
RED PROMINENCES SEEN DURING TOTAL ECLIPSES OF THE SUN. 457 
its shape rapidly, unfolding more and more of the curve, as the phase proceeded.’’* 
Mr CarrincTon saw a small pink prominence at an angle of 100° from the upper 
limb reckoned towards the east ; it was of the form of a hay-rick, and rapidly di- 
minished,” so that “in 10° it was no longer seen ;” on the other hand, he had “no 
manner of doubt” that the prominences to the west of the sun’s vertex “ increased 
in size so as to be five times as large” as when they first appeared. He afterwards 
adds, ‘that these changes are fully accounted for by the moon’s motion ;” and he 
concludes, that “ the prominences are appendages to the sun.”+ Lieutenant 
Prrrersson says, that the movement of the prominences relatively to the limb 
of the moon, and above all, the successive removal of a detached prominence, 
which was at first in contact with it, convinced him that they belong to the sun.t 
According to Mr Atry’s observations, a prominence at first seen to the east 
“ disappeared, the moon having overlapped it, and the two to the west, which 
touched the moon, were lengthened ; the moon evidently having uncovered more 
of their bases ;” while the detached mass “ was further removed from the moon’s 
limb,” and “now a conical prominence came into sight” at about 60° to the 
west, measured from the sun’s vertex.” “Just before the sun reappeared all these 
objects were still further Jengthened from the moon’s motion,” while a sierra or 
range of serrated eminences came into view.” § Professor CHEVALLIER, who ob- 
served the eclipse with the high power of 180, is of opinion that the promi- 
nences “ were certainly connected with the sun, for the separation of the edge 
of the moon from them, as she moved onwards, could be distinctly seen.”|| Mr 
Hinp estimated the height of the hook-shaped prominence at 45’, about 20° after 
the sun disappeared, and towards the end of the totality at 2’; “the moon having 
apparently left more and more of it visible, as she travelled across the sun.” 
There was no change in the form of this object ; and while the moon moved away 
from the detached prominence, the latter “preserved its relative position” to the 
hook-shaped one.§/_ Mr Avie says, that “as the moon advanced, the crescent,” or 
hook-shaped prominence “increased in altitude,” as did another prominence 
below it; while that “to the eastern side diminished to less than one-half the 
altitude it had when first observed ;” and these changes, he thinks, afford the most 
satisfactory proof “that the prominences belong to the sun and not to the moon.”** 
Mr Dawes states that the height of the hook-shaped prominence was perhaps 1”°5 
when first seen, and that its height “ increased to two minutes or more, as the 
moon’s progress revealed it more entirely.” The detached prominence “ was sepa- 
* Notice of R. Ast. Soc., p. 55. 
+ Account of the late Total Hclipse of the Sun, by R. C. Carrineton, pp. 6, 7, 10. 
t “ Le mouvements de ces derniéres relativement au bord de la lune, et surtout l’éloignement 
successif de d du bord obscur, avec lequel je la vis premiérement en contact m’ont convaingu qu’elles 
appartenaient au Soléil.” The letter d refers to his drawing of the detached prominence. See Plate 
X1., Fig. 9., No. 6— Manuscript Letter to the Author, dated 26th January 1852. 
§ Ast. Soc. Notice, p. 60. || Ib., p. 65. q Ib., p. 67. 
** Hdin. New Phil. Journal, for October 1851, pp. 374, 375. 
VOL. XX. PART III. 6G 
