1 8 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



between the drawings is such as to leave no doubt of 

 the care with which those observers examined and 

 recorded what they saw. Bound one part of the black 

 limb of the moon there was seen a serrated band of 

 rose-pink light, in another place a pyramidal red 

 mountain, in a third a curved streak of red light formed 

 like a Turkish scimetar, and in a fourth a red detached 

 cloud, which Airy and Lassell picture as nearly circular 

 in form, while Hind and Dawes represent it as triangular. 

 No doubt could exist that these objects belonged to 

 the sun and not to the moon, since the moon was 

 seen to traverse them; insomuch that on the side 

 towards which she was moving their altitude diminished, 

 while on the opposite side they grew larger until the 

 appearance of the sun's disc in this neighbourhood 

 obliterated them through excess of light. 



The observers were especially struck by the perfect 

 distinctness with which these remarkable appearances 

 were exhibited. 'I had heard them described as 

 but faint phenomena,' says Lassell. ' My surprise and 

 astonishment may therefore be well imagined when 

 the view presented itself to my eyes which I am about 

 to describe. In the middle of the (telescopic) field 

 was the body of the moon, rendered visible enough by 

 the light of the corona attended by the apparent pro- 

 jections. These prominences were of the most 

 brilliant lake colour a splendid pink quite denned 

 and hard. They appeared to me to be not quiescent : 

 but the moon passing over them, and therefore 

 exhibiting them in different phase, might convey an 



