26 LIFE: ITS NATURE AND ORIGIN 



gigantic prominence resembling an ant-eater, 350,000 miles from 

 snout to tail. Before setting of the sun removed it from visibility, 

 it rose about 475,000 miles above the sun's surface. 18 



Figure 2. The Ant-eater prominence (May 29, 1919). The whole length of this 

 prominence was ahout 350,000 miles. (Courtesy A. C. Crommelin, Greenwich Ob- 

 servatory; from "The Stars in Their Courses" by J. Jeans, The Macmillan Co., N. Y.) 



The following comparison between chemical and nuclear heat 



is of interest, the chemical example representing an oxy-hydrogen 



flame: 



4 grams H + 32 grams = 36 grams FLO+ 136,000 calories 

 1 gram H + 7 grams s Li 7 ^8 grams 2 He 4 + 5 billion calories. 



The "annihilation energy" of one electron is 0.5 mev, while that 



of one mass unit is 931 mev. 



