Mr. Baily on the Total Solar Eclipse of July 8,1842. 389 
vations of this kind is always so short in total eclipses (in the pre- 
sent case being less than 25 minutes) that one individual can scarcely 
attend to all the objects that are requisite to be noticed; more espe- 
cially if his attention is called away (as in this instance) by any 
new phenomenon which had not been previously observed, nor even 
anticipated. It is therefore desirable, in any future occurrences of 
this nature, that a division of labour should be made between two or 
three observers at the same place; each attending solely to the part 
which he has selected for his particular object. 
The breadth of the corona, measured from the circumference of 
the moon, appeared to me to be nearly equal to half the moon’s dia- 
meter. It had the appearance of brilliant rays. The light was most 
dense (indeed, I may say quite dense) close to the border of the 
moon, and became gradually and uniformly more attenuate as its 
distance therefrom increased, assuming the form of diverging rays, 
in a rectilinear line, and at the extremity were more divided and of 
unequal length: so thatin no part of the corona could I discover the 
regular and well-defined shape of a ring at its outer margin. It ap- 
peared to me to have the sun for its centre, but I had no means of 
taking any accurate measures for determining this point. Its colour 
was quite white, not pearl-colour, nor yellow, nor red; and the rays 
had a vivid and flickering appearance, somewhat like that which a gas- 
light illumination might be supposed to assume, if formed into a 
similar shape. I should think it not impossible to give a tolerable 
representation of this phenomenon by some artificial contrivance. I 
have seen something like it, in miniature, by the reflection of the 
sun’s light from a piece of broken glass, and on a larger scale by 
viewing the sun through a grove of trees; but in both these cases it 
is necessary to obscure the central portion of the rays. The bril- 
liancy of the corona was however quite as great as that which is 
produced by either of the methods here alluded to. I have annexed 
hereto a drawing of the corona, representing, as nearly asI can pre- 
serve in my recollection, the appearance of its shape and extent, and 
the ramification of the rays at the time of the middle of the total 
obscuration. I had no time or opportunity for ascertaining the de- 
viation of the moon from the central position of the corona at any 
other point of its progress. (See the copper-plate accompanying 
this paper, as given in the Monthly Notices.) 
Splendid and astonishing however as this remarkable phenomenon 
really was, and although it could not fail to call forth the admiration 
and applause of every beholder, yet I must confess that there was 
at the same time something in its singular and wonderful‘appearance 
that was appalling: and I can readily imagine that uncivilized na- 
tions may occasionally have become alarmed and terrified at such an 
object, more especially in times when the true cause of the occurrence 
may have been but faintly understood, and the phenomenon itself 
wholly unexpected. 
But the most remarkable circumstance attending this pheno- 
menon (at least that which most engaged my observation during 
the short interval of total obscuration, and drew my attention from 
