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SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
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SPECTRUM ANALYSIS
IN ITS APPLICATION TO

TERRESTRIAL SUBSTANCES,
AND

THE PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE

HEAVENLY BODIES.

FAMILIARLY EXPLAINED BY

DE. H. SCHELLEN,
DIRECTOR DER REALSCHULE I. O. COLOGNE, RITTER DES ROTHEN ALDERODENS IV. KL.,
ASSOCIATE OF SEVERAL LEARNED SOCIETIES.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SECOND ENLARGED AND REVISED GERMAN EDITION BY

JANE AND CAROLINE LASSELL.

EDITED, WITH NOTES, BY

WILLIAM HUGGINS, LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.S.

With Numerous Woodcuts, Coloured Plates,

AND

ANGSTROM’S AND KIRCHHOFF’S MAPS.

LONDON
LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.
1872.
 V^LLC > i s L- IE

Coll. >mec
Call

No.
 EDITOR’S PREFACE.

The daughters of my friend Mr. Lassell, F.R.S.,

President R.A.S., having asked me to edit their

translation of this work, I consented the more rea-

dily to accede to their wish because Dr. Schellen’ s

book appeared to me valuable as a popular account

of a new branch of scientific investigation.

I have to remind the readers of the book that

I am not responsible for the views of the Author,

nor for the relative importance which he has given

to the work of different investigators in the same

field of research. I have added some notes, which
are distinguished from those of the Author by being
enclosed within brackets. The absence of an
editorial note is not, however, to be understood in

every case as giving my sanction to the statements

of the text. This remark applies in particular to

the section on the “ Influence of Temperature
and Density on the Spectra of Gases,” in which
VI EDITORS PREFACE.

are several statements which appear to need con-

firmation. Since this part of the translation passed

o
through my hands, Angstrom has published a note*
in which he shows that Wüllner is mistaken in the

different spectra which he describes as belonging

to hydrogen and to oxygen.
I regret that the Author has reversed the
practice of the principal spectroscopic observers,

and placed the red end of the spectrum opposite

the reader’s left hand, and not, as in the maps of
o
Kirchhoff, Angstrom, and others, on the right-
hand side of the page.

In so new a science there must be necessarily

many points not finally settled, but this circum-

stance does not detract from the great merit of the

book as a popular treatise on Spectrum Analysis.

WILLIAM HUGGINS.

Upper Tulse Hill,

December , 1871 .

Comptes Rencius, August 1871, and Phil. Mag ., Nov. 1871.

 TRANSLATORS’ PREFACE.

The original of the following work was intro-

duced to our notice by Mr. Huggins, to whom

we had appealed for ' information as to the best

elementary book on the Spectroscope ;

and while
engaged in its perusal, the interest we felt in the

subject suggested the idea of undertaking the

translation of the work. Just as we had com-

pleted our labours, the second German edition

made its appearance, and this necessitated so entire

a revision of the whole work as to occasion con-

siderable delay.

In order to render the work as complete as

possible, we have, at the suggestion of the Editor,

given in an Appendix Mr. Stoney’s important

paper “ On the Cause of the Interrupted Spectra

of Gases,” and Prof. Young’s valuable Catalogue. of

the lines observed in the spectrum of the chromo-

sphere. We have besides inserted in the body

 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

book into a new realm of science, the dominion ot

which has extended in a few years over all terres-

trial substances, and even beyond them to the most

distant parts of the universe. He will learn to

decipher the new language of Light ,

which by
unequivocal signs yields him information not only

concerning the nature of terrestrial substances, but

also of the physical constitution of the heavenly

bodies. The professor of science will find in these

pages many details for the arrangement of appa-

ratus by which to exhibit the various spectra and
their characteristic phenomena to a large audience,

and present to them a view of those splendid dis-

coveries, the direct sight of which can only be

enjoyed by the few who possess an instrument for
the purpose.

To facilitate the due appreciation of the results

which have been obtained by the application of

Spectrum Analysis to the heavenly bodies, the

Author has given with each class of objects a

summary of the information hitherto furnished by

the telescope, and has sought to give a glance in

passing at the progressive development and partial

transformation of the heavenly bodies.

The great interest that has everywhere been

excited by the first edition of this work has made

 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION . xi

a second edition necessary within the period of a

year. The Author has given his attention to the

careful revision of each section, which he has in

many cases enlarged and enriched by the dis-

coveries made by Spectrum Analysis generally, but

more especially in its application to the observation

of the Sun. Great prominence has been given to

the detailed explanation of the various methods

employed in the practical working of the spectro-

scope.

In conclusion, the Author acknowledges with

grateful thanks the valuable assistance rendered

him by various scientific men who have kindly

communicated to him the results of their labours,

among whom he would especially mention Messrs.

Huggins, Secchi, Lockyer, Zöllner, Janssen, Morton,

and Young. His thanks are also due to the pub-

lisher, who has watched over with so much care

and interest the typographical department, as well

as the execution of the numerous and elaborate

illustrations.

THE AUTHOR.
Cologne.
 8

CONTENTS.
PART I.

ON THE ARTIFICIAL SOURCES OF HIGH DEGREES

OF HEAT AND LIGHT.
PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . .. . 3
2. THE LUMINOUS POWER OF FLAME . .
'

. ..
9
3. THE BUNSEN BURNER . . . . . -15
4. THE MAGNESIUM LIGHT . . . . . 1

5. THE OXYHYDROGEN FLAME . . . . -23

.28
6.

7.

8.
drummond’s lime-light
THE ELECTRIC SPARK
THE INDUCTION COIL .
.

......-33
.
.

.
. .

.
.

.
30

9. LUMINOSITY OF GASES GEISSLER’S TUBES

... 35
: . .
.

10.

11. THE ELECTRIC LAMP

:

.......
THE VOLTAIC ARC THE ELECTRIC LIGHT 39
45

PART II,

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS IN ITS APPLICATION TO

TERRESTRIAL SUBSTANCES.
12. LIGHT -53
13. ANALOGY BETWEEN LIGHT AND SOUND . .
-55
14. ANALOGY BETWEEN MUSICAL SOUNDS AND COLOURS . 62
15. REFRACTION OF LIGHT . . . . .
•
66
 7

XIV CONTENTS.
PAGE
1 6. REFRACTION OF MONOCHROMATIC LICxHT BY A PRISM . 74
17. REFRACTION OF THE DIFFERENT COLOURS BY A PRISM 80
18. THE SOLAR SPECTRUM . . . . . .
85
19. THE SPECTRA OF THE LIME-LIGHT AND THE ELECTRIC
LIGHT 90
20. RECOMBINATION OF THE COLOURS OF THE SPECTRUM 96
21 . INFLUENCE OF THE WIDTH OF SLIT ON THE PURITY OF
THE SPECTRUM .98
2 2. THE CONTINUOUS SPECTRA OF SOLID AND LIQUID
BODIES . . . . . . . .IOO
23. THE SPECTRA OF VAPOURS AND GASES ICI . . .

24. SPECTRUM APPARATUS . . . 109 . .

25. MODE OF MEASURING THE DISTANCES BETWEEN THE

LINES OF THE SPECTRUM . . .120 . .

26. THE COMPOUND SPECTROSCOPE . . . . .126

27. BROWNING’S AUTOMATIC SPECTROSCOPE . . • I
3 I

28. PRISM OF COMPARISON, OR REFLECTING PRISM . . 136

29. DESIGNATION OF THE LINES OF THE SPECTRUM . -143
30 . VARIOUS METHODS FOR EXHIBITING THE SPECTRA OF
TERRESTRIAL SUBSTANCES . . . , -145
3 T. INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND DENSITY ON THE
SPECTRA OF GASES . . . . . l6l

32. INFLUENCE OF THE TEMPERATURE OF GASES ON THE

WIDTH OF THE LINES OF THE SPECTRUM 171 . .

33. INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE DELICACY OF

SPECTRUM REACTIONS . . ... .
.174
34. THE COLOURS OF NATURAL OBJECTS .
1 7 . .

35. ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY SOLID BODIES . . .183

36. ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY LIQUIDS . . . . 1S5
37. THE SORBY-BROWNING MICROSPECTROSCOPE . . 1 89
38. ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY GASES . . . 1 99
39.

40 .
LIGHT ........
RELATION BETWEEN THE EMISSION AND ABSORPTION OF

REVERSAL OF THE SPECTRA OF GASES . . .

203
205
 — 1

CONTENTS. xv

PART III.

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS IN ITS APPLICATION TO

THE HEAVENLY BODIES.
PAGE
41 . THE SOLAR SPECTRUM AND THE FRAUNHOFER LINES . 22J

42. kirchhoff’s scale of the solar spectrum . -234

43. angstrom's normal solar spectrum . . *237
44. COINCIDENCE OF THE DARK FRAUNHOFER LINES WITH
THE BRIGHT SPECTRUM LINES OF TERRESTRIAL
MENTS kirchhoff’s maps ..... ELE-
240
45.

46.
OF THE SUN .......
KIRCHHOFF’S THEORY OF THE PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION

THE ATMOSPHERIC LINES IN THE SOLAR SPECTRUM AS

247

OBSERVED BY BREWSTER AND GLADSTONE . . 252

47. THE TELLURIC LINES IN THE SOLAR SPECTRUM AND
THE SPECTRUM OF AQUEOUS VAPOUR, AS OBSERVED
BY JANSSEN . . . . . . . *257
48. THE SOLAR SPOTS; THE FACULiE AND THEIR SPECTRA. 265
49. TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES 296
50 . PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES . 300
51. THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 18TH AUGUST, 1 868 . 308
52. THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 7TH AUGUST, 1 869 . 332
53. THE PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA . .
. 346
54. THE CORONA AND ITS SPECTRUM . . .
-359
[the total solar eclipse of 1870] 364 . .
.

5,5. THE TELESPECTROSCOPE, AND METHOD OF OBSERVING

THE SPECTRA OF THE PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE 378 .

56. THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM -393 . .

57 . MODES OF OBSERVING THE PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE

FORM OF THE PROMINENCES 417
. . . .

58.

59.
MEASUREMENT OF THE DIRECTION AND SPEED OF THE
GAS-STREAMS IN THE SUN .....
SPECTRUM ANALYSIS OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES—STELLAR
443

SPECTROSCOPES . . . . .
-459
60. SPECTRA OF THE MOON AND PLANETS . . . 48
 6

XVI CONTENTS.
PAGE
61. SPECTRA OF THE FIXED STARS 488
62. SECCHl’S TYPES OF THE FIXED STARS . .. . 495
63. COLOUR OF THE STARS DOUBLE STARS AND THEIR
SPECTRA 506
64. VARIABLE STARS . . . . . . . 5 12

65. NEW OR TEMPORARY STARS 5 1

66. INFLUENCE OF THE PROPER MOTION OF THE STARS IN

SPACE UPON THEIR SPECTRA . . . •
525
67. SPECTRA OF NEBULA AND CLUSTERS . . .
• 53 2
68. COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA . . . .
-557
69. FALLING STARS, METEOR SHOWERS, BALLS OF FIRE AND
THEIR SPECTRA . . . . . .581
70. SPECTRUM OF LIGHTNING 607
71 . SPECTRUM OF THE AURORA BOREALIS . . . 6ll

Appendix A 620
“On the Cause of the Interrupted Spectra of Gases,” by G.
Johnstone Stoney, M.A., F.R.S.

Appendix B
‘
*
........
Preliminary Catalogue of the Bright Lines in the Spectrum of
628

the Chromosphere.” By C. A. Young, Ph.D., Professor of

Astronomy in Dartmouth College.

List of Works on Spectrum Analysis 635

 LIST OF PLATES.

TO FACE PAGE
I. Table of Spectra . . Frontispiece.
II.
Kirchhoff’s Maps of the Solar Spectrum . 2 36
III.

* IV. >

*
'

y. Angstrom’s Maps of the Solar Spectrum 24O

* VI. >

VII. Total Solar Eclipse (India) . . . . 321

VIII. Total Solar Eclipse (North America) 337
IX. Solar Spectrum and Spectrum of the Pro-
minences during a Total Eclipse 359
* X. Corona photographed at Syracuse by Mr.
Brothers 373
XI. Solar Prominences observed by Zöllner
439
XII. Solar Prominences observed by Young j

*XIII. Solar Prominences observed by Respighi 443

* These Plates added by the Translators.

b
 7

ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE
t. Combustion of a Steel Watch-spring in Oxygen . .
9
2. Bunsen’s Gas-burner . . . .
•
. 15
3. Bunsen’s Heat Lamp with Blowpipe . . . 17
4. Grant and Solomon’s Magnesium Lamp . . .20
5. Prof. Morton's Magnesium Lamp . . . .22
6. Gas-bag for Oxygen or Plydrogen . . . 25
7. Oxy hydrogen Blowpipe. (Drummond’s Lime-light) . 26
8. The Electric Spark . . . . . . .30
9. The Electric Spark intensified by a Condenser . . 32
10.

