A GROUP OF THE SUN'S PROMINENCES. 



At ordinary times these prominences are not visible on account of tKe superior glare of the sun, but during a total 

 eclipse the temporary disappearance of the sun itself enables the flames surrounding it to be clearly seen. 



MAPvVELS OF THE ITXR^ERSE 



FLAMES OF THE SUN 



BY E. WALTER MAUNDER, F.R.A.S. 



" There sinks the nebulous star we call the sun," said the Princess Ida ; but she gave the 

 descriptive epithet a little doubtfully, and qualified it with the proviso, " If that hypothesis of theirs 

 be sound." 



Nothing less like a " nebulous star " could be well conceived than the sun, as it appears either 

 in the telescope or to the unassisted eye. Its outline is seen against the sky, hard and clear-cut, a 

 perfect circle without irregularities ; the moon itself is not more sharply defined and is far less 

 regular. Yet " nebulous star " well describes the sun, not only in respect of its long past history — 

 the sense in which the Princess used the term — but in its present condition. Only, it is necessary 

 for us to be specially favoured by circumstances, or to develop some special means of seeing, before 

 the fact becomes obvious. 



The special circumstances are provided when, in a total eclipse, the dark body of the moon 

 intervenes so as to completely hide from us the solar disc. Then it becomes clear that what we 

 ordinarily see is only part of the sun ; beyond 

 it stretch out wide-spread appendages, irregular 

 and ill-defined. The sun is literally a " nebulous 

 star." 



Of these appendages the one that attracts chief 

 attention is the " corona," a pearl-coloured hght 

 surrounding the sun on every side, and drawn 

 out here and there into long streamers frequently 

 leaf-like in shape. But on the background of this 

 corona there often appear bright spots of crimson 

 hght, glowing like rubies. 



These are the " red flames," as they used to be 

 called when observed in eclipses of sixty or seventy 

 years ago — the " prominences," as they are termed 

 to-day. A fine group of these prominences on the 

 background of the lowest and brightest stratum 

 of the corona is shown on the accompanying 

 photograph, part of one taken by Professor E. E. 

 Barnard during the echpse of May 28th, 1900. 



Eruptive prominences of the sun 

 ppectroficope. 



is seen in 



