The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-14
ERurTloNs ON THE SUN.
From the New York sun.

The light which we receive from the
sun, it is generally conceded by astron-
omers, is emitted by mixture of me-
tallic vapors heated to incandescence
and arranged in detached but closely
associated clouds, in layer, known as
the philosophers" Outside of it is a
thin, scarlet stratum. made up mostly
of hydrogen gas, with wave-like or
fame-like irregularity of surface. This
is called the ''chromosphere." Reach
ing still further out into space, and
much more attenuated, is the
coropa- When the suns apparent
disk is wholly covered by the moon
one may see on the edge, through a
telescope, another class of phenomena,
called prominences, which are dis
cernible with spectroscope at other
times by proper manipulation OF the
instrument. Some of these promi-
nences have quiet appearance and
rounded form. and seem to be composed
Of exactly the same materials as the
chromosphere, but others containing
metallic vapor in abundance have the
shape of jets, develop with astonishing
rapidity, and are sometimes spoken Of
as ''eruptions." And the supposition
that these latter are produced by the
election OF matter from below the
philosophers has led many students of
solar operations to think of the outer
layers as being In very turbulent con-
dition. A paper by A. Brester, Jr., in
As tronomy and Astro-Physics, how
ever, contains several reasons for sup
posing that the aforementioned regions
are in a comparatively tranqil state.
and that there is something deceptive
about these so-called ''ernptions."
It is first pointed out that when the
limb of the sun is examined with q
spectroscope such metallic vapors as
are perceptible at all seem to be buried
underneath the lighter gasses, even
where prominences most often occur.
This arrangement of materials is also
discovered in the most enormous jets.
Apparently the heavier substances are
not thrown up to such heights as the
hydrogen Stratification is thus re-
vealed, says Mr. Brester. and stratifca-
ton means quiet. To guard against
the supposition that the metals may
really be heaved upward, but become
spectroscopically invisible through
cooling, the reader is reminded that
there is heat enough in the solar at
mosphere, away out near the apparent
limits of the corona, to vaporize and
reveal, by Characteristic lines in the
spectrum, the iron and SODIUM of the
comet coming into that exceedingly
rarifed envelope from outer space.
Again, it is admitted by Young,
certainly high authority, that
the hydrogen prominence (which
are of the quiescent type) seem to
form above the chromosphere by a
''local heating or luminous agitation
of the gas already there and not by a
transportation of material. And when
they disappear, says Lookyer, the mat
ter does not disappear, but. changes
its state such modification, being
chiefly one of the temperature. Mr..
Brester thinks this holds good in the
case of metallic prominences also. The
curious changes of direction, the fam
tastic shapes and the enormous area Of
some of these latter initiate against
the election theory. 1t is hard to con-
ceive, too, of gas being shot upward
through gas and from mines with plas-
tic walls in half or quarter Of hour
and have it remain in slender jets in
stead of diffusing itself. These won.
derful velocities, moreover-two hun.
dred miles second for one thousand
seconds, and perhaps Eve hundred
miles second at the start-are so mar
velous as to make actual transportation
of matter appear improbable. 1t is fur
ther noted that almost absolute quiet
appears in close proximi ty to tremen-
dous eruptions, and on the site of a
prominence Immediately after its sub
sidence. And some of the metallic
prominence which develop transcendent
speed have no visible connection with
the atmosphere, but seem to originate
at a considerable elevation.
These and other arguments adduced
by Mr. Brester have force; but it must
be remem bered that lines in the spec
trum have been displaced while promi-
nences near the center of the solar disk
were under examination; and from the
displacement it has been computed
that the luminous matter producing
the lines was being moved almost di-
rectly toward the observer (or outward
from the SUM- at these same veIocities
already referred to. Astronomical
spectroscopists pretty generally agree
in accepting that class Of testimony.
Mr.. Brester, though, intimates that
there may be some error of interDreta.
ton which would invalidate it,