11.
Electric Egg
Geissler’s Tube .........3 35
36
12.

13.

14.
Pliicker’s Tube

Bunsen’s Battery
The
....
.

.......
Electric Light
.
. .

.
.

.
. . .

38
40
15. .42
Projection of the Voltaic Arc . . . .

16.

17.
The Carbon
magnified) ........
Foucault’s Electric
Points

......-57
of the Electric Light.

Lamp
(Highly
43
46
18. The Syren
19.
20.
Savart’s
Refraction
.

... .60
.........
Toothed Wheel
. . .

.
.

.
. . .

68
21. Path of the Rays through a Medium with Parallel Sides 70
22. Refraction through Glass of Parallel Surfaces . . 71
23. Refraction exhibited on a Screen . . . .72
24. Projection of the Slit, and Displacement of the Rays
by Refraction . . . . . . .74
25. The Prism . . . . . . . -75
26. Prism mounted on Stand . . . . . . 76
XX ILL US TRA TIONS.

FIG. PAGE
27. Path of a Ray of Light through a Prism . . .77
28. Refraction of aRay of Light by a Prism . . .78
29. Viewing Objects through a Prism . . .
*79

31.
through a Prism
Prism of Bisulphide of Carbon
.......-85
30. Divergence of the different coloured Rays

. . .
in passing

.
80

32. Exhibition of the Solar Spectrum . . . .86

33. Indivisibility of the Pure Colours of the Spectrum . 89
34. Projection of the Spectrum of the Lime-light . . 91
-95
35. Browning’s Electric
36. Action of the

37.
Double Prism
Lamp .

Recombination of the Colours of the Spectrum

.....
. . . .

. .
96
97

........
38. Influence of the Width of Slit on the Purity of the
Spectrum
39. Volatilization of Metals in the Electric Light . -103
99

40. Ruhmkorff’s Electric Lamp . . . . .106

41. The simple Spectroscope . . . . . .111
42. Indivisibility of the Pure Colours of the Spectrum . 112
43. Neutralization of Refraction and Dispersion . . 113
44. Amici’s Direct-vision System of Prisms . . .114
45. Herschel’s Direct- vision Prism . . . . .116
46. Herschel-Browning’s System of Prisms . . . 117
47. Janssen-Hofmann’s Direct-vision Spectroscope . .118
48. Janssen’s Direct-vision System of Prisms . . .119
49. Browning’s Miniature Spectroscope . . . .119
50. Graduated Scale in Spectroscope . . . .121
51. Micrometer for Measuring the Distances between the
Lines . . . . . . . . *123
52. Compound Spectroscope . . . . . .127
53. Kirchhofif’s Spectroscope, by Steinheil . . .128
54. Large Spectroscope of the Kew Observatory . . 129
55. Path of a Ray through nine Prisms . . . *131
56. Browning's Automatic Spectroscope . . .
133
[Automatic Spectroscope used by Huggins] . .136
57. The Prism of Comparison, or Reflecting Prism . .139
58. The Prism of Comparison . . . . . .140
59. The Double Spectrum . . . . . .141
60. Hofmann’s Prism of Comparison . . . . .142
61. Table of Spectra according to Kirchhoff and Bunsen . 144
 1

ILL US TRA TIONS. xxi

FIG.

62.

63.
Mitscherlich’s Spectrum
Mitscherlich’s Apparatus for
Wick .....
Permanent Spectra . .
PAGE
150
15
64. Morton’s Apparatus for Monochromatic Light . . 152
65. Intensifying the Electric Discharge by a Leyden Jar .
154
66. Browning’s Intensifying Apparatus . . .
155
67. The Becquerel-Ruhmkorff Apparatus . . .
.157
68. Stand for Pliicker’s Tubes . . . . . .160
69. Spectra of the various Orders . . . . -165
70. Glass Vessel for Absorbent Liquids . . . -185
71. Spectra of Absorbent Substances . . . . .186
72. Observations of Absorption . . . . .188
73. The Sorby-Browning Microspectroscope . .
.190
74. Section of the Microspectroscope . . . .191
75. Adjustments for the Slit in the Microspectroscope . 192
76. Micrometer for measuring the Absorption Lines .
-194
77. Scale for the Microspectroscope . . . .
*197
78. Absorption Bands of Human Blood . . . .198
79. Glass Globe for Absorbent Vapours . . . .200
80.
scope)
81. Reversal of the
.........
Reversal of the Sodium Line (seen with the Spectro-

Sodium Line (projected on a Screen) .

206
211
82. Volatilization of Sodium in the Electric Light . -213
83. Bunsen’s Apparatus for the Absorption of the Light of
Sodium . . . . . . . *215
84. Absorption of the Sodium Flame . . . .217
85. Fraunhofer’s Solar Spectrum . . . . .229
86. Solar Spectrum with Prisms of Flint Glass, Crown
Glass, and Water 232
87. The Solar Spectrum with Kirchhoff’s Scale . .
.235
88. Angstrom’s Normal Solar Spectrum. (Portion with the
Line F) 239

of . .......
89. Coincidence of the Fraunhofer D-lines with the Lines
Sodium 243
90.
Iron and Calcium ......
Coincidence of the Fraunhofer Lines with the Lines of
244
91. Coincidence of the

92.
the Fraunhofer Lines
The Brewster-Gladstone
......
Spectrum of Iron with

Solar Spectrum,
sixty-five

with
of

the
246

Atmospheric Lines . . . . . *254

XXII ILL US TRA TIONS.

FIG. PAGE
93. Janssen’s Spectrum of the Sun on the Meridian and at
the Horizon. (Telluric Lines) . . . .260
94. Spectrum of Sirius on the Meridian and at the Horizon.

Horizon ........
Spectrum of the Sun on the Meridian and at the
262
95. The
o
Telluric

Angstrom ........
Lines in the Solar Spectrum after

264
96. Solar Spot seen through a large Telescope

97. Granules
Rome, 3rd April, 1858 .....
and Pores of the Sun’s Surface after Huggins
by Secchi at

266
267
98. Solar Spot after Nasmyth, with three Bridges of Light 268
99. Solar Spots after Capocci ;
Furrows in the Penumbra 269
100. Facuhe
cornac
in
........
the neighbourhood of a Spot after Cha-
270
1

102.
01.

The
5th June, 1864 .......
Group of Solar Spots observed and drawn by Nasmyth,

great Solar Spot of 1865. (From 7th to 16th

272

October)
103. Solar Spot of 30th July, 1869
104. Solar Spot of 31st July,1869
275
276
.....
.....
-274

105. Spiral Solar Spot observed by Secchi *279 . .

106. Changes in the Appearance of a Spot caused by the

Rotation of the Sun . . . . . .281
107. The D-lines in the Spectrum of a Solar Spot . .283
108. Spectrum of the Solar Spot of n-i3th April, 1869,
observed by Secchi 288
109. Total Solar Eclipse of 7th August,
1869 . . .
299
no. Browning’s Photographic Telescope . . 302
in. Path of the Rays through the Telescope . . . 303
1 12. Eyepiece Tube of the Photographic Telescope . . 304
1 13. Slide ot the Photographic Telescope . . 305
1

1
14.

15.
Total Solar
graphed by
Eclipse
De la
of
Rue)
18th
.....
Zone of the Total Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, from
July, i860. (Photo-
307

Aden to Torres Straits . . . . .310

1 16. Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868. (Observed
at Aden.) (Picture 1) . . 316
1 1 7. Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868. (Aden.)
(Picture 2) 317
 ILL USTRA TIONS. xxiii

FIG. PAGE
118. Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868. (Aden.)
(Picture 3) . . . . . . .318
1
1 9.
Union of the Prominences in one drawing . . 319
120. Tennant’s Photographic Pictures united in one draw-
ing. (Guntoor, 18th August, 1868) . . .320
121. Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, at Manta-
waloc-Kekee . . . . . .
.3 23
122. Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, observed from the
Steamer “Rangoon” . . . . «327
123. Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, observed at Wha-
Tonne by Stephan . . . . . .328
124. Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, observed at Man-
tawaloc-Kekee . . . . . . .329
125. Union of the Prominences
Eclipse of 7th August, 1869)
126. Photographic Picture of the
in

Corona of
....
one drawing.

7 th
(Total

August,
338

1869 342
127. The Corona
Moines
128. Gould’s
........
of the Eclipse of 7th August, 1869, at

Drawing of the Corona of 7th August, 1869.

343
Des

Wh. 58m.) 344

129. Gould’s Drawing of the Corona of 7th August, 1869.

(5 h ora -) -

130. Various Spectra of the Prominences

1 3 1. Young’s Telespectroscope
345
348
-354 .
....
. . .

132. Spectrum of the Prominences -355 . . . .

133. Young’s Observation of the Prominence-Spectrum 356 .

134. Sketch of a Prominence by means of its Spectrum Lines 381

135. Lockyer’s Telespectroscope . . . . .384
136. Lockyer’s Telespectroscope constructed by Browning . 385
137. Method of observing the Prominences 387 . . .

138. Merz’s Simple and Compound Spectroscope 390 .

.

139. The Spectrum of the Sun’s Disk (below) and that of the
Chromosphere (above) near the C-line -394 .

140.

1 4 1.
The Spectrum of the Sun’s Disk and that of the Chro-
mosphere near the D-line
The Spectrum of the Sun’s Disk and that of the Chro-
.....
395

mosphere near the F-line *396

. . . .

142. Covering of the dark C-line with Ha . . .401

XXIV ILLUSTRA TIONS.
FIG. PAGE
143. Partial covering of the dark F-line with Hß . . 402
T44. Changes in the Line Hß after Lockyer . . . 404
Hß
145. Changes
146. Reversal of the C-
in the Line
and
after

F-lin es

147. Young’s Observation of the Reversal of the D-lines

.....
Young . . .

.
405
407
408
148.

149. Solar
Huggins’
Sunshine
first

........
Observation of a Prominence in

Prominences observed by Zöllner . .

full

*427
424

150. Lockyer’s Observation of various Prominences . 431

1 5 1. Young’s Observations of various Prominences . . 434
152. Young’s Observation of a Chain of Prominences. . 435
153. Solar Storm observed by Lockyer on 14th March,
1869. (Picture 1) . . . .
. 435
154. Solar

155.
1869.
Changes
(Picture 2)
in the Form
.....
Storm observed by Lockyer on 14th March,

of a Prominence . .
-437
436

156. Respighi’s Observations of the

157.
entire Limb of the Sun ..... Prominences round the

Direction and Speed of the Gas-streams in the Sun .

440
447
158. Displacement

159. Movement
of the
streams in the Sun ......
F-line;

of a Gas-vortex in the Sun

Velocity of the Gas-

. . . .
449
454
160. Unequal Displacement of the greenish-blue Hydrogen
line (H ß) 455
1 61. Merz’s Object-glass Spectroscope . . . .463
162. Merz’s Object-glass Spectroscope. (Mounting of the
Prism) . 464
163. Merz’s Object-glass Prism 465
164. Huggins’ Stellar Spectroscope. (Perspective View) . 466
165. Huggins’ Stellar Spectroscope.
[Grubb’s Automatic Spectroscopes] ....
(Horizontal Section) . 467
468
166. Huggins’
Section)
Stellar

167. Secchi’s Stellar Spectroscope

........
Spectroscope. (Partial Vertical

469
472
168. Secchi’s large Telespectroscope
169. Huggins’ large Telespectroscope
170. Merz’s Simple and Compound
....
Spectroscope .
-477
474
476

171. Merz’s Simple Spectroscope 478

172. Browning’s Miniature Spectroscope . . .
-479
 ILL US FRA FLO NS.

FIG. PAGE
173. Browning’s Hand Spectroscope . 480
174. Spectrum of Uranus . . . 484
[Spectrum of Uranus after Huggins] . 485
175. Spectrum of Aldebaran (a Tauri) and that of Betel-
geux (a Orionis) compared with the Solar Spec-
trum and Spectra of Terrestrial Elements 49 1
176.
177.
Types of. the Fixed
Secchi’s
Spectrum of Sirius
[Spectrum of a Red
...... Stars

Star after Huggins]

497
499
5°4
178. Spectrum of the Star A of a Herculis .
5 11

179. Spectra of the Component Stars of the Double Star

ß Cygni 5 12
180. Variability of a Star according to Zöllner .
5 r 4
1 8 1. Spectrum of the Temporary Star T Coronae Borealis
(15th May, 1866) . . . . .
5 21
182. Displacement of the F-line in the Spectrum of Sirius 527
183. The Great Nebula in Orion . .1
534
184. Central and most brilliant portion of the Great Nebula
in the Sword-handle of Orion, as observed by Sir

John Herschel in his 20-foot Reflector at Feld-

hausen, Cape of Good Hope, 1834 —
185.
186.
The large Magellanic Cloud
Nebula of the form of a Sickle (H. 3239)
....
1837

