THE APPEARANCE OF THE CORONA. 97 



but a sensible impression of green colour was made when about 

 0-8 of the sun's disc was obscured. The crescent shape of this 

 phase was seen in the multitude of pictures of the sun, cast upon 

 the floor of the observing tent, formed by the light penetrating the 

 interstices of the bamboo matting that formed its southern wall. 

 At the instant of the sun's total obscuration the outburst of the 

 glory of rays constituting the corona was a sight never to be 

 forgotten : it was a fringe of light extending generally about 

 a whole diameter of the sun, say half a degree, beyond the 

 darkened disc ; but this fringe was much elongated in a fishtail 

 shape on the N.E., S.E., S.W. and N.W. sides of the sun, that 

 on the S.W. or right lower side of the sun being very distinctly 

 more elongated than the other portions. I estimated this to 

 extend as much as two diameters, or perhaps a little more than 

 li from the sun, while the elongations of the three others 

 varied from three-quarters of a degree to one degree. 



MR. WALTER MAUNDER'S EEPORT. 



MY first impression was that the corona was, roughly 

 speaking, rectangular in the general outline of its brightest 

 part, the upper edge being practically parallel to the horizon. 

 I judged the horizontal sides of the rectangle were to the 

 vertical as perhaps 5 to 4. 



The next point that impressed itself on me was the presence 

 of four streamers, noticed in the following order. 



I. N.E. A fine bright streamer traced quite 1J diameters 

 from the moon's limb. 



II. S.W. A longer streamer, but perhaps not quite so 

 bright as I. It was traced 2J diameters from the moon's limb. 

 I judged it to be nearly in the sun's equator, but slightly 

 to the south of it. 



III. N.W. A much shorter streamer, perhaps J diameter. 



IV. S.E. A fainter streamer. I just recognised it, but no 

 more, and paid no special attention to it. 



The third point noticed was the presence in the first three 

 streamers of the typical coronal curves. These were especially 

 noteworthy in the N.E. streamer, i.e. in its lower portions. 

 The bulb of a flask or of a hyacinth, or the curve of a leaf, 

 suggested themselves as like the outlines here shown. All three 

 streamers, I., II., III., showed them ; they seemed most pro- 

 nounced on I. ; most definite, most bright, and the curves the 

 strongest. 



Several prominences were noticed, one at the S.E. r point 

 especially of a full garnet hue ; two much smaller N.E., and 

 at the last moment three on the N.W. limb. 



7 



