THE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH SOLAR PROMINENCE OF 

 OCTOBER 8, 1920' 



(POPULAR ASTRONOMY) 

 By Oliver J. Lee 



This paper preserted some of the results gotten from a study of the fifty- 

 seven photographs obtained of this eruption. The crest attained the highest 

 altitude so far recroded, 531,000km, or more than 19'. Photographs were ex- 

 hibited showing the early stages in the development of the structure, in par- 

 ticular how the various degrees of separation of the head from the base took 

 place. The highest velocity observed was 155 km/sec. Several cases of pe- 

 culiar motion were studied. The separation of the head into parts which con- 

 tinued the upward course unchecked and other parts which reversed their mo- 

 tion and fell back upon the sun is especially noted. 



ON THE AGES OF THE STARS 

 By F. R. Moulton 



Attempt was made to get some idea of the duration of the stars from dyna- 

 mic consideration of the globular clusters. Their symmetrical distribution, which 

 in many cases follows approximately the same law, implies that they have ar- 

 rived approximately at a steady state through a long dynamic evolution. It is 

 reasonable to suppose that this evolution has taken place during the life of the 

 stars of which the clusters are composed. 



The period required for a single circuit of a star through a globular clus- 

 ter is of the order of a million years. The dynamic evolution results primarily 

 from the occasional near approaches of stars. It is found that on the average 

 a star would make several thousand revolutions before it would pass near enough 

 some other star to change its direction of motion from that which it would 

 otherwise have by so much as ten degrees. Consequently it is inferred that the 

 arrangement of the stars in globular clusters points to the conclusion that the 

 stars of which they are omposed are several thousand million years of age. 



WHEN AN ECLIPSE PREVENTED A WAR 



(Popular Astronomy) 



By William F. Rigge 



From an Indian village near the present town of Lisbon, North Dakota, 

 a great war party set out one day. After they had been out for a short time, 

 the sun was blotted out in full day and the party became so terrified that they 

 fled precipitately back to the village. The question asked of the astronomer 

 by the historian was: When did this eclipse occur, and was it a total one.'' 

 The answer was that it happened in 1724 on May 22 at 11:04 A.M. Central 

 Time, and that the obscuration was 96.4 per cent. See Popular Astronomy for 

 June-July, 1920. 



