Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-10-14
THE ECLIPSED sun.
OBSERVATIONS GATHERED FROM
EcLlpsES or THE SUN.

Conclusions OF Eminent Astronomers Verb
fed by Recent Photographs Of the sun's
Corona ms seen During the Time That the
solar Body Was Hidden.
When eclipsed, the majestic king Of
day condescendingly permits the struc-
tire Of his mysterious appendages to DO
photographed and analysed spectroscop-
icaliy. Never in the whole history Of
astronomy has finer opportunity fol-
such work been afforded and 50 skill
fully and completely improved by as
trunnmers as that Of the recent eclipse.
The full harvest of their observations
seems 10 promise some startling revela-
tions.
NJ Flammarion, tho French astrono.
mer after reading the CHILEAN cable dis
patches announcing Professor Picker
ing's recent eclipse observations, is re-
ported TO have said: They confirm the
theory that the sun is surrounded by
luminous atmosphere TO a distance equal
TO one-eighth Of the SUMS diameter"
Scarcely quarter of century agomany
astronomers questioned whether the So
lar atmosphere had any marked extern
sion, and even doubted whether the CO.
roma was a solar appendage at all. But
in the light Of the late eclipse 1t Is not
astonishing that an astronomer expresses
the opinion that the suns atmosphere
extends outward more than loo, 900 miles
The eruptiye forces of the sun must BIO
enormous indeed to eject the matter
composing the flaming prominences not
infrequently observed 40. 900 miles broad,
with an uprush of 225miles a second and
attaining occasionally an elevation Of
400, 900 miles All prominences, Zollner
and Respighi have shown. are originally
phenomena Of eruption, preceded by rec
tilinear jets, either vertical or oblique,
ascending to great heights and then seen
falling back again toward the sun like
the Jets of our fountains. The eruptive
prominences are, as Professor Young
says, generally associated with active
sun spots" Since during the late eclipse
these promincnces were conspicuous in
connection with an unusually brilliant
and extended corona and great spotted
ness, the before seemingly established
law that tho corona's size and luminosi
ty are in direct proportion to the suns
spot producing activity is strikingly cor
roborated
Professor Schaeberle cabled from Chill
that his eclipse observations confirm his
mechanical theory of the corona, which
regards this vast appendage rs composed
of streams of matter elected with initial
yelocities of $50 miles a second from the
sun by forces which are most active near
the sun spot zones Indications Of such
eruptiye action have been often observed
in the higher regions of the prominenees
A further confirmation of this theory is
that the corona in outline resembled that
which Professor Schaeberle predicted
some months ago. AS far back as the
eclipse of 1870 Mr.. Brothers noted that
''prominences were most numerous on
the side Of the sun where the corona was
brightest" an evidence that the coronal
matter is not less than that of the promi.
uences elected from the sun,
Mr.. Proctor discussing tho observa-
lions Of that eclipse, concluded; II CON
ceiye we have now clear evidence OF a
form of action-but whether ernptiye,
electrical or rrpulsive is not yet obvious
-exerted outward 10 enormous distances
by the sun and with maximum emery
over the spot zones, but local. variable
and probably intermittent.
Ii will be seen, then. that Professor
Strawberries theory. though by no means
established, aceords with old obserya.
tions. No other explanation Of the corona
has been offered save that which attrib.
ntes ii to reflection from myriads of in.
candescent meteors or cosmical dust cir,
culating around the sun But this hy.
pothesis has never been supported. II
the corona were chiefly duo to meteoric
dust revolving around the sun, We should
, certainly expect to see it regular, and
. not as it generally appears. capped, quad.
rilateral or four rayed. with immense
wings or extensions. There seems, there.
fore, to be- no other inference possible
: but that which telescope scrutiny has
long suggested-that the corona il orig
mated and maintained by countless ejec
: tions issuing from beneath and flung
: through tho philosophers by the sun,
vertical or volcanic forces.
II the final study of the coronal photo
graphs obtained sustain this view. sci
ence will have at least working by
pothesis for the determination of tbs
cyclical variations of solar heat and tht
! corresponding effects upon terrestrial
: Temperatures and climates. The theor,
{ in question obviously opens up new
and fascinating inquiry into the anomA
c lies of the earth,s seasons which are du,
{ TO variations of solar activity We seen
to be thus happily led to the very thres
hold of one of the grandest discoveries o
modern science. which promises whei
developed TO yield rich harvest Of prac
. teal results
: Now that most numerous and perfec
!. photographs of all the principal append
: ages of the sun have been secured IN
Chill and Africa. astronomers SHOULD
!, give their best energies TO the study O
:. the data. No problem they can now at
tack can be Of greater interest or i'm
portanee to science and the world. New
!. York Herald
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