420 On Phenomena observed during Total Eclipses of the Sun. 
first 7 to 10 seconds; it was not till after that interval that a 
red protuberance declared itself of a sudden on the north-east, 
precisely at the place where, before, anebulous white spot had been 
seen. This protuberance did not proceed from within outwards 
from the moon’s limb, but was formed suddenly, as if “the red 
of the protuberance had had a whitish nebulous covering removed 
from off it.” It was distinctly remarked how the disc of the 
moon advanced over this protuberance and completely covered it 
over in a few seconds. A second protuberance became visible 
shortly after the first one, but somewhat more to the north, and 
it disappeared simultaneously with the first one. A third pro- 
tuberance towards the south-east remained visible only during 
two seconds. On the western limb there appeared gradually 
three larger and one very small protuberance, which all increased 
in size by degrees, and so changed their shape that there is 
hardly any way of explaining it but on the assumption that a 
ragged mass of vapour traversed the moon’s disc in a westerly 
direction. The wind on the surface of the earth had a general 
westerly course, but varied both in its direction and force. We 
must therefore assume that the masses of vapour were formed in 
the upper regions of the air, and were borne onward in a direc- 
tion opposed to that of the lower current. 
In the report of Dr. Moesta, who observed the total solar 
eclipse of November 30, 1853, to the south of Pisco in Peru, 
it is especially worthy of remark that, fifteen minutes prior to the 
sun being totally eclipsed, the yet existing crescent of the sun 
became suddenly “invested with a dark rose-coloured nebular 
substance.” The intensity of this covering kept on increasing, 
so that at last the edges of the sun and moon could only be in- 
distinctly made out. After the commencement of the total 
eclipse, there was seen on the western edge of the moon a rose- 
coloured elevation which had a southerly motion, and which dis- 
appeared in a minute and twenty seconds, its colour having first 
passed to orange and then to yellow. In addition thereto there 
were observed on the northerly edge two completely dark protu- 
berances, which were without doubt masses of vapour of greater 
density. The sketch made by Moesta is shown in fig. 7. 
On the occasion of the total solar eclipse of September 7, 1858, 
which was observed by a commission of astronomers at Paranagua 
in Brazil, there were seen on the eastern edge of the moon two 
white prominences with a black border, and one prominence 
entirely white, which were apparently hidden by the moon as it 
advanced: three prominences of a reddish colour made their ap- 
pearance by degrees on the western edge, and they would seem 
to have increased slowly in size. Here also, therefore, we should 
have to assume a motion of the vapour from east to west. 
