12 THE CHEMISTRY OF THE SUN. [CHAP. 



Here, then, is an alteration in the solar spectrum with a 

 vengeance. 



But this is only one part of the story. Wollaston is the true 

 founder of spectrum analysis ; for, entirely unaware of the 

 tremendous importance of the work he was doing, he showed 

 that we may get artificial light sources, the spectra of which 

 are discontinuous, but for a very different reason, as we now 

 know. 



He writes.: 



"By candle-light a different set of appearances may be distin- 

 guished. When a very narrow line of the blue light at the 

 lower part of the flame is examined alone, in the same manner, 

 through a prism, the spectrum may be seen divided into five 

 images at a distance from each other. The first is broad red, 

 terminated by a bright line of yellow, the second and third are 

 both green, the fourth and fifth are blue, the last of which appears 

 to correspond with the division of blue and violet in the solar 

 spectrum and the line D of Fig. 5. 



" When the object viewed is a blue line of electric light, I have 

 found the spectrum to be also separated into several images, but 

 the phenomena are somewhat different from the preceding. It is, 

 however, needless to describe minutely appearances which vary 

 according to the brilliancy of the light, and which I cannot 

 undertake to explain." 



We shall see the great importance of these observations in 

 the sequel. With Wollaston we quit the introductory stage of 

 our subject. 



