Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-08-13
SOME OF The RESULTS.

Great results were expected from the exten.
slve and complete arrangements made for OBJ
serving the diverse phsnomena Of he solar
eclipse Of Aueu 9TH. No detailed o1ncial 70.
ports of the obser vations have 30 far been made
public. yetenough his transpired to lead to the
belief that they were made under favorable
circumstances in almost all, IL not all, c,ses
and that the results obtained will add great.
ly to our knowledge of the solar system, ana
particularly of the physical constitution of the
sun. The several parties Of observers at ID 8
moines, Iowa, were very fsvorably situated,
being near the central line of the eclipse In
advance of the oficial report an astronomer,
whs was with one of the four parties there
furnishes TO the New York Post q report of
someof the results obtained. Among the phe.
nomena that were carefully observed were the
luminous Appearance srterior TO the sum- which be.
come visible when the disc Of the su is screened
from view by the dark body of the neon
These appearances consist Of luminous halo
surrounding the sun, called The corona, rose.
colored flames or premInencss seen within
the limits OF the corona and near the limb of
the sun, and luminous streamers radiating in
various directions from the sun. in some in
stances far beyond the outer limits of the
corona These were observed through tele.
scopes, provided with micromatic Apparatus.
and their positions and extent carefully meas.
ured- Other observers Were provided with
spectroseopes properly adapted TO astronomi.
cal telescopes, for the purpose of subjecting
these luminous masses that extend to vast dis
tances from the body of the sun to spectral
ANALYSIS. in the hope Of gaining sw light CON.
corning their intimate physical nature and
condition. In cooperation with these spectro-
scope Observers there was a large number of
photographers at various stations, who took
Photographic impressions OF the luminous ap-
pearances referred to during the psrlod of total.
lily. The observations made with the spectre
scope On the eclipse which occurred in India las,
year on August IS, rendered il highly probable
that the rcse-colored flames were really vast
flaming masses Of hydrogen gas, extending
nifty thousand or sixty thousand miles away
from the sun, but that theory, accepted as fact
By many scientific men, is disposed of oy these
observations al Des MONIES. Different spectra
Were obtained from the several proninences
indicative OF a variety of chemical constituents
n them, Gr possibly only the presence Of dit.
terent constituents IN different parts of the
same pIominences; and II is proved tina, they
DO not wholly consist of incapdescent hydro
gen, except. perhaps, IN their higher portions
Professor Rogers confined his observations
emery TO the examination of the str ueture and
the measurement of the altitude of the Iarge
luminous prominence seen surng the whole
Of the totality on the lower border of the disc
The obtained results, botn of a negative and
positive Character, with reg Ard 70 the physical
structure Of this conspicuous prominence,
seem 10 be quite at variance with the prscon-
CeIved notions OF the nature and condition of
the solar protuberances In fact the opserya
tons here made on the rosy protu oerances, so
lar from completely confirming the ded actions
with regard 70 them obtained in the eclipse of
fa7t year, seem 10 open anew the question Of
their nature and structure, which had been
supposed TO be almost definitely settled Ac-
CordIng 10 the mierometric measurements of
Professor Rogers, the altitude of the large
IIcmInsn nc Just referred 10, above the sun's
photoephere, must have exceeded forty thou
sand miles.
The prominent feature of the corona, about
which there Is n disagreement among the OBJ
servers, Is that Its exterior outline was very
Irregular. There were three directions in
which the seeming radiations of luminous mat.
ter were particularly copious, and extended 70
great distances. These were in the line Of the
eclptic, toward the east, and in the diametri.
Cally opposite direction, aud nearly In a d.
rection perpendicular to the ecliptIc toward
the north In the first direction the lines OF the
streamers could be traced, with a good opera
glass, to distance from the mooa's disc equal
TO its diameter. This apparent distance an
swers TO an actual distance Of nearly a mill
lion OF lies.
Another point which seems to be settled Is
that there are no planets in our system nearer
70 the sun than Mercury. Prof Newcomb,
with his comet seeker, swept the space Imms.
a'ely surrounding the sun, and within the
orbit OF Mercury, with his large telescope
without detecting asy new planet, or discern
ing any new celestial object or luminous ap-
pearance exterior TO the corona.