THE EARTH IN METEORIC SHADOW. 167 



the earth. So that nearly always if there were a meteor 

 system travelling in the track of Venus or Mercury, we 

 should see that system during eclipse (if at all) passing 

 clear of the disc of the sun though near it. In the 

 case of the meteor systems, we should see the earth 

 stream most of the time (if we saw it at all) passing 

 far away from the disc of the eclipsed sun. Take, for 

 instance, the August and November systems. These, 

 if visible at all, would only be seen as coronal streamers 

 on or about February 7 and May 12, at other times 

 they would be seen to pass far from the solar disc. 



The fact, then, that during solar eclipses these 

 meteor systems (if thus we are to explain the coronal 

 streamers) seem nearly radial to the solar disc, is 

 another proof, but the other was sufficient, that the 

 part of the meteor stream producing the observed 

 light, is in each case very close indeed to the sun. 



Now it is clear that when we see a meteor stream 

 as a radial, or rather diametral streak athwart the sun's 

 place, the brightest part of the stream as so seen must 

 lie really behind the sun. It looks like a double pro- 

 jection, or rather two projections, one on each side of 

 the sun, but it is manifestly nothing of the sort, but a 

 tract of illuminated matter extending across the space 

 behind the sun. 



In this respect I must correct the views expressed 

 by Mr. Russell, of Sydney. He speaks of the meteor 

 systems to which he (doubtless correctly) attributes 

 the coronal streamers, as though they formed a solar 

 appendage shaped as the corona seems to be shaped. 



