Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-11-20
THE ECLIPsED sun.
OBSERVATIONS GATHERED FROM
ECG;PSES OF THE SUN.

Conclusions of Eminent Astronomer verI-
fed by Recent photographs of the suns
Corona As Seen During TIE T!sE,s That the
Solar Body Was HidGea.
When eclipsed. the majestic king Of
day condescendingly permits the struc-
ture of his mysterious appeDdages to be
photographed and anGlyzed spectroScop-
ically. Never in the whole history of
astronomy has finer opportunity fol
such work been afforded and so skill
fully and completely improved by as
tronomers as that of the recent cclipse.
The full harvest Of their observations
seems to promise some startling revela-
tons.
NJ. Flammariun. the French astrono-
mer, after reading the Gillian cable dis
/ patches announcing Professor Picker
ing's recent eclipse observations. i re-
ported to have said; They confirm the
theory that the sun is surrounded by a
luminous atmosphere TO distance equal
/ TO one-eighth of the suns diameter"
/ Scarcely n quarter of a century ago many
/ astronomers questioned whether the So
lar atmosphere had any marked extern
sion, and even doubted whether the Co
roma was a solar appendaSe at all. Bat
| in the light of the late eclipse il i not
/ astonishing that an astronomer expresses
the opinion that the suns atmosphere
extends outward more than 100 90 miles.
! The eruptive forces of the sun must be
enormous indeed to eject the matter
composing the flaming pruminences not
| infrequently observed &. 600 miles broad,
with an uprush uf 225milt,S a SECOND and
attaining occasionally al elevation of
100000 miles. All lruIninynccS. Zollner
and ReSpighi nave shu-.r. s-rs. originally
phenomena Of eruption, 2 led hy re-
tiliuear jets. either v.r;,.-il 80 ubliquc.
| ascending to great l. --,lt~ ;..,l tl.en SEEN
falling back 9-4Iu toward the san like
the jets Of our fountains. The erupgive
prOminsuct-s are, a. Professor Young
says, generally associated with active
sun spots. Since during the lat, eclipse
these prOmincnces were Conspicuous in
connection with an unusually brilliant
and extended CorUua and great spotted
ness. the before seemingly established
law that the coruna'S size and luminoSi-
~ are III direct proportion To- the suns
spot producing activity Is strikingly cor
roboratcl
AtAtsN~tA lt- Ntka1Nl mn
that his eclipse ulr<,ry ations confirm his
mechanical theory # the corona. which
regards this vast apIendaz,e As composed
Of streams OF matter elected with initial
velocities Of $50 miles a SeCund from the.
sun by forces which are most active near
the sun spot zones. Indications IF such
eruptive action have been often observed
in the higher regions of the prulniueuCt,>
I A = I'll -.1
that the corona in outline r,->eruhl,d that
which Professor SChael'crle predicted
some months ago. As far hack ~ the
eclipse Of 1870 Mr.. Brothers noI,I that
''prumineuces Were most numerous un
the side of the sun where the corona was
brightest" an evidence that the corunal
matter Is not less than that " the uroIni-
nences elected from rh, sun
Mr.. Proctor, discussing the ,l>ervA-
lions Of that ECLIPSE. concluded; Il CON
Ceive We have now clear evidence Of q
form Of acti"n-hut whether rruptivc
electrical or rrpulSivc Is not Vet obvious
-cNerted outward TO enormous distance,
by the sun and with maximum emery
over the spot zones. bur local. variable
and probably intermittent.
II will h. seen. then. thar Professor
Schaeberlc's theory. though by 10 means
established, aC>orls with oll obscrva-
lions. No other explanatiop Of the corona
has been offered save that which attrib
; utes it to reflection from mvriad> If in
CandeScent Ucteurs or CuSnlical dust cir
culating around the SUN. But this Inv
PotheSis has never been supported. L:
the corona were chiefly due IL Iurtt,uric
dust revolving around tn, sun. We should
certainly expect IL Sye II regular. and
not as II generally appears, capped. quad
rilateral or four rayci. with inmenS,
wings or extensions. Their, seems. therc-
fore. TO I've no other inference, possible
but that which telescope scrutiny has
long suggested the corona l. orig
mated and maintained by countless tjec.
lions issuing from beneath and flung
through the philosophers ly the suns
vertical or volcanic furc,>.
If the final study Of the cur,,mal photo
graphs obtaine,l sustain this view. >,-i-
enCe will have AT least n working hy-
pothesiS for the determination # TIKI
cvcIcal variations Of solar heat and the
corresponding effects urgu terrestrial
temperatures and climates The theory
in question obviously OPENS NJ new
and fascinating inquiry into the anoma-
LIS - the CIrrh's seasons which arc due
+ variations Of solar activity. Wesecm
,u = ;hls happily led 20 tho very tl.rcs-
hold vt vla" II the Erandu>I discoveries II
modern science. which promises when
Developed Il yield rich harvest Of prac-
IDEAL results.
Now that most numerous and perfect
photographs Of all the principal append
ages Of tine sun have l,yn s,cureL in
Chilli and Africa. astronomers should
give their best energies 10 the study If
the data. No problem they can now at
tack can he If greater interest or I'M
portance 10 science and the wurld.-Ncw
York Herald.
An Early AstropomicaI Teacher.