The Hawaiian gazette., 1868-10-28
The Great Solar Eclipse.

The Great Solar Eclipse.
The news from Bombay, which we pub
lished yesterday, may lead many of our
readers to suppose that the hopes Of as
tronomers, with respect to the great solar
eclipse, have been disappointed. At Bonn
bay, the eclipse was nearly total, as pre-
dicted, but the weather was very unfavora-
bic for observation, and rain fell at the
time of greatest observation. We are
glad to be able to announce, however, that
the eclipse has been successfully observed
by two expeditions at least, though little
is known as yet respecting the results ar
rived at by the observers. Telegrams have
been received almost simultaneously from
Major Tenant, who commanded the ex-
petition sent out by the Astronomical
Society, and from DR.. Jansen, who COM
handed the French expedition. Major
Tenant states that light heeey clouds
covered the sky, but that the eclipse has
been, in the main, successfully observed.
This news is very promising, because
his party had undertaken the duty of pho
tographing the eclipse. The Government
of India had obtained from England a
Newtonian reflector, specially constructed
for the occasion by Mr.. John Browning,
F. R. A. s., the optician and arrange
ments had been made by means of which
it was hoped that six Photographic pic
lures would be taken during the totality.
Major Tenant would hardly have de-
scribed the observation of the eclipse as
successful unless several trustworthy pho
tographs had been taken. From the care
full manner in which Major Tenants party
had been trained in astronomical photo
graphy, we may safely assume that the
photographs they have taken will be emf
nently valuable and instructive.
The communication of M. Jansen is
singularly interesting, and astronomers will
await with anxiety the receipt of fuller in
teligence respecting the observations made
by the French expedition. He states, in
telegram forwarded to Paris, and thence
to the Royal Astronomical Society. that
the eclipse had been successfully observed.
The spectrum of the red protuberances,
which are seen around the black disc of
the moon during totality, aud which have
long since been proved to belong to the
sun, has been found to present a very
remarkable and unexpected appearance.
What this appearance is, he does not tell
us; but one conclusion drawn from the
nature of the spectrum is that the pro-
tuberances themselves are gaseous. 1t will
interest our readers to know that whatever
dubiety must still be attached to the re-
suits Of the observations of M. Jansen,
we may accept at once this general con-
cuson of his as beyond peradventure.
There are few observations more simple
and conclusive than those by which the
general character of self-lumfnous object
is determined by spectroscopic analysis.
The rainbow-colored streak of light which
indicates that the source of light is lu-
minous solid or liquid; the colored streak
crossed by dark lines, which indicates that
before reaching us the light from such
source has passed through absorptive va
por, and the spectrum consisting of bright
lines only, which indicates that the source
of light is a luminous gas-all these spec
ira are so readily distinguishable, inte,. Sc.
that it is impossible for the yeriest begin
ner to mistake one for another. Thus it
may be looked upon as absolutely certain
that the nature of the colored prominences
has now been definitely settled. Those
enormous masses Of luminous matter, some
of which exceed the earth many hundreds
of times in volume, are now known to be
great gas heaps. 1t had been supposed
that they were solar clouds, formed by the
condensation of the metallic vapors which
exist within the solar atmosphere, into
liquid globules, in a manner precisely cor
responding to the formation of aqueous
clouds in our own atmosphere. This view
will now, in all probability, have to be de-
fnitively abandoned. Yet that the prom
inences are formed by some sort Of con-
densation taking place within the solar
atmosphere, seems almost indisputuble, so
that the evidence we now have would seem
to show that, as modern astronomer has
suggested, the fierce heat which exists in
the suns immediate neighborhood is suf-
fcient to melt solid matter, turn liquids
into vapors, even yapors into some still
more subtle form"
In a few days, however, we shall receive
the details of these observations-the first
ever made with the spectroscope upon the
solar protuberances. We shall also, doubt
less, soon hear something Of the expedi-
ton sent out by the Royal Society under
Lieutenant Herschel This expedition had
especially undertaken the spectroscopic
observation of the protuberances. The
mere fact that rain had fallen at Bombay
during the greatest obscuntion need not
lead to the supposition that any Of the
expeditionary parties have been unsuccess-
full Along the western coast Of India
rain nearly always falls during July and
August, but east Of tho Ghauts, the
weather is nearly always fine at this sea-
son. The progress Of the eclipse may pos
sibly have produced atmosperical changes
sufficient to disturb the usual order Of
things, but it is very unlikely that such
changes can have sufficed to over-cloud the
usually clear skies of the Indian fine sea-
son.-London Daily Neaos, Aug. %.
HAvIsG lost good deal of money at the
jerome Park races, George Francis Train
shouted out-"rll bet five to one am the
biggest fool in the city or county Of New