160 



Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



broader appeared the magnesium-lines. At 2SS° very brilliant and 

 characteristic flames were observed ; I said at the time, to some 

 persons who happened to be present, that at that point there must 

 certainly be a fine facula. In fact, on examining the sun by projec- 

 tion, we discovered at the place indicated a very luminous facula 

 which was precisely on the limb of the sun : this was one of those 

 verifications which I have repeated by myself so many times, with 

 perfect accordance. The granulations showed very distinct ; and 

 on the contour of the disk the number of small faculae was every- 

 where in accordance with the presence of magnesium. 



At each position of the spectroscope I likewise noted the relative 

 intensity of the lines ; and I many times obserA'ed that the varia- 

 tions of breadth of the lines corresponded perfectly with the varia- 

 tions of luminous intensity of the chromospheric flames observed 

 through the line C. 



The great abundance of magnesium still continues to be manifested, 

 but no longer on the whole margin. 



These observations seem to me to demonstrate that we ought to 

 admit, not local eruptions, but rather complete eruptions — that is to 

 say, a mixture of certain metallic vapours with the chromosphere, a 

 mixture which extends to every part of the surface of the sun, which 

 must consequently be in the gaseous state. 



i\Iore than one person have told me that at the present time 

 the light of the sun has not its ordinary appearance ; and we at 

 the observatory have thought we noticed the same thing. This 

 change should be attributed to the magnesium. 



Height of the Chromosphere at each position of the Spectroscope, 

 June 18, 1871. 



o 



N. ... 



... 15 



W.90 ... 



... 14 



S.180 .. 



... 12 



E.270 .. 



... 12 



6 ... 



... 13 



96 ... 



... 13 



186 ... 



... 10 



276 ... 



... 12 



12 ... 



... 13 



102 ... 



... 14 



192 ... 



... 10 



2S2 



... 13 



18 ... 



... 13 



lUS ... 



... 15 



1S8 ... 



,.. 10 



288 ... 



... 12 



I 24 ... 



... 17 



114 ... 



... 13 



204 ... 



... 13 



294 ... 



... 12 



SO ... 



... 22 



120 ... 



... 14 



210 ... 



... 11 



300 ... 



... 12 



36 ... 



... 11 



126 ... 



... 13 



216 ... 



... 14 



306 ... 



... 12 1 



42 ... 



... \6 



132 ... 



... 13 



222 



... 13 



312 ... 



... 12 1 



48 ... 



... 13 



138 ... 



... 13 



228 ... 



... 13 



318 ... 



... 13 



54 ... 



... 13 



144 ... 



... 13 



234 ... 



... 13 



324 ... 



... 12 



: GO ... 



... 11 



150 ... 



... 15 



240 ... 



... 13 



330 ... 



... 13 



66 ... 



... 12 



156 ... 



... 14 



246 ... 



... 13 



336 ... 



... 13 



72 ... 



... 13 



162 ... 



22 



252 ... 



... 13 



342 ... 



... 13 ! 



78 ... 



... 14 



168 ... 



... 12 



258 ... 



... 13 



348 ... 



... 13 i 



84 ... 



... 14 



174 ... 



... 12 



264 .. 



... 13 



354 ... 



... 15 1 



W.90 ... 



... 14 



S. ISO ... 



... 12 



E.2/-0 ... 



... 12 



X. ... 



... 15 



There is, then, at the south pole a marked depression ; it is the 

 contrary at the north pole. Hence it is natural to ask. Does the 

 greatest activity at the surface of the sun correspond to the greatest 

 r;umber of protuberances, or to the greatest extension of the mag- 

 nesium-regions with the exaggerated flames of the chromosphere ? 

 This is a question which I cannot yet answer. — Comptes Rendus de 

 V Acad, des Sciences, July 1, 1872, 



i 



