﻿RED 
  PROMINENCES 
  SEEN 
  DURING 
  TOTAL 
  ECLIPSES 
  OF 
  THE 
  SUN. 
  455 
  

  

  its 
  evidence 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  that 
  hypothesis. 
  That 
  they 
  really 
  are 
  material 
  objects, 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  moon, 
  is 
  rendered 
  still 
  

   more 
  evident 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  facts. 
  

  

  3. 
  On 
  the 
  Different 
  Appearances 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  Prominences, 
  as 
  seen 
  at 
  Different 
  Stations, 
  compared 
  

   tuith 
  the 
  Effects 
  which 
  Parallax 
  would 
  produce, 
  if 
  the 
  Prominences 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  Sun. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  prominences 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  moon, 
  they 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  

   almost 
  precisely 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  positions, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  forms 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  ob- 
  

   servers. 
  If, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  they 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  sun, 
  when 
  seen 
  at 
  all, 
  their 
  

   positions, 
  and 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  such 
  parts 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  were 
  visible, 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   identical 
  in 
  every 
  case 
  : 
  — 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  parallax, 
  the 
  moon 
  would 
  overlap 
  the 
  sun 
  

   more 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  or 
  the 
  other, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  observer's 
  position 
  with 
  reference 
  

   to 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  central 
  eclipse 
  ; 
  and 
  thus 
  a 
  low 
  prominence 
  near 
  the 
  sun's 
  north 
  

   point 
  might 
  be 
  hidden 
  from 
  an 
  observer 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  shadow, 
  while 
  

   a 
  prominence 
  near 
  his 
  south 
  point 
  might, 
  in 
  like 
  manner, 
  be 
  invisible 
  to 
  an 
  observer 
  

   at 
  the 
  northern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  shadow. 
  

  

  It 
  follows 
  from 
  this, 
  that 
  while 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  angles 
  of 
  position, 
  or 
  forms, 
  

   assigned 
  to 
  the 
  prominence 
  by 
  different 
  observers, 
  are 
  equally 
  unfavourable 
  to 
  

   the 
  supposition 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  real 
  objects 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  moon 
  ; 
  

   differences 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  magnitudes 
  of 
  the 
  prominences, 
  although 
  unfavour- 
  

   able 
  to 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  they 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  moon, 
  may 
  admit 
  of 
  explanation 
  

   on 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  that 
  they 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  If, 
  then, 
  the 
  prominences 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  parallax, 
  to 
  observers 
  

   situated 
  near 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  moon's 
  shadow, 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  disclose 
  the 
  prominences 
  

   on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  moon, 
  while 
  it 
  hid 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  Accordingly, 
  we 
  

   find 
  that 
  Mr 
  Hind, 
  Mr 
  Dawes, 
  and 
  Mr 
  Good, 
  who 
  were 
  situated 
  near 
  the 
  southern 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  moon's 
  shadow, 
  saw 
  a 
  long 
  sierra 
  of 
  prominences 
  extending 
  over 
  about 
  

   120° 
  of 
  the 
  moon's 
  southern 
  limb, 
  while 
  they 
  all 
  failed 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  prominences, 
  

   situated 
  near 
  the 
  sun's 
  north 
  point* 
  Even 
  after 
  making 
  allowance 
  for 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  

   irradiation, 
  which 
  Avould 
  diminish 
  the 
  apparent 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  moon, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   increase 
  the 
  apparent 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  prominences, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  if 
  their 
  estimated 
  

   height 
  be 
  correct, 
  the 
  parallax 
  would 
  be 
  insufficient 
  to 
  hide 
  any 
  of 
  them 
  com- 
  

   pletely. 
  Still, 
  however, 
  it 
  might 
  diminish 
  their 
  apparent 
  heights 
  so 
  much, 
  that 
  

   in 
  the 
  haste 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  observations 
  were 
  necessarily 
  made, 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  

   overlooked 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  discrepancy 
  noticed 
  above 
  is 
  therefore 
  so 
  far 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  the 
  

   hypothesis 
  that 
  the 
  prominences 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  4. 
  On 
  the 
  Occultation 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  Prominences 
  by 
  the 
  Moon. 
  

   That 
  the 
  prominences 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  sun, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  proved 
  most 
  decidedly 
  

  

  * 
  Ast. 
  Soc. 
  Notice, 
  pp. 
  67, 
  69; 
  Edin. 
  New 
  PHI, 
  Journal, 
  Oct. 
  1851, 
  pp. 
  365, 
  366. 
  

  

  