Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-19
WONDERS OF THE SUN.
Its Immense Volume and Countless
Miles of FIamc-The Solar Forces
in Motion.

ASubuOulGIS nave BGGH revealing 50
many wonders in the vast globe which
rules the planetary scheme that we cannot
yet hope to see the startling results of
their researches cO-ordinated into a con-
sistent whole On every hand new mar
yels are being brought to light At one
time Mr. Lockyer surprises US by exhibit
Ing the amazing velOcities with which the
solar storms rage across the blazing
surface of our luminary. At anoth-
er the energetic astronomer who
presidcs over the Roman Oh
servatory tells US Of water within the
fierce tumult of the solar spots. The Kew
observers track the strange influences of
the planets on the solar atmosphere,
watching not only the great tide of spots
which sweeps in the ten-year period over
the solar storm zones, and then leaves our
sun clear from SpcCk or stain, but also the
ripples Of sp0t-fOrmation, which come in
shorter periods, and seem ineXtricably
blended 10 ordinary observers with the
great periodic disturbances. Lastly,
LOckycr, Higgins, ZOllner and Secchi de-
scribes the magic changes of form which
pass over tongues Of flame, projecting
thousands of miles from the solar surface.
We have before US as we write a
series of colored promincncc-pic-
lures taken 10y DR.. ZOllner, the emf
nent photomctrician 1t is impossible to
contemplate these strange figures, without
sense of the magniicence of the problem
which the sun presents TO astronomers
Here are vast cntitics-fames, if we will,
but flames unlike all those with which we
are familiar And these vast tongues of
fire assume forms which speak to rs al
once of the action Of forces Of the utmost
violence and intensity The very aspect
of these objects at once teaches this; but
it is the rapid changes Of place and of
figure 70 which the spots are subjected
that are most significant on this point.
Here is a vast cone shaped flame, with a
mushroom Lead OF enormous proper
tons, the whole object standing
10000 or 1900 miles from the
suns surface. In the cone figure We see
the uprush of lately imprisoned gases; in
the outspreading head the sudden diminu-
ton of pressure as these gases reach the
rarer upper atmosphere. But turn from
this object to a series Of six pictures
placed beside il, and we see the solar
forces in action. First. there is a vast
flame, some $4,000 miles high, bowed
towards the right, as though some fierce
wind were blowing upon it. II extends
in this direction some four OF five thou
sand miles. The next picture represents
the same object ten minutes later The
figure Of the prominence has wholly
changed Il is now glcbe-shapcd mass,
standing on narrow stalk oil
light above n row Of flame hillocks.
Il is bowed toward the left, 50 that
in these short minutes the whole mass
of the fame has swept thousands Of miles
away from its former position. Only
two minutes later, and again a Complet,
change of appearance. The stalk anc
flame hillOCks have vanished, and the
globc-shapcd mass las become elongated
Three minutes later, the shape of thu
prominence has altered so completely tina
one can hardly recognize it for the same
The stalk is again visible, but the uppc
mass is bowed down on the right, SO tina
the whole figure resembles a gigantic A
without the CrOss-haT, and with the down
stroke ahnormally thick. This great \ i
some twenty thousand miles in hight
and the whole mass of our earth might b.
bowlcd between lis legs without tOuchin,
thcml -Four minutes pass, and again tn
figure has changed. The tlamc-hillOCk
rtappcar, The down stroke of the
begins 10 raise itself from the sun
surface. Lastly, after yet another inter
val of four minutes, the figure Of Tia,
prominence has lost all resemblance 20 al
4, and may now be likCncd to q camel
head looking towards the right. TIT
whole series Of changes has occupied but
twcniy-thrcc minutes, yet the flame cX
CeeIpd our earth in volume tcnfold a
least. But Mr.. LOCkycr has recorded a
instance Of vet more marvellous nature
\ vast prominence, extending seventy o
eighty thousand miles from the suns SUI
face, vanished altogether in ten minutes
The very way in which Zollncr's draw
ings were taken sav0rs Of the marvellous
We have spoken Of them as cUlorcd. The
are mbv-rCl, and SO the prominence
appeared to the astronomer. Tn
real ljrht of the promincnCcs is nc
raby-rcI, however, but rose-colorcC
with faint Indications of pink, {
even hlupi-h tiuts. The fact i
that by the new method of Observable
the IMAGE of a prominence is formed /
only a certain part of its light We ma
say that. out of the several colored image
of the same prominence, the astTOnom,
selects one only for examination. I'll
explanation of this is worth consideration
as il involves the essence of the meth,
by which the promincnCes are seen at a
When we analiyze light with a simp
prism, as Newton did, we get instead OF
round spot of whitehall is, mixed ligl
"A row of overlapping spots of ditfercl
color. Ii was only when, instead Of
round spot. a fine line of white w
analvzed. that one could detect q
absence of images of this line alol
certain parts of the rainbow-colon
strcak-in other words, 1t was tn
only that the dark lines Of the spectru
could DE seen. And il was 70 see the
lines more clearly that the slit on the spC
troSCOpc was made SO narrow and 1
rainhow-spuy'rUm made 50 long by spt
troScopS's. But the observers of {
promiucuurs go back 60 the old metho
If they used "a narrow slit, narrow ST.
of the prominence would alone form
spectrum. which would consist Of f,
bright lines. But by having a wide S
thcwhnlc prominence forms IFS spectrum
which consists of few bright pictm
of the promincnces. There is a gre
picture corresponding to the bright sp,
iral line callpdF, a red picture coTcspor
ing the hrigl I spectral line called c, a
.. 80, Tf tho whole cpf Of DigfUTpS M