Astronomy. 469 
beneath. In place of the quiet cloud I had left, the air, if I 
may use the expression, was filled with flying débris—a mass of 
oe ched vertical fusiform filaments, each from 10” to 30” lor ng by 
‘or 83” wide, brighter and closer together where the pillars had 
Saseck: stood, and rapidly ascending. 
Vhen I first looked some of them had already ee a height 
of nearly 4’ (100,000 miles), and while I watched the they rose 
ith a motion almost perceptible to the eye, until in ron minutes 
(2 05™) the uppermost were more than 200,000 miles above the 
solar surface lis was ascertained by careful measurement; the 
mean of three closely accordant apenas gave 7’ 49” as the 
extreme altitude attained, and I am particular in the statement 
because, so far as I know, chromospheric matter sa hydrogen in 
this case) has never before been obser at an altitude exceeding 
5'. The velocity of ascent also, 166 iniles per Sout is consider- 
ably greater than anything hither to recorded. A general idea of 
its appearance, when the filaments attained their greatest elevation, 
may be obtained from figure 
As the filaments rose they gr radually faded away like a dissolving 
cloud, and at 1°15" only a few film eee with some brighter 
ners low down near the 
oe chromosphere, remained to 
gee a5 place 
the meanwhile the 
alluded grown anc 
developed wonderfully into 
amass of rolling and ever- 
changing flame, to speak 
according to appearances. 
First it was crowded down, 
nost 
Rebredencs 50,000 miles in 
eight; then its summit was 
Pe awn out into long filaments 
like the ee geome 3 
and 4 cnet it in its full de- 
velopment; the former hav- 
ing been sketched at 1" 40™, and the latter at ey 55™ 
The whole ere ear suggested st forcibly the idea of an 
explosion under the t prominence, acting mainly upward, but 
also in all directions — S caaterned. and then after an interval followed 
by a corresponding in-rush: and it seems far from impossible 
