﻿BED 
  PROMINENCES 
  SEEN 
  DURING 
  TOTAL 
  ECLIPSES 
  OF 
  THE 
  SUN. 
  469 
  

  

  cable, 
  on 
  the 
  mere 
  hypothesis 
  that 
  the 
  sun 
  possesses 
  an 
  atmosphere 
  capable 
  of 
  

   absorbing 
  light 
  uniformly, 
  but 
  which 
  are 
  perfectly 
  consistent 
  with 
  the 
  supposi- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  stratum 
  of 
  cloudy 
  matter, 
  strongly 
  absorbing 
  his 
  

   light, 
  but 
  subject 
  to 
  frequent 
  interruptions 
  of 
  continuity. 
  These 
  are, 
  the 
  distinctly 
  

   radiated 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  corona, 
  and 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  bundles 
  of 
  rays, 
  separated 
  

   by 
  comparatively 
  dark 
  intervals. 
  The 
  different 
  observers 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  eclipse 
  are 
  

   not 
  quite 
  agreed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  corona 
  ; 
  but, 
  upon 
  the 
  whole, 
  there 
  

   is 
  a 
  strong 
  preponderating 
  testimony 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  its 
  illumination 
  was 
  far 
  

   from 
  uniform. 
  Thus 
  Mr 
  Snow 
  says,— 
  The 
  corona 
  " 
  appeared 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  uniformly 
  

   disposed, 
  but 
  in 
  irregularly 
  radiating 
  bundles 
  or 
  masses." 
  * 
  M. 
  Lassell 
  states, 
  

   that 
  the 
  corona 
  " 
  was 
  radiating, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  rays 
  appearing 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  rest, 
  

   but 
  the 
  irregularity 
  was 
  not 
  great 
  ;"f 
  and 
  Mr 
  Williams, 
  that 
  " 
  it 
  was 
  divided 
  by 
  

   radial 
  lines, 
  and 
  presented 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  luminous 
  brushes 
  shot 
  out 
  from 
  be- 
  

   hind 
  the 
  moon." 
  \ 
  Dr 
  Bousted 
  saw 
  the 
  corona 
  " 
  somewhat 
  rugged, 
  and 
  more 
  

   extended 
  towards 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  its 
  upper 
  part." 
  § 
  In 
  a 
  drawing 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  com- 
  

   municated 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  Lieutenant 
  Pettersson, 
  he 
  represents 
  the 
  corona 
  as 
  consist- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  detached 
  brushes 
  of 
  light 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  particularly 
  points 
  out 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   a 
  dark 
  interval, 
  100° 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  vertex. 
  Mr 
  Adie 
  saw 
  " 
  brighter 
  corus- 
  

   cations 
  shooting 
  through 
  it 
  all 
  round, 
  extending 
  beyond 
  the 
  general 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  co- 
  

   rona, 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  nickering 
  appearance 
  ;" 
  || 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr 
  Hind, 
  

   rays 
  of 
  light 
  extended 
  through 
  and 
  beyond 
  the 
  corona.^[ 
  Mr 
  Airy 
  represents 
  the 
  

   corona 
  as 
  consisting 
  of 
  bundles 
  of 
  rays, 
  very 
  strongly 
  marked 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  describes 
  its 
  

   structure 
  as 
  radiated, 
  and 
  as 
  terminating, 
  though 
  very 
  indefinitely, 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  

   resembling 
  the 
  ornament 
  round 
  a 
  mariner's 
  compass.** 
  To 
  me 
  the 
  corona 
  seemed 
  

   strongly 
  radiated 
  (see 
  Plate 
  XII. 
  ), 
  the 
  bright 
  rays 
  being 
  separated 
  by 
  intervals 
  of 
  

   comparative 
  darkness 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  brilliant 
  beams 
  of 
  light 
  at 
  particular 
  points, 
  

   brighter 
  than 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  corona, 
  and 
  visible 
  beyond 
  its 
  general 
  outline. 
  The 
  

   largest 
  and 
  brightest 
  of 
  those 
  beams 
  or 
  masses 
  of 
  light 
  was 
  situated 
  61° 
  8' 
  to 
  the 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  north 
  point. 
  Its 
  form 
  was 
  conoidal, 
  having 
  its 
  base 
  towards 
  the 
  

   sun. 
  The 
  other 
  beams 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  extremely 
  acute 
  cones, 
  with 
  their 
  ver- 
  

   tices 
  towards 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  their 
  sides 
  apparently 
  converging 
  towards 
  his 
  centre. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  from 
  these 
  observations 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  something 
  existing 
  at 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  capable 
  of 
  intercepting 
  his 
  light 
  unequally, 
  and 
  of 
  causing 
  a 
  want 
  

   of 
  regularity 
  in 
  the 
  illumination 
  of 
  the 
  corona. 
  For 
  if 
  we 
  suppose 
  the 
  light 
  to 
  be 
  

   transmitted 
  uniformly 
  by 
  the 
  sun's 
  atmosphere, 
  it 
  would 
  follow 
  that 
  rays 
  pro- 
  

   ceeding 
  from 
  different 
  points 
  of 
  his 
  surface 
  would 
  cross 
  each 
  other's 
  paths, 
  and 
  

   blend 
  their 
  effects 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  however 
  irregular 
  the 
  luminosity 
  of 
  the 
  surface, 
  the 
  

   illumination 
  of 
  the 
  corona, 
  at 
  a 
  little 
  distance, 
  would 
  approach 
  to 
  uniformity. 
  Its 
  

  

  * 
  R. 
  Ast. 
  Soc. 
  Notice, 
  p. 
  47. 
  t 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  52. 
  + 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  54. 
  § 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  57. 
  

  

  || 
  Edinburgh 
  New 
  Philosophical 
  Journal 
  for 
  October, 
  p. 
  375. 
  IF 
  R. 
  Ast. 
  Soc. 
  Notice, 
  p. 
  67. 
  

  

  ** 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  60. 
  

   VOL. 
  XX. 
  PART 
  III. 
  6 
  K 
  

  

  