Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-10-03

LAYERS of tina. atmosphere. The
eclipse Of 1868 enabled il to De rec
oenIzcd that the red prominences seen
in a total eclipse We're composed il
great part Of incandt scent hydrogen,
and after the eclipse, Jansen and
Loo kyer, by the AID of the spectrascope
and the red ray of hydrogen, We're able
to examine the promineffces and the
chromosphere which had previously
been seen only during an eclipse. Their
methods, however, applied only to tie
portion of the chrOmosphere external
to the edge Of the sun and even only
to the elevated tight vaIors of, that
edge, the interior part not being
touched Nv it.
Eut from 1892 to 1894 an absolutely
general method was evolved which re-
vcaleG all the vapors, light or heavy,
and their successive layers i'll the
whole of the hemisphere that was
turned toward the earth. The lines
of the vapors at the edge of the sun
showed bright against the continuous
spectrum of the sky, but on the dis
itself they showed dark. But. as was
announced simultaneously by Hale and
tie lecturer in 1892, certain lines of
calcium were an exception, and at
points where there was Il facula they
were reversed or, in other words.
bright lines We're to be seen in the
center of the broad dark Inns. The
double line I<2 was bright, not only on
the facula, but also on all other parts
of the disc. where, however, it was
listinglishable with more difficulty,
and further, at the edge, it was pro-
lOnge1 from the interior to the eX-
terror in an identical bright double
line The conclusion was that the
image Of this line obtained with the
spectrohclograph represented the en-
tire chromosphere projected on the
disc.
The lecturer proceeded to describe
special spectroheliograph which he
constructed after he became director Of
the MeuGOn observatory in 1907 and
which was designed to isolate clearly
the upper LAYERS in the atmosphere
In 1908 he was able to detect the upper
layer of calcium vapor, thus SHOWING
that the vapor existed in three distinct
layers, or four if the surface were
counted, and in the following year
study of the hydrogen lines led to thP
conclusion that the vapors of hydrogen
also were distributed in at least three
distinct layers.
\ phenomenon peculiar to the upper
LAYERS was afforded by long dark lines.
which were prolonged by similar lines
loss dark and less distinct, called By
him aliSnments. BY means of spo
cial Instrument, designed to reveal the
radical movements of the solar vapOrs
he found that such movements were in
general greater over the flamentS thar
over neighhorng points, and he came
to the conclusion that there the Vapnr
was ascending with a speed often nesr-
" equal to the equatorial speed Of ro
tation e KIN. per second). Similar
measures made in the center of the sur
over the faculae and noccula showed
the opposite result. the Vapor having
n descending movement. This obSer
walton explained the special structure
of tho atmospheric layers, which ap-
peared to be divided into connection
currents in juXtanosition, just as was
liquid heated from below. Finally,
tho lecturer pointed out that the fila
ments. which appeared at all ATTITUDES
we're generally grouped at the poles in
a more or less circular curve. This
curve was commonly to be seen at one
mole. Int sometimes it was distinct al
both IT was particularly clear in last
March and Aprl.-London Times.