New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-31
prsrLrS OF TILE SOLAR Eclipse.

We are still without full details Of the work of the
scientific parties along the line OF the total eclipse,
INT some results Of their labors already farli
established I'm the first place. the irTcgularitY Of
the moons motion was noticed at yariOns points.
Professor Eastman's party at Las Anmas distinctly
asserts that the contacts of the lunar and solar disks
were later than those predicted IN The AmGtcaH
Ephensris, while the duration OF the eclipse was
shorter. Professor Colbert, of the Chicago Astro-
nomical Society, also reports that the moons path
was further southwark than was Indicated by the
lunar tables, or that the moons diameter was too
large or that there were errors in both these par
tIculars in the tables. comparison between the
British and the American nautical almanacs also
shows slight differences in the data of the eclipse,
audit would seem evident that both Hanscn's tables
used at Greenwich, and Peirco's tables f the moon,
used at Washington, are defective. Fho obserya-
t,ons of Monday will doubtless enable Professor
Newcomb, who Is now IN charge OF The american
Epbemaig TO make a decided improvement IN the
calculated positions Of the moon furnished by that
work Professor Newcomb has already gwen
special study to these lunar irregularities. aud
Is better qualified than he to make the necessary
corrections.
Touching the constitution of the SUMS corona the
evidence, so far as il goes rather negative than
positiye. The continuous spectrum noticed by DR..
confirms the discoveries made in previous ecipsrs,
and indicates that the light of the corona is due 10
some seif-lumnOus solid or liquid body. and not To
reflected sunlight. 1t rather expected that the
faint dark lines, which were supposed TO have been
seen during the last total eclipse, would be visible
with the improved apparatus used, but neither Dra-
per nor Lockyer nor Young seems 10 have detected
any trace of them. Their absence proves that the
coronal light whatever may be its true nature,
not be dffused sunlight As to the bright lines in
the spectrum Of the corona, the dispatches are
satisfactory DIR. Draper says nothing about them.
Neither does Professor Langley nor Mr. LOckyer Pro-
lessor Young, however, saw several bright bands
in the spectrum, and notably the line 1,47l Kirch-
hof-the green line shown IN the aurora boreas and
the zodiacal light which was also seen and
measured by other observers. These bright lines
have been noticed in previous eclipses, and are
due to the presence of incandescent gases in the
region of the corona. Some of the lines indicate the
existence of hydrogen there, but the principal one
appears TO be produced by an unknown gas of eX-
IRENE tenuty, which extends to almost inconceYa-
BILE distances from the sum- No new lines have, APP
parently been found IN the corOnal spectrum. Some
of the photographs however, said to give abun-
dant details of its structure, which Will be looked
for with interest The tasmeter has also shown
that the corona emits heat well as light-apOint
not previously established.
As TO the extension Of the corona from the suns
disk and its visibility after totality ceased there
considerable difference Of opinion The bulk Of
the evidence is in favor of a corona of moderate
limits vet Professor Langley traced it to distance
of twelve diameters OF the sun one side Of the
disk and three on the other. If there IL not some
mistake in the dispatch, this would show that the
corona stretched ont at least ten millions of miles
from the SUMS surface while liberal estimates hith-
erto made have not exceeded million miles. Pro
lessor Langley seems to have been the only person
who witnessed this extraordinary extension. but he
is such "A competent observer that his testimony
| this point is worthy of the fullest credence Mr.
| Lockyer specially noted the brightness of
| the corona but states that it vanished
almost Immediately on the termination of the
eclipse although at other points 1t was visible for
several minutes after totality was over
The search for intra-Mercunal planets was
| altogether a new of the eclipse, and 1t is
satisfactory to learn that it was not
wholly fruitless. One observer, Professor
Watson, Of Ann Arbor. Mich, is reported
| TO have discovered an unknown body Of between
tho fourth and fifth magnitude, about two and a
half degrees south Of the sun. Now there was no
star so large as this in that particular
| region; nor could it have been an as
teroid or any of the well known planets.
IL is fair to infer, therefore. that tho unknown
| body may have been tho mysterious Vulcan, who
| has been busy of late in disturbing the orbit OF
Mercury. 1t is to be hoped. when further partieu-