﻿458 
  MR 
  WILLIAM 
  SWAN 
  ON 
  THE 
  

  

  rated 
  from 
  the 
  moon's 
  edge 
  when 
  first 
  seen, 
  and 
  the 
  separation 
  increased 
  as 
  the 
  

   moon 
  advanced."* 
  

  

  My 
  own 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  prominences 
  are 
  accordant 
  with 
  those 
  which 
  

   have 
  now 
  been 
  stated. 
  A 
  little 
  after 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  phase, 
  

   I 
  determined 
  their 
  positions, 
  and 
  then 
  left 
  the 
  telescope 
  to 
  make 
  some 
  other 
  

   observations. 
  On 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  telescope, 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  prominences 
  on 
  

   the 
  moon's 
  western 
  limb 
  had 
  increased 
  very 
  sensibly 
  in 
  height 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  watch- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  hook-shaped 
  prominence, 
  — 
  which 
  I 
  did 
  until 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  before 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  totality, 
  — 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  rise 
  from 
  behind 
  the 
  moon, 
  its 
  base 
  increasing 
  in 
  breadth, 
  

   while 
  the 
  contour 
  of 
  the 
  portions 
  which 
  were 
  already 
  visible, 
  remained 
  quite 
  un- 
  

   altered. 
  Its 
  motion, 
  relatively 
  to 
  the 
  moon, 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  quite 
  sensible 
  ; 
  but, 
  

   although 
  I 
  may 
  posssibly 
  have 
  been 
  mistaken 
  in 
  this, 
  I 
  feel, 
  no 
  doubt 
  whatever 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  striking 
  difference 
  between 
  its 
  height 
  when 
  first 
  seen 
  and 
  that 
  which 
  it 
  

   finally 
  attained. 
  Figs. 
  7 
  and 
  8, 
  Plate 
  XL, 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  sketch 
  made 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  after 
  the 
  total 
  phase, 
  represent 
  this 
  prominence 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  first 
  and 
  last 
  

   seen. 
  From 
  its 
  accidental 
  resemblance 
  to 
  an 
  object 
  with 
  whose 
  form 
  I 
  happened 
  

   to 
  be 
  familiar,| 
  its 
  shape 
  was 
  very 
  distinctly 
  impressed 
  on 
  my 
  memory 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  feel 
  

   satisfied 
  that 
  the 
  change 
  which 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  its 
  appearance 
  as 
  the 
  eclipse 
  ad- 
  

   vanced, 
  was 
  precisely 
  such 
  as 
  would 
  have 
  happened 
  to 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  permanent 
  form 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  sun, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  moon 
  gradually 
  receded 
  and 
  left 
  more 
  and 
  

   more 
  of 
  it 
  exposed. 
  

  

  Numerous 
  observers 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  eclipse, 
  therefore, 
  bear 
  decided 
  testimony 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact, 
  that 
  the 
  prominences 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  towards 
  which 
  the 
  moon 
  was 
  mov- 
  

   ing, 
  were 
  occulted 
  by 
  it, 
  while 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  were 
  gradually 
  exposed 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  all 
  are 
  equally 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  those 
  objects 
  were 
  

   in 
  no 
  other 
  respect 
  altered. 
  I 
  conceive, 
  then, 
  that 
  unless 
  we 
  suppose 
  they 
  

   were 
  deceived 
  as 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  other 
  of 
  these 
  points, 
  we 
  cannot 
  hesitate 
  to 
  admit 
  that 
  

   the 
  prominences 
  are 
  material 
  objects, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  sun. 
  For 
  if 
  they 
  

   were 
  optical 
  phenomena, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  inconceivable 
  that 
  the 
  moon's 
  motion 
  should 
  

   alter 
  their 
  height 
  alone, 
  while 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  affect 
  their 
  forms.\ 
  

  

  The 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  eclipse 
  seems, 
  then, 
  to 
  lead 
  to 
  

   the 
  following 
  results 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1 
  . 
  The 
  red 
  prominences 
  are 
  not 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  telescopes 
  used 
  in 
  observing 
  the 
  

   eclipse 
  ; 
  for 
  they 
  were 
  seen 
  with 
  the 
  naked 
  eye. 
  

  

  * 
  Ast. 
  Nachricht., 
  No. 
  777, 
  p. 
  157. 
  t 
  P. 
  342. 
  

  

  \ 
  The 
  occultation 
  of 
  the 
  prominences 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  by 
  the 
  advancing 
  moon, 
  serves 
  to 
  explain 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  different 
  observers, 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  number. 
  Mr 
  Lassell's 
  

   observations 
  already 
  cited, 
  shew 
  that 
  an 
  observer 
  might 
  be 
  too 
  late 
  on 
  the 
  outlook 
  to 
  see 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   prominences 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side. 
  Mr 
  Dunkin, 
  Mr 
  Jackson, 
  Mr 
  Hind, 
  Mr 
  Pettersson, 
  and 
  myself, 
  

   all 
  saw 
  no 
  prominences 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  vertex. 
  At 
  least 
  three 
  of 
  these 
  observers 
  had 
  their 
  

   attention 
  withdrawn 
  from 
  the 
  red 
  prominences 
  by 
  registering 
  the 
  time, 
  and 
  by 
  making 
  naked 
  eye 
  

   observations 
  at 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  phase 
  ; 
  while 
  in 
  Mr 
  Dunkin's 
  case, 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  cloud 
  shortly 
  after 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  totality, 
  and 
  the 
  prominences 
  were 
  not 
  

   looked 
  for 
  until 
  after 
  it 
  had 
  passed 
  away. 
  

  

  