APRIL 25, 1912] 
NATURE 
journeyed to various environs of Paris in order 
to locate themselves on the central line, and were 
rewarded by a magnificent view of an annular 
eclipse which was so near total as to present 
vividly the phenomenon of Baily’s beads. 
Among these was a party including Dr. 
W. J. Se Lockyer and Mr. Frank McClean, whose 
telegram we published last week. Dr. Lockyer 
states that at Chavenay they were located 
exactly on the line given by the American 
ephemeris, which corresponded with the amended 
path given by Dr. Crommelin. There is no doubt 
that the eclipse there was central; the phenomenon 
of Baily’s beads, starting symmetrically from 
both ends of the diameter, made a_ glorious 
No corona,was seen, but there were 
two large prominences. Referring to the latter 
phenomena, Mr. A. A. Buss states that he ob- 
served two prominences, spectroscopically, in 
position angles 116°-120° and 182°-206°. The 
former was very bright, and agrees in position 
with one of those reported by Dr. Lockyer, and 
shown on a “disc” spectroheliogram taken at 
South Kensington at 12h. 6m. 18s. p.m.; but the 
position of the other is not in agreement. Unfor- 
tunately, Mr. Buss does not give the time of his 
observations, but they indicate that considerable 
changes were taking place among the prominence 
structures about eclipse time. We learn from 
Dr. Lockyer that some such changes are indicated 
on the excellent series of photographs secured by 
M. Deslandres, with the various forms of spectro- 
heliographs, during the eclipse period. 
Another party, located at St. Germain, also 
close to the central line, included Prof. Turner, 
Mr. Howard Payn, M. Antoniadi, Mr. Whitmell, 
and others. According to the Times corre- 
spondent, the eclipse commenced at 1oh,. 48m. 51s. 
G.M.T., and as the moon advanced three lunar 
peaks were plainly visible at the satellite’s limb. 
Prof. Turner saw a narrow ring of corona 
round the southern limb of the sun, Mr. Whit- 
mell, with a slitless binocular spectroscope, could 
discern numerous Fraunhofer lines at 11h. 52m., 
and Mr. Payn succeeded in catching sight of 
Mercury. The thermometric observations made 
by M. Antoniadi indicated a distinct fall of 
temperature nearly concurrent with the passage 
of the lunar shadow; at rth. 25m. the shade tem- 
perature was 57° F. nang gradually decreased to 
a minimum of 49° F. at 12h. 18m., i.e., about 
Sm. after the ean phase. 
The reports from Portugal show that the party 
of British astronomers organised by the British 
Astronomical Association enjoyed ideal conditions 
at Milhiondos, near Oporto, and saw the whole 
sun covered except for two luminous points, 
probably prominences. 
In a cablegram to Dr. Lockyer, Mr. Worth- 
ington—-who was fortunate enough to be able to 
good photographs at Vavau last year 
reports a totality about one second, during 
which he obtained a photograph of the corona. 
This shows a corona of the “wind vane” type, 
such as one naturally expects at such an epoch 
the present, when we appear to be in the 
NO. 2217, VOL. 89| 
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trough of a minimum of solar activity. Mr. 
Butler, of the Solar Physics Observatory, was also 
in Portugal, and in a communication to the Daily 
Express reports that Mr. Dean and _ himself 
made observations from Olhomarinho, four and 
a half kilometres north of Ovar. ‘otality appears 
to have been certainly less than one second, and 
a glare around the dark moon was thought to 
be the lower corona, but no streamers were seen: 
nor were any large prominences detected. A por- 
trait-lens camera of large aperture was employed 
to photograph the corona, and photographs of 
the chromosphere at the moment of the reversal 
the dark lines were attempted. The visual 
observations showed bright chromospheric rings 
corresponding to the radiations of hydrogen, 
helium, &c. Both Mercury and Venus, but no 
stars, were visible. 
Reports from Brussels show that the central 
line passed over Waremme, between Liége and 
Brussels, where an annular eclipse, with the 
Fic. 1.—Spectroheliogram taken at the Solar Physics Observatory on 
April 17, 12h, 6m. 
apparent diameters of the sun and moon very 
nearly equal, endured for a few seconds. 
At Berlin the conditions for observations were 
remarkably good, and Prof. Schwarzschild, 
director of the Potsdam Observatory, watched 
the eclipse from the Zeppelin airship, which 
ascended from Frankfurt-on-Main. At Gedser, 
Denmark, where the magnitude of the eclipse was 
o'98, the air temperature fell 9° F. between the 
beginning and end of the eclipse. 
At Cambridge, Prof. Newall 
graphs of the spectrum of the limb near 
the cusps, which showed bright superim- 
posed upon the ordinary dark lines of the Fraun- 
hofer spectrum. 
At the Solar Physics Observatory, South 
Kensington, a series of photographs was secured 
with the spectroheliogré uy oh throughout the various 
phases, and the “limb” photographs té iken after 
the eclipse showed two small prominences. We 
reproduce here the photographs 
secured photo- 
sun’s 
lines 
one of ‘dise 
