26 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. "Jl 



canyon at about 14,000 feet elevation. There the apparatus was set 

 up, and on the day of the eclipse very satisfactory observations were 

 made, both photographs of the phenomenon and measurements of 

 the brii^htness of the sky and the nocturnal radiation. The accom- 

 panyins:^- ])hotograph shows in but a feeble way how splendid was the 

 eclipse phenomenon on this occasion. 'J'he corona extended at least 

 two diameters of the sun in almost all directions, with a s,reat pro- 

 fusion of fine streamers. Underneath the sun. that is to say towards 

 the east, there hung a sickle-shaped solar prominence of hydrogen 

 and calcium gases, extending fullv 150,000 miles outwards from the 

 sun and over 300,000 miles long, which cast its crimson glory over 

 all. The background against which this splendid phenomenon was 

 seen was a range of mountains, ])erhaps 50 miles distant, which raised 

 their snow-covered heads fully 20,000 feet in altitude. 



From La Paz, Messrs. Abbot and IMoore proceeded at once to 

 La Quiaca, Argentina, where they inspected the meteorological 

 observatory and conferred with Messrs. Wiggin and Clayton, Chief 

 and Chief Forecaster, respectively, of the Argentine Meteorological 

 Service. Lender Mr. Clayton's direction a system of forecasting by 

 the aid of daily telegraphic reports of the intensity of the radiation 

 of the sun as observed at Calama, Chile, has been worked out with 

 encouraging success. 



Both Mr. Wiggin and \lr. Clayton were firmly convinced of the 

 great value of solar radiation observations for forecasting. Arrange- 

 ments were tentatively entered into for the transfer of the Smith- 

 sonian observing station at Calama to the Argentine Government, 

 to be located at La Quiaca thereafter. At the present time, however, 

 these arrangements have not yet been completed by the higher 

 ofificials of the Government of Argentina. 



From La Quiaca the travelers returned to the observing station at 

 Calama, Chile, where Dr. and Mrs. Abbot remained about a month 

 before returning to the United States, during wliich time Dr. Abbot 

 worked over the results obtained with a view to discovering some 

 means of measuring the intensity of the solar radiation without the 

 long and tedious process of oliserving and con'])uting which has 

 hitherto been necessary. In this he was so fortunate as to discover, 

 with the aid of ^Ir. Moore, a method by means of which suitable 

 observations taken within a period of 10 minutes niav l)e reduced 

 within a period of 2 or 3 hours. Thus the intensity of the solar 

 radiation outside the atmosphere may be determined with greater 

 accuracy than by the former method which recpiired about 3 hours 

 of observing and al)out 15 hours of com]niting. 



