﻿RED 
  PROMINENCES 
  SEEN 
  DURING 
  TOTAL 
  ECLIPSES 
  OF 
  THE 
  SUN. 
  447 
  

  

  In 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  opinion, 
  Mr 
  Airy 
  has 
  observed, 
  " 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  rapid 
  passage 
  

   of 
  the 
  moon's 
  shadow 
  he 
  conceived 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  find 
  air 
  in 
  the 
  state 
  required 
  

   for 
  the 
  explanation"* 
  proposed 
  by 
  M. 
  Faye. 
  But 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  

   exist 
  in 
  the 
  state 
  he 
  has 
  supposed, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  inequality 
  of 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  in 
  the 
  successive 
  layers 
  of 
  air, 
  must 
  decrease 
  rapidly 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  

   the 
  shadow 
  inwards, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  mirage 
  must 
  vary, 
  according 
  

   as 
  the 
  observer 
  is 
  situated 
  near 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  shadow 
  or 
  near 
  its 
  centre. 
  If 
  

   then, 
  the 
  prominences 
  are 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  unequal 
  heating 
  of 
  the 
  air, 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  path 
  of 
  light 
  ; 
  we 
  might 
  expect 
  them 
  to 
  attain 
  their 
  maximum 
  size 
  

   and 
  distinctness 
  near 
  the 
  beginning 
  and 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  

   and 
  about 
  those 
  times, 
  they 
  ought 
  to 
  vary 
  rapidly 
  in 
  appearance 
  : 
  for 
  the 
  light 
  

   passing 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  shadow 
  then 
  traverses, 
  in 
  succession, 
  strata 
  of 
  

   air 
  of 
  rapidly 
  decreasing 
  temperature. 
  Near 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  totality, 
  on 
  the 
  

   contrary, 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  insensible, 
  as 
  the 
  rays 
  then 
  traverse 
  

   air 
  far 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  heating 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  of 
  nearly 
  uniform 
  tem- 
  

   perature. 
  Let 
  us 
  inquire 
  how 
  this 
  agrees 
  with 
  what 
  was 
  actually 
  observed 
  

   at 
  the 
  late 
  eclipse. 
  

  

  Mr 
  Dunkin 
  remarks, 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  prominences 
  " 
  was 
  most 
  curiously 
  formed, 
  

   having 
  something 
  of 
  a 
  horned 
  shape 
  ;" 
  that 
  his 
  " 
  eye 
  was 
  intently 
  fixed 
  upon 
  it 
  

   for 
  about 
  a 
  minute 
  of 
  time, 
  and 
  during 
  that 
  interval 
  not 
  the 
  slightest 
  change 
  took 
  

   place 
  in 
  its 
  form."f 
  Lieutenant 
  Pettersson 
  " 
  observed 
  no 
  change 
  [in 
  the 
  form 
  

   of 
  the 
  prominences] 
  that 
  was 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  moon.":): 
  According 
  to 
  

   Mr 
  Adie, 
  " 
  no 
  change 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  or 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  prominences, 
  or 
  

   in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  detached 
  mass 
  of 
  light 
  [relatively] 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  crescent, 
  

   farther 
  than 
  that 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  ; 
  nor 
  did 
  there 
  appear 
  any 
  insta- 
  

   bility 
  or 
  wavering, 
  in 
  their 
  colour 
  or 
  intensity." 
  § 
  Mr 
  Carrington 
  " 
  cannot 
  

   depose 
  to 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  slightest 
  change" 
  of 
  outline 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  prominence 
  : 
  and 
  

   he 
  afterwards 
  states, 
  that 
  the 
  prominences 
  had 
  " 
  hard 
  and 
  well-defined 
  outlines."|| 
  

   Mr 
  Lassell 
  states, 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  prominences 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  brilliant 
  lake 
  colour, 
  a 
  

   splendid 
  pink, 
  quite 
  defined 
  and 
  hard. 
  They 
  appeared 
  to 
  him 
  ' 
  not 
  quite 
  quiescent, 
  

   but 
  the 
  moon 
  by 
  her 
  movement 
  might 
  cause 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  motion.' 
  "^[ 
  With 
  refer- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  the 
  largest 
  prominence, 
  Mr 
  Hind 
  says 
  he 
  " 
  perceived 
  no 
  change 
  of 
  form 
  

   or 
  motion, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  visible 
  four 
  seconds 
  after 
  the 
  sun 
  reappeared, 
  but 
  detached 
  

   from 
  the 
  sun, 
  the 
  strong 
  white 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  corona 
  being 
  visible 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  

   the 
  sun."** 
  Mr 
  Dawes 
  observes, 
  regarding 
  the 
  same 
  prominence, 
  that 
  " 
  its 
  apex 
  

   was 
  paler 
  than 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  purplish 
  tinge 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  certainly 
  had 
  a 
  flicker- 
  

  

  * 
  Lecture 
  by 
  Mr 
  Airy 
  on 
  the 
  Total 
  Solar 
  Eclipse 
  of 
  1851, 
  July 
  28, 
  p. 
  6. 
  — 
  Athenceum, 
  No. 
  

   1230, 
  p. 
  559. 
  

  

  f 
  Ast. 
  Soc. 
  Notice, 
  p. 
  46. 
  J 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  58. 
  § 
  Edin. 
  New 
  Phil. 
  Journal, 
  1851, 
  p. 
  375. 
  

  

  |j 
  An 
  Account 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Total 
  Eclipse 
  of 
  the 
  Sun, 
  by 
  R. 
  C. 
  Carrington, 
  Esq., 
  pp. 
  7, 
  10, 
  

   % 
  Ast. 
  Soc. 
  Notice, 
  p. 
  53. 
  ** 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  67. 
  

  

  