4OO The total solar Eclipse of August 30, 1905 



limb which was about to be eclipsed, was, according to all 

 witnesses, exceptionally brilliant. When the time of mid- 

 totality came round I looked for these protuberances. They 

 were absent. Not a trace of them or of any others was 

 visible to the naked eye, and I searched the whole edge of 

 the moon's disc with the greatest attention. Their absence 

 was confirmed by Stephan (Comptes rendus, October 9), 

 observing with the best instrumental aid at Guelma. 



The sun's true altitude at Torreblanca on August 30, at 

 i h. i8'5 m., may be taken as 54'5. For this altitude the 

 augmentation of the moon's semi-diameter is I4"'3. Adding 

 to this the geocentric semi-diameter, 16' 2i //- 4, as taken from 

 the Nautical Almanac, 16' 3 5 "7 is obtained for the apparent 

 semi-diameter of the moon as seen from Torreblanca at mid- 

 totality. Deducting from this the semi-diameter of the sun, 

 namely 15' S"'7> we obtain 45" as a sufficient approximation 

 to the width of the annular band by which the disc of the 

 moon overlapped that of the sun. Therefore, to an observer 

 stationed on the central line in this neighbourhood, no pro- 

 tuberances could be visible at mid-totality which had a height 

 less than 45", and, neglecting the small displacement of 

 Torreblanca from the central line, the protuberances of the 

 second contact, magnificent though they were, could not 

 have exceeded this height. 



Eight seconds before second contact I detected the 

 streamers of the outer corona on the western limb of the 

 moon. At this moment there was no trace of the inner 

 corona, which presents to the spectator during the whole 

 of totality the appearance of a bright, luminous ring sur- 

 rounding the moon. 



If we assume that the argument from parallax is applic- 

 able to the inner corona, as it is to the protuberances, we 

 have to conclude that, eight seconds before second contact, 

 the light-giving portion of it did not extend further than 

 between 93" and 94" from the western limb of the sun. 

 To an observer on the central line, at mid-totality, it is 

 eclipsed to a distance of 45" from the sun's limb, and this 

 would leave only between 48" and 49" as the width of the 



