Daily Kennebec journal., 1883-03-10
Miscellaneous.
Banners Of the Sun.

Banners OF the Sun.
A LITTLE IsLAyD IN THE PACIFIC To-
WARD WHICH THE EYES OF THE As
TRONoMERs ARE Now DIRECTED.
There is a little island, only ten miles
in circumference, lying almost in the mid
die of the South Pacific Ocean which will
be in May next. the chief center of scicnti
fic interest on the globe. This is be
cause it is the only available spot of land
whence view OF the total phase of the
eclipse of the sun which occures May 9Th
can be obtained. Astronomers from
America, France and England will meet
there and set up their instruments OF
observation. The exact latitude and lon
gitude of that insignificant little island
will be calculated with scrnpulous care
which has never been bestowed upon its
larger sisters OF the Pacific. A great deal
Of money will be spent upon these expe-
ditions, and the most skilful observers
will make the long journey into the south
ern hemisphere, consuming months of
time, for the sake of watching for a few
minutes the phenomena which make their
appearance when the blazing body of the
sun is hidden behind the Opaque globe of
the moon. But the astronomers count
the expense and trouble incurred in the
undertaking as nothing in comparison
with the results to be obtained. This
eclipse is of uncommon importance be-
cause of the long duration OF the total
phase. The sun will remain totally
eclipsed at Caroline Island about five min
utes and half. This is the longest total
ity during any eclipse since that of-which
was observed in 1868 in India. The to-
tality during the eclipse observed in Egypt
last year lasted only little over one
minute.
In order to understand what the astron-
omers hope to accomplish on this occasion
it is best to recall what has been learned
within the last quarter of a century by
the observation of the eclipses of the sun.
Tne astronomers have found by such OBJ
servations that we do not ordinarily see
the sun as it really is. We think of the
sun only as dazzling white globe, much
brighter and incomparablv larger than
any electric light. Observations during
total eclipes, when this brilliant globe is
hidden from sight, have shown that the
white sphere we see is merely the core of
the sun. and that around it there are the
most wonderful envelopes. First. there
is close around the shining globe scarlet
shell of Il anne. out of which tremendous
eruptiOns of fiery gases occur. Some
times these geysers of flame reach height
of hundreds of thousands of miles in an
astonishing short space of time, and then
the erupted material spreads out and falls
back in clouds and streams of the most
fantastic shapes. All around tine sun
these volcano-like outbursts are taking
place, but they are particularly numerous
in certain regions. They Indicate that
the sun, instead of being the quiet and
peaceful orb that it appears to the ordinary
observer on n summers day, is in state
of enormous activity-it is a huge globe
of gases in which iron and other metals,
calcium and other rock-making materials
reduced to fiery vapor, are engaged in the
most frightful war of elements that the
human mind can conceive. Milton's pic
ture of the battle of the angels is tameness
itself beside the tremendous struggle in
which these elements composing the sun
are engaged. Held i'm the centre of the
whole solar system by the resistless pow
er OF gravitation. they are in Il pit whence
they cannot escape. yet. glowing with in
tensest heat, they surge and swirl and
burst forth in tremendous eruptions. only
to fall back in metallic showers and renew
the ceaseless struggle.
Outside this battle field of the gases il
another region quite rs wonderful and of
much greater extent. This is the region
of the so-called corona. When in total
eclipse the central globe of the sun is com
pletely hidden. a silvery halo comes into
view outside the scarlet she'll that lies next
to the body of the sun, and outward from
this halo spread great shafts and streaks
of light. What are those mysterious ban
ners of the sun? This is one of the most
interesting questions that modern astron-
omers are trying to answer. Some think
they are connected with the solar atmos-
phere. Others say they are enormous
streams of meteors. In the latter part of
this month those who watch the western
sky after sundown will probably see the
curious phenomenon known as the /odia-
cal Light, n lenticuar shaped glow of sill
very light sloping upward from the place
where the sun disappeared, and reaching
half way to the zenith. Some astrono-
mers think the coropal beans which ap-
pear during total eclipse may be con-
nected with this light.
The study of all these questions throws
light upon the constitution of the sun, and
upon the suns relations with the worlds
which revolve around it. More correct
ideas of what the sun is. and of what it
does. have been obtained since the study
of its surroundings was begun than were
ever entertained before. Ii is in order to
increase the stock of knowledge upon this
subject that the astronomers are going to
set up their instruments in the little
Pacific island. There is another question
which they also hope to solve, and that is
whether there is another world. hitherto
unknown to us. revolving so close to the
sun as to be ordinarily hidden in his rays.
In 1873 two American astronomers an
nounced that they had seen not only one.
but two such planets. The famous lie
Verrier believed in the existence of such
planet. which has been called Vulcan.
The long totality during the eclipse in
May will give an excellent opportunity to
settle the question.