.
. •

•
535
536
537
187. Spiral Nebula (H. 1173) . . .
-

. • 538
188. Spiral Nebula in Canes Venatici (H. 1622) •
539
189.
190.
.91.
Annular Nebula in Lyra
Nebula with several Rings (H. 854)
.....
Transition from the Spiral to the Annular form

.
.
•

•
540
540
541
192. Elliptical Annular Nebula (H. 1909) . • 54 2
1

T
93
94
95
*

-
Elongated Nebula (H. 2621)
Double Nebula (H. 3501)
Annular Nebula with Centre (H. 2552)
. ....
. . . •

•
54 2
543
543
196. Planetary Nebula with two Stars (H. 838) . • 544
197.
198.
1
99 -
Planetary Nebula (H. 2241)
Planetary Nebula (H. 2098)
....
Planetary Annular Nebula with two Stars (H. 464)

....
•

•
544
544
545
200.
201.
Stellar Nebula (H. 450)
Spectrum of Nebula (H. 4374) .... •

•
545
546
xxvi ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE
202. Spectrum of Nebula compared with the Sun and some
Terrestrial Elements . . . . .
-547
203. Planetary Annular Nebula in Aquarius, with Spectrum 553
204. Stellar Nebula (H. 450) 553
205. Spiral Nebula (H. 4964), with Spectrum . . -554
206.
207.
208.
Annular Nebula in Lyra, with Spectrum
Donati’s Comet on 2nd July, 1858
The July Comet on 3rd July, 1861
....
....
. .
-555
559
560
209.
210.
Donaths Comet on 5th October, 1858
The July Comet on 2nd July, 1861 .... . . . 561
562
21 1. Position of the Tail of a
212. Orbit of Donati’s
The
Comet
Comet
...... as regards the Sun . 563
564
213.
214.
Comet on 30th June and ist
July
Spectrum of Tempel’s Comet (1866)
215. Spectra of Brorsen’s and Winnecke’s Comets compared
....July, 1861 . 565
570

with the Spectra of the Sun, of Carbon, and of the

216. Winnecke’s
217.
Nebulae

Huggins’
.

Comet
Apparatus
.

(II., 1868)
for
.

.....
.

observing
.

the
. .

Spectra of
.
57 1
573

Hydrocarbons . . . . . . -57b
218. Balls of Fire seen through the Telescope . . .588
219. Orbit of the Meteor Shower of 10th August . . 592
220. Orbit of the November Meteor Shower . . . 593
221. Orbits of the August and November Meteor Showers.

222. Browning’s
(Orbits of Comets III., 1862, and
Meteor Spectroscope
223. Spectrum of the Aurora Borealis after Zöllner
....
I., 1866) .

.
.

.
600
603
618
 PART FIRST.

ON THE ARTIFICIAL SOURCES OF HIGH

DEGREES OF HEAT AND LIGHT.

i
-
ON THE ARTIFICIAL SOURCES OF HIGH
DEGREES OF HEAT AND LIGHT.

i. Introduction.

HE total eclipse of the sun in India of the

X 1 8th of August, 1868, was an event which, it

will be remembered, excited extreme interest in the

scientific world, and led to a large expenditure of

money and labour in order that a new method of in-
vestigation — Spectrum Analysis— might be applied
to those mysterious phenomena invariably present
at a total solar eclipse, the nature and character of
which the unassisted powers of the telescope had
proved themselves inadequate to reveal. The
brilliant results obtained at this eclipse were fully
confirmed by the more recent observations made
in North America during the total eclipse of the
7th of August, 1869, and the records of those
eclipses laid before the various scientific societies
clearly assert the triumph of spectrum analysis.
On this account the new method of investigation
4 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
has excited great interest in all cultivated circles,
and therefore a familiar and comprehensive exposi-
tion of the details of spectrum analysis, in which is
shown the great value of this method of research
in every department of physical science, seems not
uncalled for.

By spectrum is not understood in physics a spectre

or ghostly apparition, as the verbal interpretation of
the word might well lead one to suppose, but that

beautiful image, brilliant with all the colours of the

rainbow, which is obtained when the light of the
sun, or any other brilliant object, is allowed to pass
through a triangular piece of glass —a prism.
The unassisted eye can perceive no difference in
the light from the heavenly bodies and that from
various artificial sources, beyond a variation in

colour and brilliancy; but it is quite otherwise when

the light is viewed through a prism. There are
then formed very beautiful coloured images or
spectra, the constitution and appearance of which
depend upon the nature of the substance emitting
the light. The different appearances presented by
these coloured images are so entirely charac-
teristic, that to every substance, when luminous

in a gaseous form, there corresponds a peculiar

spectrum which belongs only to that particular
substance.
It follows, therefore, that when the spectra of
different substances have been determined once for

all, by previous researches, and have been recorded

in maps or impressed upon the memory, it is easy
 INTROD UCTION. 5

in any future investigation to recognize at once,

from the form of the spectrum which a body of
unknown constitution presents, the individual sub-
stances of which it is composed.
This statement presents in general terms the
nature of spectrum analysis. It analyses bodies
into their constituent parts, not as the chemist,
with alembics and retorts, with re-agents and pre-
cipitates, but by means of the spectra which
these substances give when in a state of intense
luminosity.
Spectrum analysis in no way supplants the
methods of chemical analysis hitherto in use ;
for
its function is decompose nor to combine
neither to
bodies, but rather to reconnoitre an unknown terri-
tory, and to stand sentinel, and signalize to the

physicist, the chemist, and the astronomer, the

presence of any substance brought beneath its
scrutiny.
With what acuteness, with what delicacy does
spectrum analysis accomplish this task ! When the
balance, the microscope, and every other means of
research at the command of the physicist and
the chemist utterly fail, one look in the spectro-
scope is sufficient in most cases to reveal the
presence of a substance. If a pound of common
salt be divided into 500,000 equal parts, the weight
of one of these portions is called a milligramme.

The chemist is able, by the use of the most delicate

scales and the application of special skill, to de-

termine the weight of such a particle but in doing ;
6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
so, he comes close upon the limits of his power
of detecting by chemical means the presence of
sodium, the chief element in common salt. But if

that small milligramme be subdivided into three

million parts, we arrive at so minute a particle that
all power of discerning it fails, and yet even this

excessively small quantity is sufficient to be recog-

nized with certainty in a spectroscope. We have
but to strike together the pages of an old dusty
book in order to perceive immediately in a spectro-
scope placed at some distance, the flash of a line of
yellow light which we shall presently learn is an
unfailing sign of the presence of sodium.
It was to be expected that so sensitive a means
of investigation, from which no known substance
can escape, would very soon lead to the tracking
out and discovery of new elements which, till then,
had remained unknown, either because they are
scattered very sparingly in nature, or stand out
with so little that is characteristic, from some other
substances, that the imperfect chemical methods
hitherto in use have not been able to distinguish
them.
This expectation was brilliantly realized even by
the first steps taken in this direction. The two
Heidelberg professors, Bunsen and Kirchhoff, to
whom we are indebted for the discovery of spectrum
analysis and its application to practical science, very
soon discovered with their new instrument, two new
metals, Caesium and Rubidium, to which two others,
Thallium and Indium, have been since added.
 INTRODUCTION. 7

But all the brilliant and astounding results which

spectrum analysis has furnished in the provinces of
physics and chemistry have been far surpassed by
its performances in that of astronomy. Newton’s
law of gravitation has given us the means of calcu-
lating the courses of the heavenly bodies, of pro-
jecting the orbits of the earth, the planets and
comets, and of predicting their relative positions
in these orbits, together with the accompanying
phenomena of the ebb and flow of the tides, and
the eclipses and occultations of the heavenly bodies
But this same gravitation chains man to the earth

and forbids him to leave it. It is therefore only

on the wings of light, that news reaches him of the

existence of those numberless worlds by which he
is surrounded. The light alone, which proceeds
from these stars, is the winged messenger which
can bring him information of their being and
nature ; spectrum analysis has made this light into

a ladder on which the human mind can rise billions

and billions of miles, far into immeasurable space,

in order to investigate the chemical constitution of
the stars, and study their physical conditions.
Until within a few years, the telescope was the
only means by which these investigations could be
carried on, and the intelligence derived from this

source concerning the stars and nebulae was very

scant, being confined to but partial information of
their outward form, size, and colour.
Since the year 1859, spectrum analysis has
entered the service of astronomy, and its per-
8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
formances for the short space of eleven years are, in
the most widely-differing ways, perfectly astounding.
It is by means of a prism to decompose
possible
into its component parts the light of the sun, the
planets, the fixed stars, comets and nebulae, and thus
obtain their spectra in the same way as that of earthly
luminous substances. By a careful comparison of
the spectra of the stars with the well-known spectra
of terrestrial substances, it can be determined, from
their complete agreement or disagreement, with a
certainty almost amounting to mathematical pre-
cision, whether these substances do or do not exist
in those remote heavenly bodies.
The foregoing statements present in general
terms the essence and scope of spectrum analysis.
Its starting-point is the spectrum of each indi-

vidual substance, and in order to obtain this it is

requisite that the substance should not only be

luminous, but should emit a sufficient quantity of
light. Dark bodies are not available for spectrum
analysis ;
if they are to be submitted to its scrutiny,
they must first be brought into a state of vivid
luminosity.
To avoid later interruptions and repetitions, it

will be desirable, before entering upon the subject

of spectrum analysis, to review with brevity the
means afforded by chemistry and physics for ren-
dering luminous all substances gaseous and non-
gaseous, and even the least fusible metals.
 THE LUMINOUS POWER OF FLAME. 9

2. The Luminous Power of Flame.

The immediate cause of the luminosity of flame
has not yet been fully ascertained, notwithstanding
the many investigations that have been made with
this object. If a glass receiver (Fig. i) be filled

with oxygen, and a lighted piece of phosphorus be

plunged into it from above, the phosphorus will

Fig. i.

Combustion of a Steel Watch-spring in Oxygen.

burn with great energy and give out a dazzling

light. In the same manner most metals previously
raised to a glowing heat, as, for instance, a steel
watch-spring, will burn in pure oxygen, with the
development of an intense light.
If, on the contrary, a stream of gas issuing from

a reservoir of hydrogen be ignited in free air, it

will burn with a scarcely perceptible flame. The
 ;

IO SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

flame produced by oil, petroleum, and coal gas is

very brilliant, while that from spirits of wine is

faint.

What occasions this difference ?

The chemical process of the combustion of phos-

phorus and of hydrogen is the same, namely, the
combination of these substances with oxygen ;
the
amount of heat evolved is also not very dissimilar
the difference therefore appears to lie only in the
nature of the products of combustion. In the
case of phosphorus this product appears as a solid
body, in the form of a dense white cloud (phos-
phoric acid) ;
in the case of hydrogen gas, the pro-
duct of combustion is invisible, because it is water
in a gaseous form —that is to say, steam.
This remark applies, with few exceptions, to all

combustion which takes place at very high tempe-

ratures. A flame which contains neither solid

matter as a product of combustion, nor yet a foreign

solid body in a state of incandescence, is, as a rule,
but little luminous, even when the temperature of
combustion is very high ;
therefore, at a similarly
high temperature, glowing solid or liquid bodies
emit far more light than gaseous substances do ;

the fewer solid particles there are in a flame the

less brilliant will be its light. The scarcely per-
ceptible flame of burning hydrogen gas will imme-
diately become luminous if any solid body be heated
in it to incandescence.
If a spiral of platinum wire be held in the flame,
it shines brightly; the glowing wire is clearly seen,
 THE LUMINOUS POWER OF FLAME. n

and conveys the impression that the light is not due

to thehydrogen flame, but to the glowing white-hot
metal. The heat generated by the chemical com-
bination of the hydrogen gas with the oxygen of
the air, renders the platinum incandescent, and it is

the glowing platinum wire, not the flame, which

emits the intense light.
If a grain of common salt be dropped into the dull

flame, it flashes up brightly with a yellow light.

The salt is dispersed into a million of the smallest
particles, all of which glowing in the flame can no
longer singly be distinguished : they thus give the
appearance to the hydrogen flame as if it shone of
itself. *

For the illustration of this point it is unnecessary

to make any artificial experiments, since the flame
of common gas, which, owing to its great brillianc}^,
is universally employed for domestic and other
uses, is well suited to the purpose. Coal gas is a
chemical compound of hydrogen gas and carbon,
though it is often contaminated to a more than
necessary extent with other substances.
Carbon, after oxygen certainly the most precious
of all substances, alike valuable in its crystal form
of diamond as in its dirty black form of coal, is

not distinguishable in common gas, for through its

combination with hydrogen it has lost its brilliant

* [This experiment is more satisfactorily made by the intro-

duction into the flame of a finely divided solid which is not de-
composed, as is the case with salt. Some of the light when salt

is employed is due to the luminous vapour of sodium.]

