The Sun 



opening, surrounded by tongues of fire, flickering 

 in different directions, and in the midst of these 

 tongues could be clearly distinguished some 

 semi-luminous veils surrounding a blacker 

 cavity. Above there was a second centre 

 smaller than the first; on the right a wide and 

 more or less S-shaped slit, and finally on the 

 lower part there was to be seen another elongated 

 and curved slit, offering to the eye a disorder 

 which beggars all description. Between these 

 four cavities was a heap of faculae and luminous 

 matter, having the appearance of a boiling 

 mass. 



" The whole was animated by tumultuous and 

 extremely rapid movements. The next day 

 the aspect had entirely changed and the length 

 was almost double. On the following days the 

 mass, intervening between the four openings, 

 gradually became a penumbra upon which 

 were scattered luminous grains. Then the 

 centres became isolated and more pronounced. 

 On August the 27th the large S-shaped opening 

 was still there; on September the i7th only 

 pores and faculae remained visible; finally, in 

 October, not a trace was left of this immense 



163 



