Science in Short ChaptersWilliams, W. Mattieu (William Mattieu)
Science
Science in Short Chapters
Williams, W. Mattieu (William Mattieu)
Science
In a paper by P. Secchi, dated Rome, March 20, 1871, and published in
the “Comptes Rendus,” March 27, this veteran solar observer speaks of
the prominences as composed of jets, which, “upon reaching a certain
elevation, stop and whirl upon themselves, giving birth to a brilliant
cloud.” This cloud is represented as spreading out on all sides from
the summit of the combined jets. Again he says, “It is very common to
see a little jet spot at a certain elevation above the chromosphere,
and there spread itself out into a _wide hat_ (“_un large chapeau_”) of
an absolutely nebulous constitution.” This outspreading nebulosity is
the flash of the incandescent vapors produced by the explosion which is
theoretically demanded by my explanation to occur exactly in the manner
and place described. These expanded incandescent gases will be rendered
visible by the spectroscopic dilution of the continuous spectrum of
the denser photosphere, while the solid projectiles that must proceed
from them in every direction can only be seen during a solar eclipse.
The observations and drawings of Zöllner and Respighi were, for the
most part, made while my book was in the press, and, like those of
Secchi above quoted, were unknown to me when I wrote; I was then
only able to quote, in support of my theoretical requirements, the
evidences of actually observed tangential ejection afforded by Sir John
Herschel’s account of the great solar storm of September 1, 1859.
Besides this direct tangential projection there are other elements
of motion contributing to the same result, such as the whirl of the
prominences on themselves, their motion of translation on the sun’s
disk, and the rotation of the sun itself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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