 ;

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
sparkle as well as its black colour, and it then
appears as a transparent gas, not indeed as an in-

dependent body, but in the most intimate chemical

combination with hydrogen, as carburetted hy-
drogen gas.
If this gas be ignited as it streams out of an
ordinary burner, in contact with the atmospheric
air, the greater part of its oxygen is taken up by
the hydrogen in the gas, and a considerable quan-
tity of carbon, for which there is not sufficient
oxygen present, is thrown down. Combustion takes
place almost entirely near the edge of the flame,
where it is in contact with the oxygen of the air ;
in

the middle, the gas is merely decomposed by the

heat of the combustion, and in this heat the very
finely-separated particles of carbon which have been
precipitated are in a state of brilliant incandescence.
It is to these glowing particles that the gas flame
owes its illuminating power. In order to see them,
it is only necessary to hold a cold substance, such
as a china saucer, in the brilliant part of the flame
the disengaged carbon covers the saucer in the
form of the finest soot.

The same thing occurs in the burning of tallow,

Stearine, oil, or petroleum ;
in the lighting of candles
or lamps the combustible substance is first decom-
posed, and then by the heat of combustion, com-
binations of carburetted hydrogen arise in the form
of gas. When the oxygen is insufficient, only a
small portion of carbon is immediately burnt, and
that at the edge of the flame, where a great deve-
 THE LUMINOUS POWER OF FLAME . 13

lopment of heat takes place; here the product of

combustion is a gas (carbonic acid), and therefore

the edge of the flame gives but little light ;

in the

inner part, however, where there is a want of oxygen,

the solid particles of carbon attain a white heat, and
only as they escape out of the flame burn by the
high temperature of the edge. It is, therefore, the
incandescent solid particles of carbon that give to
the flame its illuminating power.
Easy, therefore, as it is to give brilliancy to a non-
luminous flame, it is no less easy to deprive a bril-

liant gas flame of its luminosity ;

all that is required
is mix such a quantity of oxygen or atmospheric
to
air with thegas before it is burnt, that the oxygen
penetrates into the inner part of the flame, and
burns all the carbon present in the gas. When this

happens, the flame instantly ceases to be luminous,

and is found nearly under the same conditions as the
flame of pure hydrogen gas. With a sufficient quan-
tity of oxygen the combustion of the hydrogen, as
well as of the carbon, goes on with unusual rapidity
in all parts of the flame at once ;
the natural conse-
quence of this is that, on account of the incomparably
greater development of heat, the non-luminous gas
flame is much hotter than the luminous one ;
it is

now a heat-flame, and a source of heat instead of

light.

In opposition to these facts, there are others

which prove that the presence of solid particles in a
flame by no means necessary in order to give it
is

luminosity. Frankland has shown that when hy-

H SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

drogen is burnt in oxygen under a pressure gra-

dually increasing up to twenty atmospheres, the
feeble luminosity of the flame becomes gradually
augmented, until, at a pressure of ten atmospheres,
it is bright enough to allow of a newspaper being
read at the distance of two feet from the flame. A
similar increase of brilliancy is observed in the
combustion of carbonic oxide gas in oxygen under
pressure; and, under similar conditions, bisulphide of
carbon burns in oxygen, or in nitric oxide gas, with
an intense light, though no solid particles are
present in the flame. Frankland maintains, there-
fore, that the luminosity of a coal-gas flame is not
due to the presence of solid particles of incandes-
cent carbon, and that the soot deposited on a por-
celain saucer from a gas flame is not solid car-
bon, but a conglomerate of the densest light-giving
hydrocarbons. He has proved that the very clear
flame of coal gas is perfectly transparent, from the
fact that he sent the intense electric light through
such a flame on to a screen, without the least trace
being perceived of any solid incandescent particles
of carbon.
While Frankland considers the luminosity of the
flame to depend mainly on the density of the burning
gas, St. Claire Deville ascribes it chiefly to the
temperature of the combustion which is dependent
upon the density of the gas.
Whatever may be the cause of luminosity in an
incandescent body, this fact is certain, that incan-
descent, solid, and liquid bodies possess a much
 THE BUNSEN BURNER. !5

greater brilliancy, and emit a much more intense

light, than gases do when rendered luminous under
ordinary pressure, and that the luminous power of
gases increases in proportion to the pressure to
which they are subjected, by which their density
is increased, and they approach more nearly the
condition of fluids.

3. The Bunsen Burner.

The correctness of the foregoing statements may

be easily shown by a lamp of Bunsen’s construction
(Fig. 2), which is absolutely required in all re-

Fig. 2.

Bunsen’s Gas-burner.

searches with spectrum analysis. This burner causes

a rapid combustion of the particles of carbon in
coal gas, and so generates a high degree of heat,
and this is accomplished by allowing the gas which
i6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

enters the lower part of the lamp to mix plentifully

with atmospheric air before passing up the tube to
feed the burner. For this purpose, the lower cham-
ber S is perforated, so that the outer air enters
freely while the gas is burning. The gas takes up
here a sufficient quantity of air, and then rises with

it to the top of the tube a a .

The flame gives no light, but its heat is very

considerable ;
if the supply of outer air be inter-
cepted by closing with the fingers the openings to
the mixing chamber S, the flame immediately be-
comes luminous, and throws down particles of car-
bon in abundance, which was not the case before,
as no soot whatever is deposited on a china saucer
by the non-luminous heat flame.
If the burner be contrived, as is very desirable
when working with the spectroscope, so that the
entrance of air to the gas can be shut off at will,

either entirely or partially —which is easily effected

by turning round a perforated ring —then the same
burner serves to give alternately a luminous or a
heat flame. When the ring cuts off the supply of
air to the gas by closing the openings to the mixing
chamber, the flame shines brightly, like any ordinary
gas flame ;
when, on the contrary, the ring is turned
to allow the air to pass into the mixing chamber,
the luminosity ceases, and the flame becomes a heat
flame.
The heat of this flame is so intense that it is

capable of converting many substances which it may

be desirable to examine by spectrum analysis, into a
 THE BUNSEN BURNER. i7

gaseous condition, causing them to emit sufficient

light to yield a clearly perceptible spectrum. But a
far greater heat may be attained if the atmospheric
air, instead of being left to mix itself with the gas,

be forced in by means of a powerful blowpipe. A

contrivance of this kind is seen in the gas-blowpipe
(Fig. 3); the gas from the pipe G enters a wide

Fig 3.

Bunsen’s Gas-blowpipe.

tube a, which is closed at the lower end by a

stopcock, and is made to turn on a pivot round the
stand ;
the gas passes through, and escapes at the
further end. In the middle of this tube a runs a
second narrower tube b b, through which the atmo-
spheric air is forced into the stream of gas by means
of a bellows and an elastic tube. The gas flame
receives so much oxygen in this way, not only
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
round the edge, but also in the centre, that an
enormous quantity of heat is generated by the
complete combustion of the hydrogen and carbon.
Over the escape end, a tube slides up and down,
and partly by this means, and partly by the cocks,
the degree of heat in the flame can be regulated at
will. The greater the quantity of gas which can be
burnt in a given space, and the greater the energy
and the rapidity of the combustion, the greater
amount of heat evolved. For this
also will be the
reason, in the great laboratories, the atmospheric air
is forced by a special air-pump into a strong iron
receiver of the capacity of several quarts, where it

is subjected to a pressure of one and a half or two

atmospheres. If this compressed air be allowed to
escape along with a copious stream of gas from a
common tube, in the same manner as we have
just described, the flame becomes one of such
intense heat, owing to the rapid and complete com-
bustion of so large a quantity of carburetted hy-
drogen, that it has power to melt in a few minutes
considerable quantities of the least fusible metals,
as, for example, a couple of pounds of platinum. #

4. The Magnesium Light.

There are some substances, such as potassium,

sodium, etc., which have so great an affinity for

oxygen that they wrest it even out of its most inti-'

* [For the melting of platinum, air and hydrogen or oxygen

and coal gas should be used.]
 THE MAGNESIUM LIGHT. 19

mate combinations in order to form with it a new

substance, —a process accompanied by a develop-
ment of both light and heat. Among these sub-
stances, magnesium is especially distinguished for
the extraordinary amount of heat and light which
it thus produces. This metal is white like silver,

and of remarkable metallic brilliancy; it is very

light, but somewhat heavier than water, so that it

will not float upon its surface. When heated in the

air up to a certain temperature, it ignites, and burns,

at the expense of the atmospheric oxygen, with a
white and dazzling light on which, when near, the
eye cannot bear to look.
Magnesium burns with great rapidity, and the
solid product of combustion — solid incandescent
magnesia — emits a very intense light ;
it partly
rises in the air in the form of white smoke, and
partly falls as white powder to the ground. Though
the luminous power of the sun be 524 times greater
than that of the magnesium light, the activity of
its chemical rays is only about five times as great.
This light is therefore peculiarly adapted for the
photographic representation of objects which are
badly lighted, of works of art in dark palaces and
churches, of underground buildings, and of small
landscape pictures, such as representations of moon-
light, etc. It is well known that the Roman cata-
combs, and the dark tomb chambers in the interior

of the pyramids, have afforded fine photographic

pictures by the aid of the magnesium light.

Unfortunately, the price of this costly metal is

2 A
20 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
still high, and stands now at 20s. per ounce.* It

may be assumed that the ordinary magnesium wire

burns about one grain and a half in a minute, in
value about a halfpenny, and evolves a light which
in intensity is equal to seventy-four Stearine candles,
of which five go to the pound. From these expe-
rimental data it may easily be calculated that the
unit of light in the combustion of magnesium does
not cost much more than its equivalent in Stearine
candles.
For the magnesium light to be of practical use,

Fig. 4.

Grant and Solomon’s Magnesium Lamp.

the combustion must be under control, and the

light so arranged that its concentrated rays can be

* [The price in Hopkin and Williams’s (5, New Cavendish

Street, W.), catalogue is 12s. per ounce for magnesium in powder
for burning.]
 THE MAGNESIUM LIGHT. 21

thrown in any direction. The lamp constructed by

Grant and Solomon accomplishes this object with

tolerable success. It consists (Fig-. 4) of a clock

movement enclosed in a case, which when wound
up by the key c, and set in motion, turns two small
cylinders, placed one over the other. The mag-
nesium wire enters the case from a coil at 0, where
it passes between the cylinders, and is pushed for-

ward at a uniform speed through the small brass

tube p q The orifice q of this tube is in the focus
.

of a silvered concave mirror, so that when the wire

q is ignited, all its light is thrown forward ;

by
means of the handle b the lamp can be turned in

any direction.
The adjustable fan R serves to accelerate or re-
tard the speed of the clock ;
the works are set in
motion by pressing down the button a, and stopped
by pressing the button in the contrary direction.
In order to carry away rapidly the magnesia
formed by the burning magnesium, an artificial

draught is arranged, which, as the front of the lamp

is enclosed by a glass door, escapes into a chimney
above, through the space between it and the re-
flector, while the outer atmospheric air is allowed
a free entrance by an opening beneath. The mag-
nesium vapour rises up the chimney, and thus
the reflecting mirror, and the room in which the
combustion takes place, escape contamination from
the fumes. Another excellent lamp of this kind,

contrived by Professor Morton, of Philadelphia, is

represented in Fig. 5. The clockwork is placed at

22 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the lower part of the case at the back, above which

stand two reels of magnesium wire. In the front

part of the case are fixed the two cylinders through

which, by means of clockwork, the bands of mag-
nesium are pushed beneath the chimney towards
the opening in front, where they are ignited. The
atmospheric air is allowed a free entrance to the
place of combustion, both in front and at the sides,

Fig. 5.

Professor Morton’s Magnesium Lamp.

so that a powerful draught is created, by which the

fumes of magnesia are carried up the chimney.*
In the lower part of the chimney, below the light,

* [When the light of burning magnesium is observed spectro-

scopically, in addition to a brilliant continuous spectrum, the
bright lines of the vapour of magnesium are seen, and also other

lines which Huggins found in the light of magnesia heated in the

 THE OXYHYDROGEN FLAME. 23

work eccentric cutters, by which the ashes formed

by the combustion are removed from time to time.

Above the chimney is placed a bent tin tube of
from three to six feet in height, over which is
fastened a bag of gauze or muslin, which, without
presenting any perceptible hindrance to the current
of air, prevents the magnesia dust from escaping.
By this contrivance the light is preserved from the
prejudicial influence of the vapours ;
it exceeds in
brilliancy that of the lamp described above, and
burns with steadiness and regularity.
We have dwelt the longer on this light since
magnesium plays so important a part in spectrum
analysis ;
but the heat which its combustion gene-
rates cannot be used for volatilizing other substances
and rendering them luminous, as its brilliancy is so
great as to completely overpower their light. Under
these circumstances we must seek for a flame which,

with the least possible luminosity, shall yet evolve

sufficient heat to fuse most metals ;
such a flame
chemistry furnishes us in the oxyhydrogen blow-
pipe.

