THE COMING TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. 9 



tern, being, of course, strongest near the sun. The belief is gradu- 

 ally growing among scientists that the earth, the sun, and the 

 planets are all magnetic bodies, and have these bonds of connection 

 between them- in addition to the Newtonian gravitation. This is 

 a most fascinating field of research, and, though full of difficulties, 

 yet attracts the attention of many who are convinced that one of 

 the most pressing duties of the hour is to clear up the problems 

 connected with the transmission of energy from the sun to the 

 earth in other forms than the ordinary or sunlight radiation. It 

 is entirely probable that the secular variations of the weather 

 changes from year to year, and even from month to month, are 

 bound up with these solar forces, and that the solution of these 

 questions will carry with them much information of practical use 

 to civilized man. 



The coronas of the past forty years are shown on Chart III, 

 taken from the report of the eclipse of 1896 (August 9th), by A. 

 Hansky. It arranges the coronas in the eleven-year period so far 

 as the dates at which the eclipses occurred permit this to be done, 

 and by comparing them in vertical lines the similarity is at once 

 seen for the respective quarters of phases of the period. The fore- 

 cast there given for 1900 is seen to resemble 1867, 1878, and 1889, 

 but it differs in orientation from that on Chart IV, which was pre- 

 pared by the author. The four coronas on the left in Chart III 

 are taken at the sun-spot maximum, and the appearance is that 

 of total confusion in the NoRTH 



structure of the rays; the 

 second and the fourth col- 

 umns are for the sun's 

 medium intensity at about 

 halfway between the maxi- 

 mum and the minimum, 

 and they show a system of 

 polar rays taking on struc- 

 tural form, the second col- 

 umn being at a Stage of di- S, axis of sun ; C, C, poles of the 'solar corona. 



minishing and the fourth 



at one of increasing solar activity; the third column gives the 

 corona when the spots are at a minimum of frequency and the sun 

 is in a comparatively quiescent state, wherein the polar rifts are 

 very distinct and the equatorial wings or extensions greatly de- 

 veloped. 



The successful observation of a solar corona depends upon three 

 conditions: the selection of the instrument, its proper mounting, 

 and the photographic process, regarding each of which a few sug- 



SOUTH . 



irt IV. — Bigelow's Forecast of the Cobona or 



May 28, 1900. E, earth's axis ; K, axis of ecliptic : 



