418 
POPULAE SCIENCE EEYIEW. 
dition, has Tbeen able to observe the spectrum of the coloured prominences. 
These objects are gaseous. The spectrum is remarkable, but we have 
yet to learn what its exact character is. Lieut. Herschel, who appears 
to have observed the eclipse under somewhat less favourable circumstances, 
sends confirmatory evidence. He found no trace of lines in the spectrum of 
the corona. The polarisation of the corona is solar. 
Major Tennant states that the sky was covered with light fieecy clouds 
during the totality, but that the eclipse was on the whole successfully 
observed. As the party he headed set out with the special object of obtain- 
ing photographic views of the progress of the eclipse, we may fairly assume 
that several such views have been successfully taken. We understand that 
the Newtonian reflector, specially prepared for this purpose by Mr. Browning, 
the optician, received some injury in the journey out. Fortunately, it 
would seem that this accident, whatever it was, has not sufficed to affect 
that delicacy of definition which is absolutely required in a telescope con- 
structed for the processes of solar photography. 
It will be interesting to compare the views obtained by Major Tennant 
with those which have been taken by the Prussian party at Aden. Never 
before have astronomers had an opportunity of comparing photographs of 
the red prominences taken at times separated by so long an interval as an 
horn*. During the eclipse of 1860 Father Secchi and M. de la Rue severally 
obtained photographs of the sun at times separated by ten minutes. In 
that instance the figures of the red prominences were found to have under- 
gone no change whatever during the interval. The news from the Prussian 
party states that they have obtained six photographs, of which two only 
have been slightly injured by the passage of streaky clouds over the pro- 
minences. 
Suspected Change in the Latitude of the Greenwich Observatory . — In a careful 
investigation of many years' observations of the stars Polaris, a Cephei, and 
b Ursa Minoris, Mr. Stone of the Greenwich Observatory has noticed a 
periodic variation, which appears to depend upon the position of the moon’s 
node. He remarks, that if this evidence be considered sufficient to indicate 
an apparent periodical change in the co-latitude of the Greenwich Observa- 
tory, it may perhaps be taken as a proof of the yielding of the earth’s crust 
under the moon’s action, or referred to a systematic deformation of the 
atmosphere arising from the same cause. Very slight changes in the incli- 
nation of the general direction of the effective strata of the atmosphere 
would be sufficient to produce in the co-latitude apparent variations of the 
required amount.” It may be noticed that a somewhat similar anomaly 
appeared in the results of the Rev. R. Main’s attempts to determine the 
annual parallax of 7 Draconis. The effect of this was that the annual 
parallax came out a negative quantity ! This, of course, if referred to the 
offects of a systematic deformation of the atmosphere, would indicate one 
having an annual period. 
The Nebula round rj Argus . — In a paper communicated to the Royal 
Astronomical Society, Sir John Herschel deals with the changes recorded 
by Mr. Abbott, to which we referred in our summary for July. He con- 
siders the changes so very remarkable, that the attention of every observer 
in the southern hemisphere, provided with instruments at all competent to 