5. The Oxyhydrogen Flame.

In the Bunsen burner the combustion of coal gas

ensues slowly and incompletely: slowly, because the

oxyhydrogen flame, and which appear to belong to volatilized mag-

nesia. The light of magnesium burning in air seems to have a
threefold source, luminous vapour of magnesium, luminous vapour
of magnesia, but chiefly incandescent solid magnesia from the
combination of the metal with the oxygen of the air.]
24 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

hydrogen in combination with carbon is supplied

only in small quantities ;
incompletely, because the
gases are not mixed in due proportions, and the
nitrogen of the air presents a hindrance. If, on the
contrary, pure hydrogen gas be previously mixed
with as much pure oxygen as will ensure its com-
plete combustion (two volumes of hydrogen with
one of oxygen), oxyhydrogen gas is obtained, which
when ignited explodes with a fearful noise, and oc-
casions sometimes the destruction of the strongest
vessels. The heat evolved by this combustion is

the greatest which can at present be produced by

chemical means, and it is sufficient to accomplish the
fusion of substances which have borne unchanged
the action of the hottest furnaces.
To make use of the intense heat of this flame
without encountering the danger of an explosion,
the gases must not be mixed before ignition, nor
allowed to flow out of the same common reservoir,
as in that case the flame would spread into the
interior, and cause the ignition of the whole quan-
tity. It is necessary so to arrange the apparatus
that the gases shall reach the emission tube from
separate vessels, and be allowed to mix only imme-
diately before escaping from the burner.
The simplest arrangement of this kind is similar
to that of the gas-blowpipe in Fig. 3, but with this
difference, that the section of the two tubes should
bear more nearly the relation of two to one. The
gases are stored in two separate gas-bags* (Fig. 6),

* [More convenient than the bags, in which the gases can be

 THE OXYHYDROGEN FLAME. 25

whence they reach the lamp by means of pres-

sure. The outer wide tube of the lamp must be
placed in connection with the hydrogen reservoir,
and the inner narrow one with that containing oxy-
gen ;
both the tubes should be fitted with a fine
brass-wire netting, to prevent the flame retreating
into the inside, or the gas extending from one tube
to the other, from any cause, such as the diminution
of pressure in the reservoirs.
A very convenient arrangement for such an oxy-

Fig. 6.

Gas-bag for Oxygen or Hydrogen.

hydrogen lamp, or blowpipe, is made by fixing on

to a stand the burner C (Fig. 7), with its two tubes

S and W conveying oxygen and hydrogen, the
upper part of the tube C being inclined side-
ways, and so connected with its lower portion that

kept with safety but a very short time, are the wrought-iron ves-
sels which may be purchased of Mr. Ladd, Beak Street, London,
filled with the gases condensed to about twenty atmospheres.
These iron bottles contain sufficient gas to maintain an ordinary
oxyhydrogen light for from six to eight hours. They can be refilled

with condensed gas at a small expense.]

:6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
it can be turned in any direction. If a carrier be
connected to the piece E, which may be made to
approach the burner, and furnished at the end with
a contrivance for holding- things, such as a socket,
pincers, a small plate, etc. ;
and further, if a screw
with rackwork be so applied that the whole upper

Fig. 7.

Oxy hydrogen Blowpipe. (Drummond’s Lime-light.)

part E may be moved up and down,—we obtain

an apparatus which can be used for heat as well as
light, and which, on account of its being so easily
 THE OXYHYDROGEN FLAME . 27

manipulated, may be employed for many practical

purposes.
To produce the oxyhydrogen flame, it is necessary
to open first the cock W, and allow the hydrogen to
flow out for a few seconds before igniting it, that it

may expel the atmospheric air remaining in the

elastic tube ;
the hydrogen burns, under the pressure
of the weight lying upon the bag of gas (100 lb.), in
a long, faintly luminous flame. The oxygen cock
S may now be carefully opened, the entrance of —
;;he oxygen into the hydrogen flame being gene-

rally announced by a very faint explosion, and on —

gradually fully opening the tap the flame becomes
shorter and more pointed, until its luminosity almost
entirely ceases ;
if the excess of hydrogen gas be
now shut off by turning the cock W, there will be
immediately formed the small, pointed, non-lumin-
ous flame of the oxyhydrogen blowpipe.
It would carry us too far from our present pur-
pose were we to describe the range of wonderful
experiments in combustion which are made with
the oxyhydrogen blowpipe in the lecture-rooms of
chemists ; two of these will suffice to show the
powerful heat produced by this flame.
If a thick wire of platinum, a metal very difficult

to fuse, be held in the flame, it melts immediately

like wax. If a bundle of steel wires be placed in the
flame, the iron sputters about in a thousand bril-
liant sparks like a shower of fire, and great molten
drops of the glowing metal fall to the ground from
time to time, and run about in all directions.
28 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

6. Drummond’s Lime-light.
In order to make the oxyhydrogen flame a source
of intense light, a cylinder, D (Fig. 7), of well-
burnt lime is placed upon the socket of the lamp,
and the flame directed against its upper part it ;

begins at once to glow, and throws out a dazzling

light.

The oxyhydrogen light, or Drummond’s lime-light

as it is sometimes called, after its discoverer, attains
a still higher intensity, if a piece of magnesium or
zirconia be substituted for the cylinder of lime
an arrangement that has often been adopted in the

public illuminations in Paris. While the lime cylin-

der slowly consumes in the oxyhydrogen lamp, so
that fresh surfaces must be constantly presented to
the flame, the piece of zirconia does not waste, and
remains unchanged, in spite of the most intense
incandescence.*
As the heat as well as the light of the oxy-
hydrogen flame depends upon the quantity of the
burning gases, it is difficult to estimate the tempe-
rature with accuracy. In a lamp in which the
diameter of the outer tube (hydrogen) is four-

* [Huggins found in the spectrum of the light from lime placed

in the oxyhydrogen flame, bright lines similar to those which are
seen when chloride of calcium is heated in the flame of the
Bunsen burner, and which belong probably to volatilized lime, and
not to the vapour of calcium. These lines show that a portion
of the lime is volatilized by the heat. No lines were seen in the
spectrum when zirconia was employed ; this earth, therefore,
appears to be fixed at the temperature of the oxyhydrogen flame.]
 DRUMMONDS LIME-LIGHT. 29

tenths of an inch, and that of the inner one

(oxygen) one-fifth of an inch, the strength of the
light is at least equal to that of 180 Stearine
candles ;
the temperature at which platinum melts
is about 1,470° C. (2,678° Fahr.); but the heat of
this flame under ordinary pressure is estimated by
Bunsen to be 2,800° C. (5,070° Fahr.)* As the
oxyhydrogen light and the magnesium light are
employed in a variety of ways, not only in public —
illuminations, but also in theatrical displays, in the
exhibition of dissolving views, and in the gas
microscope, —so the non-luminous flame renders
important service to spectrum analysis on account
of its extraordinary heat, in which many sub-
stances may be rendered luminous in a state of
vapour.
The facility with which oxygen gas can now be
produced in large quantities, and the possibility of
employing ordinary coal gas in place of pure hydro-
gen gas combine to render the oxyhydrogen flame
a cheap mode of developing an extraordinary de-
gree of heat and light, easy and safe to manage,
and sufficient in most cases to exhibit, even to a

* [Pouillet gives 3,082° F. as the melting point of platinum.

By calculations founded upon the amount of heat ascertained by
Andrews and others to be emitted during the combustion of a
given weight of hydrogen, and the experiments of Regnault upon
the specific heat of oxygen, hydrogen, and steam, it has been
shown by Bunsen that the temperature of the oxyhydrogen flame
cannot exceed 14,580° F., but the actual flame-temperature, as
shown by the experiments of Deville and Bunsen, is probably
from 4,500° F. to 6,000° F.]
3° SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
large audience, the physical principles of spectrum
analysis, and its various methods of application.

7. The Electric Spark.

To attain, however, the greatest amount of heat
and light which can at present be produced, we
must leave the province of chemistry, with its pro-
cesses of combustion, and turn to that of elec-
tricity, where we are encountered by a host of

phenomena, accompanied by an intense degree of

light and heat.
When the electric spark flashes from the thunder-
cloud to the earth, it illuminates the country around
with a blinding light ;
it ignites and melts on its

way the least fusible materials ;

in lightning we
have the greatest heat and the most intense light

Fig. 8.

The Electric Spark.

which the powers of our earth are able in general

to produce. But we can make no use of this

* [The oxyhydrogen lamp is sufficient for the exhibition on a

screen of the coloured photographs of the drawings of spectra, but
when it is desired to exhibit the spectra of metals, the electric
lamp should be employed.]
 THE ELECTRIC SPARK. 3i

electric discharge ; we are scarcely even able to

escape its destructive influence, and to prescribe
to the lightning its appointed path from the cloud to
the earth. We must therefore, under such circum-
stances, confine ourselves to the electric discharge
as produced by artificial means.
Besides the well-known machines which excite
electricity through the friction of a glass disk, there
has been added of late a contrivance called an
induction machine, which yields a rich supply of
electric force, and gives a spark of intense bril-

liancy. In all electrical motors arranged for ex-

hibiting light, sparks are formed between two
metallic poles or pieces of wire (Fig. 8), which are
placed in contact with those parts of the machine
which collect the positive and negative electricity.

By the mutual attraction of the two electricities, and

the struggle for union, there ensues a tension of
electricity at the end of the metal poles when they
are separated from each other ;
if this be so strong
that the obstacle presented by the stratum of air
between the metallic conductors is overcome by it,
then the electricities are instantly united, and the
union takes place in that form of light and heat
which is called the electric spark.
The amount of heat thus generated depends upon
the degree of tension and the quantities of elec-
tricity by the union of which it is produced but in ;

most cases it is so great that small particles of the

metal poles are volatilized, and become luminous.
The glowing metallic vapour affects the colour of
32 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the spark, which therefore appears with various
kinds of light, according to the nature of the con-
ductors. These phenomena afford us, in aid of
our researches with spectrum analysis, a very
simple method of volatilizing and raising to a high

Fig. 9.

degree of luminosity most of the metals, and other

substances which are conductors of electricity. To
obtain the same result with liquids, it is only neces-
sary, as will hereafter be more fully described, to

place one of the metal poles in the liquid to be

 THE INDUCTION COIL .
33

examined, and to bring- the other sufficiently near

the surface for the spark to pass from it to the
liquid. By the heat of the spark a small portion
of the liquid is volatilized and made luminous.
If the spark supplied by these machines be insuf-
ficient, and a higher degree of heat be desired, an
intensifying apparatus, such as a Leyden jar, F, or
a condenser, must be placed between the two metal
conductors A, B (Fig. 9) the spark passes between
;

A and B only when the condenser has become

charged, and the heat evolved is in proportion to
the amount of electricity collected in the condenser.
Gases can also be made luminous by the electric

spark if enclosed in glass tubes and the spark sent

through them. The discharge then takes a dif-

ferent colour according to the nature of the gas : in

hydrogen gas it appears a purple-red — in chlorine,

green — in nitrogen, violet — in oxygen, white ;

but
this method is not advisable in general, because the
heat of the spark is insufficient at the ordinary pres-
sure to render a large quantity of gas luminous ;
it

will presently be seen how this object may be at-

tained by rarefying the gas.

8, The Induction Coil.

Among the most powerful motors of electricity is

that apparatus which by means of a comparatively

weak electric current acting on every part of a thin
wire many thousand feet in length, and completely
insulated, produces electric sparks of such length
and tension that they may bear comparison even
3
34 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
with lightning. The small instruments of this kind,
which are frequently employed in medical practice,
are known by the name of Induction Coils. Those
of larger size are called, after their inventor,
Ruhmkorff’s Induction Coils, and are now so con-
structed that with moderate dimensions they give
sparks from twelve to sixteen inches in length.
If a long strip of gummed paper be strewed with
copper filings and brought when dry in connection
with the poles of the induction coil, the current
runs over the whole path of the filings, and passes
from one particle to another with such rapidity
as to give to the chain of successive sparks the
appearance of one long stream of lightning. In
this way sparks can be formed of from twelve to
sixteen feet in length, which by their form, bril-
liancy, and loud report bear the closest resemblance
to lightning.
For most purposes of spectrum analysis, an induc-
tion coil of moderate strength is sufficient ;
the poles
are constructed of platinum, because this metal is

able to withstand the heat of the sparks which,

when the instrument is in operation, pass between
them with a loud crackling noise, and follow each
other in such quick succession that they appear as
one continuous stream of light of intense brilliancy.

