement and partial legislation, four standard meridians were adopted within the United States, by which railway trains are run and local time regulated. These meridians are 15 degrees, or 900 miles, apart, there being a difference of just one hour in time from one meridian to another, as there are 360° in the earth's circumference, which divided by 24 hours gives 15 degrees to an hour. The Eastern meridian, 75° W. from Greenwich, passes 4 minutes west of New York City. The Central meridian, 90° W. longitude. passes through New Orleans and St. Louis. The Mountain standard meridian, 105 W. long., passes near Pike's Peak, Rocky Mountains. The Pacific meridian, 120° W. long., is near the coast, San Francisco being 9 m. west of it. The figures in these calendar-pages will be correct for the various standard meridians; for places east of any meridian, and within 7% degrees of it, one minute of time for each quarter of a degree of longitude (= 15 miles nearly), or 4 minutes for each degree, must be subtracted from the almanac figures. For a place west of any meridian, and within 7 degrees of it, add one minute for each quarter of a degree to the almanac figures. Any United States map gives the distances in longitude of most places from the several standard meridians, suf ficiently near to make practical application of the rule. MORNING STARS.

VENUS from January 1 to May 4.
JUPITER from September 8 to December 26.
SATURN from June 18 to October 1.
MERCURY from January 3 to March 13;
from April 27 to June 27; from Septem-
ber 2 to October 16; and from Decem-
ber 11 to 31.

MARS from February 11 to December 3.

EVENING STARS.
VENUS from May 4 to December 31.
MARS from January 1 to February 11, and
from December 3 to 31.

JUPITER from January 1 to September 8,
and from December 26 to 31.
SATURN from January 1 to June 18, and
from October 1 to December 31.
MERCURY from March 13 to April 27; from
June 27 to September 2; and from Octo
ber 16 to December 11.

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