ANTHELIA AND COltONAS. 281 
I t \ 
tlier indistinct: No. 2. extremely bright: No. 3. 
rather faint. These three corona? were very near 
together, the colours following in such close suc¬ 
cession as nearly to coalesce. No. 4. (?) was of a 
faint grey colour; and No. 5. (?) smoke-grey, broad 
and distinct. The fog, at this time, was only 150 
to 200 feet high: sun’s altitude about 8°. 
As the fourth and fifth circles seem to corre¬ 
spond, in appearance aud diameter, with the pri¬ 
mary and secondary rain-bows, it is reasonable to 
look for an explanation of the phenomena in the 
same cause, namely, the reflection of the rays of 
the sun, decomposed by different refractions, in 
minute globules of water, of which the mist, 
wherein the corona; occur, in a great measure ap¬ 
pears to consist. The anthelion, in the centre, 
may possibly be occasioned by the reflection of 
the sun’s direct rays, falling on the central parts of 
the globules of vapour. Each globule will thus 
reflect two specks of light, one from the nearest, 
and another from the most remote surface ; conse¬ 
quently, the combined reflections may be abun¬ 
dantly sufficient for the production of a glory in 
the centre of the corona;: and, as the figure of the 
observer is in a straight line between the sun and 
the centre of the whole of the circles, the shadow 
of his head is necessarily encompassed by this glory. 
As the glory is often beautifully coloured exter¬ 
nally,—may not the rays of light falling near 