As the induction coil, when once set to work, is

self-acting, it is much more suited to the require-

ments of spectrum analysis than those machines

which supply electricity only so long as their glass
disks are in revolution.
 LUMINOSITY OF GASES. 35

9. Luminosity of Gases ;
Geissler’s Tubes.

Experience has long shown that gases in a rare-

fied good conductors of electricity,

condition are
while they are without exception bad conductors
when in a state of greater density. At the time
when Bunsen and Kirchhoff first introduced spec-
trum analysis into science, it was known that in an
egg-shapedglassvessel (Fig. Fig. 10.

10) in which the air had been

rarefied by an ordinary air-

pump to a pressure of from

1
to - of an inch of mercury,
the electric current would
pass with the greatest readi-
ness, in the form of a lumi-
nous arch, between the metal
knobs enclosed in the air-
tight vessel, even when the
knobs were eight or ten in-

ches apart —an envelope of

blue light surrounding the
ball by which the negative
current entered, and a brush
of reddish light beingemitted
from the positive ball.

If small quantities of the Electric Egg.

vapours of certain sub-

stances, such as alcohol, phosphorus, or turpentine,
be introduced into the glass vessel before rarefy-
ing the air, the spray of light will not merely be
36 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

coloured according to the nature of these vapours,

but there will be also a series of dark stripes break-
ing crossways through the light, which therefore,
Fig. ii.
as it disperses from the metal knobs,
will no longer be continuous, but
be interrupted by dark strata.

The study of these phenomena

has been simplified and considerably
extended since Dr. Geissler, of Bonn,
by a new method of rarefying air

succeeded in producing a vacuum

in glass tubes, in which the gases
to be investigated could be enclosed
in a state of extreme attenuation,
and which, by means of two plati-
num wires soldered at the end of
the tubes, could be brought into
connection with the poles of an in-

duction coil.

These phenomena vary exceed-

ingly according to the form and
composition of the glass of which
each portion of the tube is com-
posed, but especially according to
the nature of the gas enclosed, and
its degree of tenuity. Fig. 1 1 shows
a compound Geissler’ s tube of this
kind when ;
in contact with the
poles of the induction coil, and the
Geissler’s Tube.
gas rendered luminous by the pas-
sage of the electric current, those portions of the
 LUMINOSITY OF GASES. 37

tube which are filled with rarefied atmospheric air,

or nitrogen, emit a beautiful red light ;

carbonic
acid and carburetted hydrogens give green and
white tints ;
in a dark room these tubes present a
splendid spectacle by the alternate Fig. i2.

strata of dark and brilliant parts, the

purity of the colours, and the variety

of forms into which the glass has
been manufactured.
Geissler’s tubes furnish a very con-
venient means for rendering any gas
luminous ;
but the intensity of the
light emitted by the gases when en-
closed in these tubes is for the most

part too small for the purposes of

spectrum analysis, for the spectrum
of such a tube can be examined only
when every other light is withdrawn.
Professor Pliicker, of Bonn, who
among the various scientific men dis-

tinguished for their labours in the

development of spectrum analysis
holds a foremost place, and whose
researches on the spectra of gases
are of the highest value, concen-
trated this faint light by causing
, ,
. . ,
Plücker’s Tube.
the electricity to pass through rare-
fied gas confined in a very small space, and this
he successfully accomplished by substituting very
narrow capillary tubes for the wider ones previously
used.
38 SPEC TR UM ANAL YSTS.
Let us examine a series of Plücker’s tubes as
prepared for the purposes of spectrum analysis.
The first of these is almost reduced to a vacuum
— at least the small amount of gas in it does not
produce a greater pressure than ~ of an inch of
mercury: the second tube (Fig. 12), where the
central portion a b is capillary, encloses extremely

rarefied hydrogen gas, the third nitrogen, the others

oxygen, chlorine, carbonic acid, and minute traces
of the vapours of iodine, sulphur, quicksilver, se-
lenium, etc. If these tubes be brought singly into

connection with an induction coil, in order that the

current may pass between the platinum wires A and
B, and render the gas enclosed luminous, the first

tube shows no appearance of light, although the

wires are barely separated of an inch, and the
spark could be discharged in air at the distance of
two or three inches. It therefore follows that the
electric current requires a material conductor for its
 ;

THE VOLTAIC ARC j THE. ELECTRIC LIGHT 39

transmission from one wire to the other, and that it

cannot pass where there is no trace of either gas

or vapour —that is to say, in vacuo. In the other
tubes, however, the light passes through the nar-
row portion a b with considerable intensity, and is

visible at some distance as a sharply defined line,

bearing a very decided colour peculiar to the
luminous gas. These tubes therefore supply a
means of rendering gases and vapours luminous
they emit under the influence of the electric current
a brilliant line of light which is well adapted for
observations of the spectrum of the enclosed gas.*

10. The Voltaic Arc ;

The Electric Light.

It will be well now to turn our attention for a

short time to that source of electricity which is able
to evolve the highest degree of heat with the most
intense light —namely, the voltaic arc, or the electric
light. When the poles, C, Z, of a powerful voltaic
battery, such as a Bunsen battery, of fifty or sixty
elements (Fig. 13), are connected by means of two
metal wires with two pieces of carbon, a ,
b (Fig.

14), and these brought into contact, the electricity

generated by the battery is discharged between
them through the carbon, which is nearly as good a
conductor as the metal. If these pieces of carbon
be pointed at the ends, an extraordinarily intense

* [For simply viewing the spectra of the gases in these tubes,

a spectroscope may be dispensed with. It is only necessary to
view the brilliant line of light through a prism held before the
eye.]
40 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

light is emitted on the passage of the current at the

points of contact, and they may be separated one
or two tenths of an inch without interrupting the
discharge.
If the copper wires K, Z, from the poles of the

Fig. 14.

battery, be connected with the metal rods A, B, in

which the carbon points a ,

b are fixed, the electric

current cannot break through the stratum of air

between these points so long as they are not in

contact, though this would easily be effected

were the electricity of high tension from an
 . —

THE VOLTAIC ARC j THE ELECTRIC LIGHT 41

electrical machine or an induction coil. If the

upper metal rod A, which carries the negative
carbon, be brought down so as to bring the two
points in contact, there starts out at the same
instant a bright point of light, which in proportion
as the poles are separated one-tenth of an inch or
more, increases in extent and power, filling a large
space with its brilliancy : the light is suddenly ex-
tinguished if the carbon points are still further
separated. If by pushing down the movable rod
A, the points are again brought into contact
reproducing the light —then separated a little, and
the machine left to itself, it will be seen after a
while, by the use of a dark glass, that the distance
between the points increases, and that their form is

constantly changing ;
after a short time the light
goes out of itself, because the distance between the
points has become so great that the electric current
can no longer overcome the resistance of the inter-

vening stratum of air.

It is not prudent to expose the eye to a near

inspection of this dazzling light, and dark glasses
prevent the delicate changes which are taking place
from being observed with sufficient distinctness ;
it

is therefore advisable, after the example of Le Roux,

to throw upon a white screen an enlarged image
of the glowing carbons by means of a magnifying
glass, when the appearance of the incandescent
carbons and the intervening arc of flame may be
observed from a distance without injury to the
eyes.
4 : SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
For this purpose the room must be darkened, and
a somewhat different arrangement employed for

holding the carbon points lamp A (Fig. 15).*

in the

This apparatus is provided, like a magic lantern,

with a lens, L, of suitable focal distance, placed
in front, and a concave reflecting mirror, S, behind ;

Fig. 15.

a diaphragm with different-sized holes is placed

before the lens, in which an opening of medium
size (about one-eighth of an inch) is selected, the
electric current allowed to enter, and the lens

* In the drawing, this is made to appear open at the side, to

show the arrangement of the carbon points 0 11 the lens Z, and ,

the reflector S. In reality, the lamp is shut close up after receiving

the carbon holder.
 THE VOLTAIC ARC j THE ELECTRIC LIGHT. 43

pushed backwards and forwards until the magnified

image of the carbon points is quite distinct on the
white paper screen P, placed about thirteen feet
Fig. 16.

The Carbon Points of the Electric Light. (Highly magnified.)

from the lamp. With this image (Fig. 16), in

which the carbon points are magnified one hundred

times, and made to appear the length of six feet,
44 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the slight changes going on in them can be easily
observed. It will be noticed at the first glance that
the intense light is emitted by the incandescent
carbon, and that the arc of flame flickering be-
tween the points —called the voltaic arc — is com-
paratively little luminous. It will be remarked also
that one of the carbon points begins to increase
at the expense of the other ;
that which first loses
its point and wastes the fastest, is always the one
which is in connection with the positive pole (the
carbon pole) of the battery. Very intensely bright
particles pass from time to time from the positive
to the negative carbon ;
little globules are to be
seen running about on the surface of the carbon
globules of melted silica, a substance always to be
found even in the purest carbon ;
these are the
enemies of the electric light, for they give by their
motion a certain irregularity to the arc of flame,
and as they are much less brilliant than the carbon,
they considerably abate the intensity of the light.
Should these globules, by their restless movements,
reach the hottest part of the points .where the
strongest light is emitted, their rapid motion is made
known by a hissing noise, but unfortunately also by
a sudden diminution of the light.
When the carbon points have become so separated
that the voltaic current has difficulty in passing, by
means of the incandescent particles, through the air

from one pole to the other, the strength of the

current suddenly diminishes, and in like proportion
the light begins to wane. This is at last extin-
 THE ELECTRIC LAMP. 45

guished, because the electric current can no longer

build itself a bridge out of the glowing particles, on
account of the distance, of perhaps half an inch, by
which the points are then separated.
It is evident from what has been stated that the
electric light is certainly very intense, but also very
uncertain, and that a special contrivance is required
to make the electric arc a source of continuous and
steady light. In order to adapt it to optical pur-
poses — such as projecting an image on a screen to
be seen by a number of spectators in the same way
as sun-light or Drummond’s lime-light is employed
—a further contrivance must be added, to ensure
the fixed position of the light by keeping the carbon
points not only at the same distance from each
other, but also in the same position relatively to
the lenses forming the image, notwithstanding the
continual consumption of the carbon.

ii. The Electric Lamp.

The ingenuity of scientific and practical men has
succeeded in overcoming most of these difficulties

by the construction of various kinds of apparatus

by which the point of light between the carbons
may be kept steadily in the same place for hours
together, provided the carbon employed be quite
pure, and the strength of the battery tolerably
uniform. But all these lamps, among which those
of Foucault and Serrin hold the first place, are ex-
tremely complicated, and require constant watching
46 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

while in use, on account of the extreme difficulty in

procuring carbon of the requisite purity and hard-
ness.

Fig. 17.

Foucault’s Electric Lamp.

The electric lamp constructed by Duboscq, ot

Paris, on Foucault’s plan (Fig. 17), is a masterpiece

of mechanism, and is in every way suitable for the
 THE ELECTRIC LAMP. 47

Combustion of metals and the exhibition of spectra.

Without entering into all its mechanical details, it

is sufficient here to remark that the works are regu-

lated by the magnetic power of the voltaic current
in such a way that, in proportion as the carbon
points are separated by the waste of combustion,
the carriers G and H are again made to approach.
The wires from the battery are connected with the
lamp by the binding screws y, z, and so arranged
that the current must pass through the coil of the
electro-magnet E, to reach the carbon holders G,
H. It is easy by means of the screw V so to regu-
late the armature, A, of the electro-magnet with
its spring r, that it shall remain drawn down when
the carbon points are at the proper distance, about
one-tenth of an inch : by the drawing down of the
armature, the rod K lays hold of a portion of the
wheel-work, and holds it still. When, in conse-
quence of the combustion of the carbon, the dis-
tance between the points increases, the strength of
the voltaic current diminishes, and the magnet E,
becoming weaker in the same proportion, lets loose
the armature, A, before the points have become so
far separated as to break the current. The rod K
by this movement is pushed aside, and sets the
clock-work free, which, beginning to act, pushes the
two racks G and / (which latter is movable up and
down the tube m ), carrying the holders, G and H,
at a different rate of motion in opposite directions,
so that the rod G, connected with the positive pole, is

moved nearly twice as fast upwards as the rod / is

48 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

sent downwards. The carbon points have scarcely

again approached, when the voltaic current and the
power of the electro-magnet are raised to their
original strength, the armature is and the
attracted,
clock-work stopped. By this mechanism the carbon
points can never be so far separated as to cause the
extinction of the light, for the holders are moved at
a rate proportional to that at which the waste of
carbon takes place —the lower positive carbon being
consumed twice as quickly as the upper negative
one — and therefore the light is not only made con-
tinuous by this mechanism, but is kept immovably
at one and the same place. By means of the screw
D, the racks G and l can be moved independently
of the clock, and by a third screw, to be found on
the opposite side of the instrument, the upper rack,
/, can be also moved by itself. In this way the
experimenter has the power, before applying the
electric current to the lamp, to place the arc of
light in that position in the apparatus which the
lens may require. The second function of the clock
is to separate, without the interference of the ex-
perimenter, the carbon points, which must be
brought into close contact in order that the voltaic
arc may be formed between them, and the carbon
attain its highest incandescence. The separation
is accomplished by the racks G and /, which before
moved forwards, being made to go backwards by
means of two connected cog-wheels, which can
work them in either direction, a contrivance which
helps to make the electric lamp one of the most
 *

THE ELECTRIC LAMP .

