Zi? KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
of 1868 is chiefly memorable for having taught astronomers to do without eclipses, 
so far, at least, as one particular branch of solar inquiry is concerned. Inspired 
by the beauty and brilliancy of the variously tinted prominence lines revealed to 
him by his spectroscope, Janssen exclaimed to those about him, ‘Je verrai ces 
lignes-l4 en dehors des eclipses!’ On the following morning he carried into execu- 
tion the plan which formed itself in his brain at the time of the eclipse.”’ 
More than a year ago an idea took possession of my brain that there must be 
some method by which the corona of the sun may be rendered visible at any 
time between sunrise and sunset, atmospheric conditions being favorable. In 
the latter part of April, 1899, I secured three strips of pine lumber, each about 
six or seven feet long, and of a uniform thickness of three-fourths of an inch. 
The strips were fastened to the outside of the tube ofa Clark telescope of six inches 
object-glass, separated from each other by a distance of 120 degrees, Ordinary 
wrapping twine was used with which to make the strips secure and firm in their 
position. They were so placed that about three feet of each one was allowed to 
project beyond and in front of the object-glass. This done, a cardboard, suffi- 
ciently heavy, was cut into the form of a circular disk of seven inches diameter. 
Upon the inside of the circumference of the disk, and as close to the limb as 
possible, three small holes were pierced, through which pieces of fine flexible 
wire were put, and these were tied around the pine strips. By this arrangement 
the cardboard disk—an artificial moon—could be securely held in position, and 
by slipping the wires forward or backward, as might be necessary, the disk could 
be made to hide completely the entire face of the sun. It was expected and 
hoped that the effect would be the same as in the case of a true solar eclipse; that 
is, that the solar appendages would be revealed. Allthings being ready, the tele- 
scope mounted firmly upon the tripod, the pine strips fastened, and the cardboard 
moon put at a suitable distance from the object-glass, on the afternoon of May 
3, 1899, the first trial was made; an observation was taken. The face of the sun 
being completely obscured, bright radiations were seen to issue from the limb of 
the artificial moon in great numbers. These radiations were carefully scrutinized, 
but it was soon made apparent that they were nothing but streaks of light, of a 
decidedly brassy appearance, reflected from the inside of the telescope, the barrel 
of which was made of brass. The cardboard moon was now shifted to a point a 
little farther away from the object-glass. The result was still the same—the 
brassy streaks, and allelse. During all this time, and in spite of every effort to 
prevent it, the barrel of the telescope was flooded with light that poured into it 
from the surrounding atmosphere. Just here seemed to be the difficulty, the 
light came into the telescope apparently from everywhere, past the limb of the 
false moon. 
For over an hour slight changes were made in the position of the false moon, 
at intervals of from five to six minutes each, at one time to a place nearer the 
object-glass, at another, to a point farther away; but all to noeffect; the results 
were invariably the same, save that the brassy streamers were modified accord- 
ingly. Matters were becoming monotonous and rather disheartening, so much 
so that the question arose whether the observation should be prolonged or given 
up as a flat failure. The determination to succeed, or know the reason why 
success should not be attained, prolonged the work for some time longer. The 
time passed in shifting the false moon, readjusting the pine strips, keeping the 
telescope in proper position, straining the eye in order to see the sight, should a 
revelation be made; yet nothing was seen but the brassy reflections from the tele- 
scope itself, which seemed to be dancing and laughing as if in very mockery at 
every attempt to succeed. More than two hours had passed, and the goal to be 
