92 Chrojiicles of Science. [Jan., 



Who is to have the merit of the discovery? As M. Fare 

 remarks, " the priority of the idea belongs to Mr. Lockyer, but that 

 of its fruitful application rests with M. Janssen." He suggests 

 that the honour of the discovery should be accorded equally to both 

 observers. 



By means of the new method it will be possible to chart the 

 prominences from day to day and from hour to hour. Already we 

 have learned two important facts respecting them. In the first 

 place, we now know that they are continually changing in figure 

 and arrangement, as was indeed to be expected from their flame-like 

 character. Secondly, we now know that sodium is not an element 

 in the structure of the protuberances. The spectrum of the sun 

 being brought into direct contact with that of a prominence by 

 the new method of observation, no measure is required for the 

 determination of the position of the bright lines forming the pro- 

 minence spectrum. The orange fine which had been supposed by 

 Lieut. Herschel and others to be the double hne of the metal 

 sodium, is now found not to agree in position with the dark hne D 

 of the solar spectrum, which is known to be due to absorption by 

 sodium-vapour in the sun's atmosphere. Thus the vapoui" to which 

 the bright orange hne in the prominence spectrum is due cannot 

 possibly be that of sodium. It seems clear, however, that the red 

 and green lines are due to burning hydrogen. 



We mentioned that, according to received views respecting the 

 meteoric zone to which the November shooting-stars are due, there 

 was but little j)rospect of the display being seen in England this 

 year. Our views were subsequently coufii'med by a letter addressed 

 to ' The Times ' by Mr, Hmd, the superintendent of the ' Nautical 

 Almanac,' in which he stated that the probable hour of the earth's 

 passage through the zone would be six o'clock in the afternoon of 

 November 13 th, at which horn- England would be on the sheltered 

 side of the earth. However, the anticipations of astronomers were 

 not fulfilled by the result. The display was well seen in several 

 parts of England and Em-ope on the morning of the 14th of No- 

 vember. The only explanation of this peculiarity which seems at 

 first sight available is that the meteoric zone had been swayed from 

 its mean position (as respects this part of its length) by the attrac- 

 tions of the planets, and that thus the earth passed through it 

 several hours later than had been expected. The news that the 

 display has been seen well in America points also to the widening 

 out of the zone. 



Tlie planet Mars will be in opposition on February 13 th next, 

 and for several weeks before and after that date he will be very 

 favourably situated for observation, lie will not, indeed, be so near 

 to the earth as at many oppositions ; in fact, he will be so close to 

 his aphelion that he will be almost as unfavourably situated, as 