49

complicated but at the same time one of the most

ingenious and complete instruments employed in
the illustration of physical science.
The intensity of the heat and light from the vol-
taic arc depends upon certain circumstances, but
principally upon the amount of electricity generated,
and therefore on the number and nature of the ele-
ments employed, and on the purity of the carbon
points. With a medium-sized battery, consisting
of 50 or 60 of Bunsen’s or Grove’s elements, the
light varies from that of 400 to 1,000 Stearine
candles, according to the purity of the carbon points,
and their distance from one another. Fizeau and
Foucault have compared the chemical power of
the electric light with that of the sun, by means of
iodized silver plates, and found that the electric
light from a Bunsen battery of 46 elements could
be expressed by the number 235, supposing sun-
noon on an August day to be represented
light at
by 1,000.
The light from a Bunsen battery of 100 elements
produces much discomfort to the eyes ;
according
to Despretz, a single glance even with the naked
eye is sufficient when 600 elements are employed, to
occasion considerable injury to the eye, and a long-
continued headache. Even when only 60 elements
* [Mr. Ladd constructs a form of electric lamp specially adapted
for the exhibition of spectra. The lantern is provided with two
movable openings, by one of which the image of the voltaic arc
may be projected on the screen, and by the other the spectrum
of the light sent through one or more prisms may be thrown on
the same screen.]

4
5o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
are used, it is desirable to avoid looking directly at
the naked light, and to protect the eyes with deep
blue spectacles during the experiments.
We are now in possession of all the sources of
light and heat requisite for a complete exhibition of
the laws and phenomena which relate to the spec-
trum analysis of terrestrial substances and the
heavenly bodies. We shall employ in our illus-

trations, according to the nature of the subject,

sometimes the Bunsen burner, sometimes the oxy-
hydrogen or the Drummond light, sometimes the
induction coil and Geissler’s and Plücker’s tubes,
and also frequently the electric light. The phe-
nomena of spectrum analysis can be easily shown
with simple means to a small circle of spectators,
where every one can approach the apparatus and the
experimenter’s table ;
but their exhibition before a
large audience numbering many hundred persons,
requires extraordinary means of demonstration, and
the use of the strongest light and the most powerful
heat that can be produced by artificial means.
SPECTRUM ANALYSIS IN ITS APPLICATION
TO TERRESTRIAL SUBSTANCES.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS
IN ITS APPLICATION TO

TERRESTRIAL SUBSTANCES.

12. Light.

A LTHOUGH the theory of light

completely understood that we are able to
explain the most complicated optical phenomena,
is now so

yet an elementary reply to the question, What is the

nature of light ? still presents some difficulty. We
perceive the operation of this power of nature in all

directions and in the most manifold ways ;

the sun,
as it stands in full splendour in the heavens, pours
forth but a single tone of colour over the earth, and
yet the individual objects in the landscape appear
in the most varied and glorious tints. What then
are these colours? How are they developed out of
the white light which the sun and other luminous
bodies emit ?

We need not seek to avoid answering this ques-

tion we can succeed in giving a clear

if insight into
the phenomena of spectrum analysis ;
for we have
54 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
already intimated that the world of colour is the
peculiar province of this new method of investi-
gation.
The approaches to science are frequently ob-
structed by strange propositions, discouraging and
apparently contradictory, which seem to the unini-
tiated, like those ghosts that haunted the way by

which Dante and his heavenly guide descended to

the realms of the departed ;
with a little courage,
however, we may easily traverse this dreaded path,
seize hold of the harmless apparitions, and make
friends first with one and then with another as we
approach them.
We will therefore boldly grasp the proposed
inquiry : if the answer to it cannot be exhaustive,
it will at least contain material enough to incite
to further reflection, and perhaps also afford the
necessary basis for a more easy comprehension
of the elaborate theories which are enunciated in
physical treatises.
According to the theory generally received at
present, the whole universe is an immeasurable sea
of highly attenuated matter, imperceptible to the
senses, in which the heavenly bodies move with
scarcely any impediment. This fluid, which is called
ether ,
fills the whole of space — fills the intervals
between the heavenly bodies, as well as the pores *

* The hypothesis that atmospheric air in a condition of extreme

attenuation is to be placed room of ether, is yet too vague
in the

and too little supported by optical phenomena to be here enter-

tained.
 —

ANALOGY BETWEEN LIGHT AND SOUND. 55

or interstices between the atoms of a substance.

The smallest particles of this subtle matter are in
constant vibratory motion ;
when this motion is

communicated to the retina of the eye, it produces,

if the impression upon the nerves be sufficiently
strong, a sensation which we call light.

Every substance, therefore, which sets the ether

in powerful vibration is luminous ;

strong vibrations
are perceived as intense light, and weak vibrations
as faint light, but both of them proceed from the
luminous object at the extraordinary speed of
186,000 miles in a second, and they necessarily
diminish in strength in proportion as they spread
themselves over a greater space.
Light is not therefore a separate substance, but
only the vibration of a substance, which, according
to its various forms of motion, generates light, heat,
or electricity.

13. Analogy between Light and Sound.

This representation of the nature of light ceases
to be surprising when we come to compare the
vibrations of ether with those of atmospheric air,

and draw a parallel between light and sound

between the eye and the ear.

A string set in vibration causes a compression

and rarefaction of the surrounding air ;
in front of

it the air is pushed together and condensed ; be-

hind it the vacuum it creates is filled up by the
surrounding air, which thus becomes rarefied for
the moment. This periodic movement of the air is
56 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
transmitted to our ears at the rate of about 1,100
feet in a second it strikes against the tympanum,
;

and occasions by its further impulse on the auditory

nerves and brain, the sensation we call sound. Air
in motion, by its influence on the organs of hearing

is the cause of sound ether in motion, by its influ-

;

ence on the organs of sight is the cause of light.

Without air, or some other medium whereby the
vibration of bodies can be propagated to our ears,
no sound is possible. As a sonorous body throws
off no actual substance of sound, but only occasions
a vibration of the air, so a luminous body sends out
no substance of light, but only gives an impulse to
the ether, and sets it in vibration.

A musical sound, in contradistinction to mere

noise, is produced only when the impulses of
the air reach the ear at regular intervals ;
if the
intervals between the impulses are not sufficiently

regular, the ear is only conscious of a hissing, a

rushing, or a humming noise ;
a musical sound
requires perfect regularity in the succession of
impulses.
The pitch of a musical note depends on the num-
ber of impulses in a given time — as, for instance,

in a second ;
the greater the number of vibrations
in a second, the higher will be the note produced.
When the single impulses are fewer than 16 or
more than 40,000 in a second, the ear is no longer
sensible of a musical sound : in the first case it

either perceives only an undefined deep hum, or else

it distinguishes the individual strokes upon the tym-
 ANALOGY BETWEEN LIGHT AND SOUND. 57

panum and becomes sensible of them as distinct

blows ;
in the latter case there is an impression of a
sharp but equally indefinite shrill or hissing noise.
The limits of susceptibility of the ear for musical
sounds lie between 16 and 40,000 impulses per
second. The number of vibrations in a second
given by a normal tuning-fork was determined in

Fig. 18.

The Syren.

the year 1859 to be 435 in a temperature of 15 0 C.

(59° F.)*

* [The number of vibrations of a C tuning-fork is 512. The

deepest tone of orchestral instruments is the E of the double bass
with 41 1 vibrations. Some organs go as low as C
with 33 vibra-
tions, and some pianos may reach A
with 27J vibrations. In
height the pianoforte reaches to a ,v with 3*520. The highest note
of orchestra is probably d v of the piccolo flute with 4*752 vibra-
tions.]
58 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The truth of the foregoing statements may be

easily proved in the following manner. A disk of
zinc, A, Fig. 18, is fastened to an axis which can
be set in rapid rotation by means of a cord working
over a large wheel. The disk is perforated with
eight series, of holes placed along eight concentric
circles, of which only four are given in the drawing :

the holes are of the same size in each circle, and

at equal distances from each other, so that their
number increases in each ring from the centre to
the edge.
When the disk, by means of the large wheel, is

set in uniform motion at the rate of one revolution

in a second, and one circle of the holes is blown

upon with considerable force through a glass or

metal tube, B, a note is heard by blowing upon :

the next series higher, the note is of a higher

pitch ;
a lower set of holes gives, on the contrary, a
deeper note; so that if all the rings were blown
upon in succession from the lowest upwards, the
distinct notes of the complete octave would be
heard.
This apparatus has received the name of the
Syren ;
her “ notes are not indeed ensnaring, nor
does she threaten philosophers with the dangers
of the Homeric heroes by the seductive charm of
her voice ;
” on the contrary, she sings nothing but
truth, if only a willing ear be lent to her song.
What is it that here produces the sound ? The
mere revolution of the disk makes no noise the ;

motion of the air by the blowing through the tube

 ANALOGY BETWEEN LIGHT AND SOUND . 59

first elicits the notes. When by the rotation of the

bisk the current of air strikes against an opening,
it presses through it, pushing the air before it and
condensing it; this impulse reaches the ear at once,
and strikes upon the tympanum : the current of air
immediately afterwards comes against the solid part
between the holes, by which it is interrupted. If

the circle blown upon contain twenty-four openings,

the ear would receive twenty-four impulses at every
revolution of the disk ;
and if the disk made twenty
revolutions in a second, the ear would receive 20 x
24 — 480 impulses in the same interval. The out-
side circle has twice as many openings as the
innermost one ;
it therefore furnishes with the same
speed of rotation 20 x 48 = 960 impulses in a
second.
The ear cannot distinguish the individual im-
pulses when they exceed sixteen in a second the ;

impressions they then produce become blended to-

gether, the one following the other so instantly that
the sensation in the ear is that of one continuous
impulse or sound.
The of a note is thus seen to depend
pitch
entirely upon the number of successive impulses
following each other at the same uniform rate, its
strength upon the force of the impulse. With a
stronger blast, the pitch of the note remains un-
changed, but the tone becomes more piercing,
while if a ring containing a greater number of holes
be blown upon, the pitch rises till in the last circle,
with double the number of openings, the octave of
6o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the same note is heard that was given by the inner-
most circle.

It is true that the cause of sound is not the same

in all musical instruments ;
sometimes it is the
vibration of strings, or elastic prongs, sometimes
stretched membranes, or, again, columns of air

confined in tubes which create at regular periods

a condensation and rarefaction of the air ;
but in

Fig. 19.

Savart’s Toothed Wheel.

every case a note can only be produced by similar

impulses recurring at regular intervals, conveyed
by the air to the organs of hearing.
Savart exhibited the cause of sound in another
way which is not less instructive than the one just
described. Instead of the perforated disk, he made
use of a wheel provided with 600 teeth, which could
 ANALOGY BETWEEN LIGHT AND SOUND . 61

be set in very rapid rotation in the same manner as

the disk, and as the wheel revolved, the teeth were
allowed to press against the edge of a card. To
make this experiment it is only necessary to substi-
tute a toothed wheel for the perforated disk, as
shown in the apparatus in Fig. 19, and while the
wheel is in rapid revolution to hold a thin card or a
piece of pasteboard against its toothed edge. The
card is bent a little by each tooth as it goes by,
and springs back to its first position as soon as it

is released by the passing of the tooth : the motion

of the card is communicated to the surrounding
air, and reaches the ear in consequence of the re-

gular revolution of the wheel, in the form of waves

of air, or of condensations and rarefactions of the
air following each other at regular intervals.
When the wheel is turned slowly, there is heard
only a succession of taps, or isolated impulses of
the card, distinctly separable one from another,
which do not as yet unite to form a musical sound.
In proportion, however, as the rapidity of the rota-
tion is increased, the number of impulses increases
also, and they unite in the ear to produce musical
notes rising continually in pitch. A small recording
apparatus fixed to the axle of the toothed wheel
gives the number of revolutions in a second if this ;

number be multiplied by 600, the number of teeth

on the wheel, the result gives the number of con-
densations of air striking the ear in a second. It is

easy by this means to determine the number of

vibrations the ear receives in a second from a note
 62 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

of any given pitch, and thus to verify the results

obtained by the perforated disk.
It will now be easier to understand the motion
of ether, and its mode of operation on the organs
of sight. Ether as well as air can be set in regular
vibrations, and even in such a manner that the
phases of condensation and rarefaction are repeated
at regular periods of time. The difference between
the vibrations of the air and the ether is occasioned
by the remarkable delicacy and elasticity of the
latter, which not only permits a greater rapidity in

the propagation of motion than is possible with the

coarse and heavy particles of air, but also allows
the number of vibrations per second to be im-
mensely greater, so that their number has to be
reckoned by billions.

