214 Dj^ Schuster. Some results of the [Nov. 18, 



certain distance from the sun, as long as it vanishes nowhere, 

 the polarisation must necessarily increase away from the sun. If 

 the amount of matter is a function only of the distance from the 

 sun, all restrictions fall and it can be strictly proved that in every 

 case the polarisation ought to increase as we move our eyes away 

 from the sun. 



As a matter of fact we have seen that after a maximum very 

 near the sun has been reached the polarisation decreases, and 

 we are therefore driven to conclude that, in addition to the light 

 scattered from particles, we have to do with unpolarised light 

 which increases as we move away from the sun and thus removes 

 the preponderance of polarisation. This light cannot be that 

 emitted by the particles themselves, because that cannot increase 

 with increasing distances. It can therefore only be light reflected 

 in the ordinary way from gross matter. The following assumption, 

 I believe, will explain all the facts, and I believe it to be the 

 only one which would explain all the facts. At some distance 

 from the sun the light of the corona is chiefly that due to reflection 

 from solid or liquid bodies sufficiently large to reflect the light 

 according to the ordinary laws of reflection ; a part of these bodies 

 attracted by the sun falls into it and in its approach is broken up 

 into such a finely divided state that it polarises the light. The 

 increase of polarisation which we observe is due to the increase 

 in the number of scattering particles brought about by the 

 breaking up of the meteoric matter which is constantly falling 

 into the sun. 



Before we pass to another part of the subject let us sum up 

 the conclusions which can be drawn from the spectroscopic and 

 polariscopic observations. We distinguish first the atmosphere 

 proper of the sun, consisting of hydrogen and most likely another 

 unknown gas ; we distinguish further a continuous spectrum, which 

 in the outer layer is due to light reflected from solid or liquid 

 matter falling into the sun and is thus gradually broken up. As 

 the matter is broken up the intensity of the continuous spectrum 

 increases, owing to the particles becoming incandescent, at the 

 same time the light becomes partially polarised owing to the 

 scattering of the inner light, which falls on them from the sun's 

 surface. 



8. The outline of the corona. 



I wish next to make some remarks on the general outline of 

 the corona. This outline no doubt varies much from eclipse to 

 eclipse, yet it has been remarked that during the late eclipses, the 

 corona was drawn out more in one direction than in another at 

 right angles to it ; so that the corona presents the appearance of 

 approximate symmetry round an axis. The direction in which the 



