﻿342 
  MR 
  WILLIAM 
  SWAN 
  ON 
  THE 
  

  

  anything 
  like 
  concentric 
  rings. 
  Its 
  light 
  was 
  brightest 
  next 
  the 
  moon's 
  limb, 
  and 
  

   gradually 
  shaded 
  off 
  into 
  darkness 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  moon's 
  diameter. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  striking 
  feature 
  in 
  the 
  corona 
  was 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  brilliant 
  beams 
  

   of 
  light 
  which 
  shone 
  out 
  in 
  various 
  directions. 
  They 
  were 
  sharply 
  defined, 
  and 
  

   much 
  brighter 
  than 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  corona 
  ; 
  and, 
  probably 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  supe- 
  

   rior 
  illumination, 
  they 
  were 
  visible 
  a 
  little 
  beyond 
  its 
  general 
  outline. 
  One 
  

   of 
  these 
  beams 
  (see 
  Plate 
  XII.), 
  I 
  found 
  was 
  situated 
  28° 
  35' 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  

   sun's 
  vertex. 
  It 
  constituted 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  brightest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  corona, 
  and 
  had 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  conoidal 
  figure. 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  time 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  positions 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  beams 
  ; 
  

   but 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  remarkable 
  one 
  about 
  35° 
  or 
  40° 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  vertex, 
  and 
  

   two 
  others 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  ventured 
  to 
  represent 
  in 
  the 
  figure 
  from 
  memory. 
  The 
  

   three 
  latter 
  beams 
  were 
  quite 
  different 
  in 
  form 
  from 
  the 
  first. 
  They 
  resembled 
  

   the 
  narrow 
  sunbeams 
  which 
  shine 
  through 
  broken 
  clouds 
  ; 
  or 
  the 
  inverted 
  cone 
  

   of 
  light 
  visible 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  over 
  a 
  blast-furnace 
  fed 
  by 
  coke. 
  Their 
  sides 
  were 
  

   beautifully 
  rectilinear, 
  apparently 
  converging 
  to 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  so 
  that 
  

   their 
  forms 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  very 
  acute 
  cones. 
  In 
  one 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  light 
  increased 
  in 
  

   brilliancy 
  from 
  the 
  centre 
  towards 
  the 
  sides, 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  cone 
  were 
  hollow 
  ; 
  its 
  edges 
  

   appearing 
  brightest 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  luminous 
  stratum, 
  constituting 
  the 
  hollow 
  cone, 
  

   being 
  there 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  eye 
  more 
  obliquely, 
  and 
  therefore 
  acting 
  on 
  it 
  with 
  

   a 
  greater 
  depth 
  of 
  lucid 
  matter. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  object 
  that 
  attracted 
  my 
  attention 
  on 
  looking 
  at 
  the 
  corona 
  through 
  

   the 
  telescope 
  was 
  a 
  remarkable 
  hook-shaped 
  red 
  prominence 
  (represented 
  in 
  Plate 
  

   XII., 
  and 
  in 
  Plate 
  XL, 
  figs. 
  7 
  and 
  8) 
  110° 
  30' 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  vertex. 
  The 
  

   next 
  moment 
  I 
  thought 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  red 
  prominence 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   the 
  bright 
  beams 
  of 
  light 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  vertex 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  another 
  instant 
  

   my 
  attention 
  was 
  withdrawn 
  from 
  this 
  by 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  second 
  prominence 
  

   a 
  little 
  below 
  the 
  hook-shaped 
  one, 
  and 
  on 
  looking 
  back 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  farther 
  trace 
  of 
  

   red 
  light 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  vertex. 
  

  

  As 
  considerable 
  doubt 
  had 
  been 
  expressed 
  whether 
  the 
  red 
  prominences 
  exist 
  

   in 
  the 
  sun 
  or 
  moon, 
  or 
  are 
  only 
  optical 
  phenomena, 
  I 
  was 
  prepared 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  

   faint 
  objects 
  of 
  variable 
  and 
  indistinct 
  appearance, 
  requiring, 
  perhaps, 
  consi- 
  

   derable 
  attention 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  at 
  all. 
  I 
  was 
  therefore 
  agreeably 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  

   the 
  prominences 
  objects 
  of 
  perfectly 
  definite 
  outline, 
  and 
  of 
  permanent 
  form 
  so 
  

   long 
  as 
  they 
  continued 
  visible. 
  The 
  hook-shaped 
  prominence, 
  especially, 
  had 
  a 
  

   remarkably 
  smooth, 
  sharp 
  outline, 
  and 
  its 
  rose 
  tint 
  became 
  darker 
  towards 
  the 
  

   edges, 
  suggesting 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  convex 
  surface. 
  At 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  offering 
  what 
  may 
  

   be 
  deemed 
  a 
  whimsical 
  comparison, 
  I 
  may 
  mention, 
  that, 
  at 
  the 
  moment, 
  it 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  me 
  very 
  like 
  the 
  Eddystone, 
  or 
  Bell 
  Rock 
  lighthouse 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  

   sun, 
  with 
  its 
  top 
  beginning 
  to 
  fuse 
  and 
  bend 
  over 
  like 
  a 
  half 
  melted 
  rod 
  of 
  glass. 
  

   The 
  other 
  prominence 
  was 
  of 
  less 
  height, 
  but 
  of 
  greater 
  lateral 
  extent 
  ; 
  and 
  its 
  top 
  

   was 
  deeply 
  serrated, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bear 
  a 
  strong 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  chain 
  of 
  peaked 
  

  

  