Consequently, at the moment of an
eclipse, the Moon is far beyond the reach of the real shadow, so that
she can see not only the border rays of the Sun, but even those
proceeding from his very centre."
"Oh then," cried Ardan with a loud laugh, "we have an eclipse of the Sun
at the moment when the Sun is quite visible! Isn't that very like a
bull, Mr. Philosopher Barbican?"
"Yet it is perfectly true notwithstanding," answered Barbican. "At such
a moment the Sun is not eclipsed, because we can see him: and then again
he is eclipsed because we see him only by means of a few of his rays,
and even these have lost nearly all their brightness in their passage
through the terrestrial atmosphere!"
"Barbican is right, friend Michael," observed the Captain slowly: "the
same phenomenon occurs on earth every morning at sunrise, when
refraction shows us
'_the Sun new ris'n
Looking through the horizontal misty air,
Shorn of his beams._'"
"He must be right," said Ardan, who, to do him justice, though quick at
seeing a reason, was quicker to acknowledge its justice: "yes, he must
be right, because I begin to understand at last very clearly what he
really meant.
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