﻿KED 
  PROMINENCES 
  SEEN 
  DURING 
  TOTAL 
  ECLIPSES 
  OF 
  THE 
  SUN. 
  451 
  

   Observed 
  Angles 
  of 
  Position 
  of 
  the 
  Hook-shaped 
  Red 
  Prominence. 
  

  

  Observer. 
  

  

  Angle 
  of 
  Position 
  from 
  

   Sun's 
  North 
  Point. 
  

  

  Difference. 
  

  

  Adie, 
  

  

  Airy, 
  

  

  Carrington, 
  

  

  Dawes, 
  

  

  Dunkin, 
  

  

  Good, 
  

  

  Gray, 
  

  

  Hind, 
  

  

  Humphreys, 
  

  

  Jackson, 
  

  

  Lassell, 
  

  

  Pettersson, 
  

  

  Snow, 
  

  

  Swan, 
  

  

  Wichmann, 
  

  

  Williams, 
  

  

  

  293-6 
  

  

  302-6 
  

  

  272-2 
  

  

  282-5 
  

  

  245-3 
  

  

  287-1 
  

  

  255 
  

  

  275 
  

  

  259-9 
  

  

  280-5 
  

  

  270 
  

  

  282-6 
  

  

  265-3 
  

  

  282-1 
  

  

  284 
  

  

  280 
  

  

  + 
  17-5 
  

   + 
  26-5 
  

  

  - 
  3-9 
  

   + 
  6-4 
  

   -30-8 
  

   + 
  11-0 
  

   -21-1 
  

  

  - 
  1-1 
  

   -16-2 
  

   + 
  4-4 
  

  

  - 
  61 
  

   + 
  6-5 
  

   -10-8 
  

   + 
  6-0 
  

   + 
  7-9 
  

   + 
  3-9 
  

  

  Mean 
  of 
  all, 
  

  

  276-1 
  

  

  o-o 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  the 
  discrepancies 
  exhibited 
  by 
  these 
  observations 
  are 
  fairly 
  within 
  

   the 
  limits 
  of 
  error, 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  that 
  the 
  angles 
  of 
  position 
  were 
  roughly 
  

   estimated 
  during 
  the 
  haste 
  and 
  excitement 
  unavoidably 
  attending 
  observations 
  of 
  

   a 
  total 
  solar 
  eclipse.* 
  If, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  they 
  are 
  regarded 
  as 
  too 
  great 
  to 
  

   arise 
  from 
  mere 
  errors 
  of 
  observation, 
  — 
  and 
  it 
  be 
  attempted 
  to 
  reconcile 
  the 
  obser- 
  

   vations, 
  by 
  supposing 
  that 
  the 
  prominences 
  are 
  merely 
  optical 
  phenomena, 
  which 
  

   actually 
  appeared 
  differently 
  at 
  different 
  stations, 
  — 
  it 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  shewn, 
  that 
  

   nothing 
  is 
  gained 
  by 
  such 
  a 
  course. 
  

  

  GraDting, 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  argument, 
  that 
  the 
  prominences 
  are 
  optical 
  pheno- 
  

   mena, 
  it 
  would 
  still 
  follow, 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  have 
  appeared 
  in 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  

   positions 
  to 
  observers 
  situated 
  at 
  precisely 
  the 
  same 
  point 
  on 
  the 
  earth's 
  surface. 
  

   Yet 
  we 
  find 
  Mr 
  Lassell 
  and 
  Mr 
  Williams 
  differ 
  by 
  10°, 
  in 
  assigning 
  the 
  position 
  

   of 
  the 
  hook-shaped 
  prominence, 
  although 
  they 
  observed 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  house.f 
  

  

  * 
  M. 
  Arago 
  observes, 
  " 
  Admettons 
  un 
  moment 
  que 
  les 
  flammes 
  etaient 
  des 
  parties 
  in- 
  

   tegrantes 
  du 
  Soleil,'" 
  — 
  " 
  Deux 
  quelconques 
  de 
  ces 
  flammes 
  ayant 
  ete 
  visibles 
  dans 
  deux 
  stations 
  

   differentes, 
  a 
  Montpellier 
  et 
  a 
  Turin 
  par 
  exemple, 
  ne 
  purent 
  manquer 
  de 
  s'y 
  presenter 
  dans 
  les 
  memes 
  

   positions 
  relatives 
  et 
  avec 
  des 
  formes 
  identiques. 
  Or 
  les 
  relations 
  ne 
  s'accordent 
  pas 
  toutes 
  avec 
  ce 
  

   principe. 
  Je 
  m'empresse 
  d'ajouter 
  que 
  la 
  brievete 
  du 
  temps 
  dont 
  les 
  astrouomes 
  purent 
  disposer 
  

   pour 
  mesurer 
  les 
  protuberances, 
  pour 
  determiner 
  leurs 
  assiette, 
  et 
  par-dessus 
  tout, 
  que 
  la 
  surpris 
  que 
  

   chacun 
  eprouva 
  au 
  moment 
  d'une 
  apparition 
  si 
  inattendue, 
  durent 
  beaucoup 
  nuire 
  a 
  l'exactitude 
  des 
  

   observations." 
  — 
  Annuaire 
  for 
  1846, 
  p. 
  453. 
  The 
  observers 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  eclipse, 
  certainly 
  cannot 
  plead 
  

   the 
  surprise 
  occasioned 
  by 
  an 
  unforeseen 
  appearance 
  as 
  a 
  reason 
  why 
  their 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  promi- 
  

   nences 
  are 
  not 
  more 
  consistent. 
  But 
  I 
  believe 
  they 
  will 
  agree 
  with 
  me 
  in 
  thinking, 
  that 
  a 
  closer 
  coinci- 
  

   dence 
  cannot 
  be 
  expected 
  in 
  observations 
  so 
  hastily 
  conducted, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  observed 
  

   was 
  one 
  whose 
  novelty 
  and 
  grandeur 
  were 
  fitted 
  to 
  excite 
  the 
  most 
  powerful 
  emotions. 
  

  

  f 
  Ast. 
  Soc. 
  Notice, 
  pp. 
  53, 
  54. 
  

  

  