14. Analogy between Musical Sounds and

Colours.

Colours are to the eye what musical tones are to

the ear. A certain number of ether impulses in a
second against the retina of the eye are necessary
to produce the sensation of light : if the number
of these waves pass above or below a certain limit,
the eye is no longer sensible of them as light.

The first sensation of these vibrations on the part

of the eye commences
at about 450 billion impulses
and the eye ceases to perceive them
in a second,

when they have reached double this number, or

about 800 billion : in the first case the impression
 MUSICAL SOUNDS AND COLOURS. 63

produced is that of dark red, in the latter of deep

violet.

The greater the number of vibrations in any

given time, the more rapidly must the single im-
pulses succeed each other ;
it may be concluded,
therefore, that the different colours are only pro-
duced by the different degrees of rapidity with
which the ether vibrations recur, just as the various
notes in music depend upon the rapidity of the
succession of vibrations of air. The vibrations
which recur most slowly, —amounting, however,
to at least 450 billion in a second, —give the sen-
sation of red ;
those recurring more rapidly pro-
duce that of yellow ;
and if the rapidity with
which the impulses succeed each other continue to
increase, the sensation becomes in succession green,

blue, and violet, with which last colour the human

eye becomes insensible to the ether motion, which,
however, is still very far from having attained its

limit of rapidity.

The gradation of the colours from red through

yellow, green, and blue, to violet, is to the eye what
the gamut is to the ear ;
and it is therefore not
without reason that we speak of the tone and har-
mony of colour. To the physicist the words colour
and tone are only modes of expression for
different
similar and closely phenomena they express
allied ;

the perception of regular movements recurring in

equal periods of time, — in ether producing colours,
in air musical sounds ;
in the former instance by
means of the organs of sight, in the latter by the
64 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

organs of hearing, — movements of extreme rapidity

in ether, of more moderate speed in air.

But it will be asked what becomes of those

and below the
vibrations which are above limits of
and colour?
the eye’s sensibility to light Do they
wander about purposeless and unnoticed ? By no
means forces are proved to exist in the rays of the
:

sun, and other intensely luminous bodies, which can-

not be perceived by the eye. Those slower vibra-
tions which, though they are reckoned by billions
in a second, do not yet amount to 450 billion,

are made apparent to us in the sensation of heat,

which is also the result of oscillatory movement
radiant heat being, like light, propagated without
the aid of foreign bodies. Those vibrations, on the
other hand, which have a velocity greater than
that by which deep violet is produced — at which
colour the eye’s susceptibility to light ceases — re-

veal themselves by their powerful chemical action

they succeed each other too rapidly for the visual

nerves to be any longer conscious of the impulses,
but they have the power of working chemical
changes, and the decomposition of various sub-
stances can be undoubtedly traced to the agency of
these invisible rays. An English physicist has
succeeded in moderating the excessive velocity
of these vibrations by means of certain substances,
and in this way has brought some of the invisible
chemical rays within reach of the eye’s susceptibility. #

* [Fluorescent substances possess this property. The peculiar

blue light diffused from a perfectly colourless solution of sulphate

 :

MUSICAL SOUNDS AND COLOURS. 65

Dove describes, in his own ingenious manner, the

course of the vibrations as they produce succes-
sively sound, heat, and light, as follows
“ In the middle of a large darkened room let

us suppose a rod, set in vibration and connected

with a contrivance for continually augmenting the
speed of its vibrations. I enter the room at the
moment when the rod is vibrating four times in a
second. Neither eye nor ear tell me of the presence
of the rod, only the hand, which feels the strokes
when brought within their reach. The vibra-
tions become more rapid, till when they reach
the number of thirty-two in a second, # a deep
hum strikes my ear. The tone rises continually
in pitch, and passes through all the intervening
grades up to the highest, the shrillest note ;
then
all sinks again into the former grave-like silence.
While full of astonishment at what I have heard,
I feel suddenly (by the increased velocity of the

of quinine was observed by Sir John Herschel, and the coloured

light diffusedfrom various vegetable solutions and essential oils
was subsequently examined by Sir David Brewster. To Professor
Stokes, however, is due the true explanation of these phenomena ;
he showed that the blue light of the solution of quinine consists of

vibrations brought within the limits of the power of the eye which
were originally too rapid to be visible. If a fresh infusion of the
bark of the horse-chestnut be placed beyond the limits of the visible
spectrum of sunlight admitted through a slit into a dark room, it
becomes beautifully luminous, in consequence of the power which
it possesses to lower the invisible ultra-violet vibrations into light
which can affect the eye.]
* That is to say, the tympanum is pressed in sixteen times, and

sixteen times withdrawn ; therefore sixteen blows are received

upon the ear.
66 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
vibrating rod) an agreeable warmth as from a
fire diffusing itself from the spot whence the
sound had proceeded. Still all is dark. The
vibrations increase in rapidity, and a faint red
light begins to glimmer; it gradually brightens
till the rod assumes a vivid red glow, then it turns
to yellow, and changes through the whole range of
colours up to violet, when all again is swallowed up
in night. Thus nature speaks to the different senses
in succession at first a gentle word audible only
;

in immediate proximity, then a louder call from

an ever-increasing distance, till finally her voice is

borne on the wings of light from regions of im-

measurable space.”

15. Refraction of Light.

Light does not, like sound, require a ponderable
material for its propagation ;
it comes to us from
the remotest regions of space, and it penetrates the
vacuum we may create in our laboratories with the
greatest ease. But when light passes through a
stratum of air, through water or glass, a portion of
the ether motion appears to be destroyed absorbed ,

and this absorption is so much the greater, the

further the distance the light has to travel through
these bodies. Thus objects are seen with perfect
distinctness through a thin sheet of glass, while
through a thick piece they are less clearly visible,

and are sometimes almost obliterated.

So long as light passes through a completely

homogeneous medium possessing the same density
 REFRACTION 01 LIGHT. 67

throughout, it is transmitted in a straight line ;

but
it is quite otherwise when it passes from one medium
to another of different constitution; When, for
example, a ray of light coming through the air

strikes upon the surface of water, or upon a sheet

of glass, and afterwards passes through these denser
substances, it deviates from its straight course the
moment it touches the new medium, excepting only
when it falls perpendicularly to the surface sepa-
rating the two media.
This deviation of the ray of light from its

straight course is called refraction it occurs in

all cases where light passes obliquely from one

medium to another of different density or constitu-
tion. If a straight stick be held half in air and
half in water, the portion that is in the water does
not seem to be the straight continuation of the
upper part ;
the rod appears as if it were bent at the

surface of the water.

The laws of refraction can be deduced with strict
consistency and with mathematical precision from
the theory of light which has been already enun-
ciated ;
for our purpose, however, it will suffice to

consider in detail only the most important of them.

If, for example, the ray R I, Fig. 20, pass from the
air into water at I, it will pursue its path through
the water, not in continuation of the straight line
R I, therefore not in the direction of I R 1
,
but in
that of I S, which is nearer than I R 1
to the perpen-
dicular I O erected on the surface of the water at
the point I. The refracted ray I S remains in the
68 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
same plane R Q I formed by the incident ray R I

with the perpendicular Q, and I in this plane the

angle R O
I formed by the ray R I with the per-
pendicular QP in the rarer medium (air) is, with
very few exceptions, greater than the angle SIP
formed by the ray I S with the perpendicular Q P in
the denser medium (water, glass, etc.) On passing
from a rarer into a denser medium the ray is usually
bent towards the perpendicular in the denser medium;

Fig. 20.

Refraction.

and, conversely, on passing out again from the

denser into the rarer medium, it is bent from the
perpendicular.
The relative proportions of the two angles RIO
and SIP may be ascertained by describing a circle
with any radius from the point I, and letting fall
the perpendiculars T U and S P from the points
of intersection T and S upon the line Q P. These
perpendiculars are called the sines of the angle
 REFRA C TI ON OF LIGHT. 69

which they enclose ;

thus, T U is the sine of the
angle of incidence T I U, and S P is the sine of the
angle of refraction SIP, and the sines are subject
to the following universal law of refraction : For
the same two media the proportion of the sines of the
angles of incidence and refraction is a constant quantity ,

whatever the angle of incide 7ice.

This proportion (TU: S P) is, for example, for
air and water as 4 to 3, whence it follows that
at whatever angle the ray R I in the air may strike
the surface of the water, the refracted ray I S will

be so deflected that T U shall be to S P in the pro-

portion of 4 to 3. This invariable ratio between the

sines is called the index of refraction of the media.
The index of refraction for air and water is there-
fore expressed by 4 : 3, or more accurately by 1*34 ;

for air and glass by 3 : 2, or 1*53. As the index of

refraction varies according to the nature of the me-
dium, it will necessarily have a very unequal value
for different kinds of glass ;
it is, for example, for
air and crown glass 1*534, while for air and dense
flint glass it is 1 *645 ;
the refracting power, there-
fore, of flint glass is much greater than that of
crown glass under similar conditions.
If a ray of light, as S I in Fig. 2 1 ,
be transmitted
from the air through a medium, M M, with parallel
sides, — for example, through a plate of glass, — then
a simple construction deduced from the preceding law
will show that the incident ray S I will be diverted
at I towards the perpendicular I N, in the direction

I R ;
but that on its emergence from the glass at
7o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

R, it will again deviate to an equal amount from the

perpendicular RN 1
,
so that in whatever direction
the incident ray S I may fall, the emergent ray RF
always remains parallel to it. A spectator at F, on
the opposite side of the glass plate M M, would re-

ceive the incident ray S I in the direction R F, and

would see the luminous point S, whence the ray
S I emanated, in the direction R S 1
,
so that this
point would appear in a different place, S 1
,
to that
which it really occupies.

Path of the Rays through a Medium with Parallel Sides.

By the same principle can the daily phenomenon

be explained that in looking through a window,
though the rays pass from the air through the glass
before reaching the eye, the outside objects do not
appear either distorted or broken, as is the case with
the stick held in water. Refraction does, in fact,

occur in all those places where the line of sight is

not perpendicular to the pane of glass. The objects

 REFRACTION OF LIGHT. 7i

are, notwithstanding, free from distortion, because

the incident and emergent rays are parallel, though
they do not form continuous straight lines ;
conse-
quently, as the displacement of the rays is every
where the same, the objects appear through the
window in the same relative positions as when
viewed without the interposition of the glass. It

may be easily proved that the images of all

objects seen through a window pane are really

Fig. 22.

Refraction through Glass of Parallel Surfaces.

displaced, and appear in a different position from

the one they actually occupy, by comparing one
part of them seen through air alone with another
part seen through glass. As this displacement is

but small through thin glass, it will be well, in

making the experiment, to choose a piece of thick

A
glass, and always to look at the objects obliquely.
If a piece of thick glass, Fig. 22, be laid on any
drawing so as only to cover one half, in order that
one part may be seen through air and another
72 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

through glass, the displacement of the portion under

the glass will be seen clearly when the drawing is

looked at obliquely.
The refraction of light may be demonstrated to a
large audience in the following manner, by the use
of the oxyhydrogen light (Part L, p. 28). The oxy-
hydrogen lamp is placed in the same lantern which
was used for the representation of the electric light

Fig. 23.

Refraction exhibited on a Screen.

(Part L, Fig. 15). The rays emitted by the incan-

descent lime, K, are rendered parallel by the lens
L (Fig. 23) in the inside of the lantern, and in this

form they pass through the ring R, across which is

fixed a brass arrow. By means of another lens, L r ,

placed at the same height as the arrow, but at some

distance from it, an enlarged inverted image, P P,
of the arrow is obtained upon the screen, and the
 REFRACTION OF LIGHT. 73

image may be made perfectly distinct by adjusting

the lens.
A rectangular parallelopiped bar of glass, a a ,
is

then held against the arrow, so that the parallel

rays of light passing through the ring are per-
pendicular to the sides of the glass. No change is

perceived in the image of the arrow itself ;

only
the part where the glass bar depicts itself is some-
what less illuminated than the rest of the screen,
which is caused by the absorption of a portion of
the light in passing through the thick glass. It

may be concluded, therefore, that those rays of light

which passed through the glass, perpendicularly to
its sides, have not been diverted from their straight
course.
If, however, the glass bar be held obliquely
against the arrow, the rays of light proceed no
longer in a straight course between it and the
lens Lj, but are turned on one side, as may be
seen in the corresponding piece of. the image of
the arrow b, which appears displaced sideways from
the shaft.
The same phenomenon is seen if instead of an
opaque arrow, a disk, in which there is a narrow
vertical slit, be inserted in front of the lantern.
AB in Fig. 24 represents the enlarged image of
the slit upon the screen, a bright sharp line. If

the glass bar g be held flat against the disk, so

that the rays of light passing through the slit are
perpendicular to the surfaces of the glass, there
appears only a slight dimness in the corresponding
74 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
spot C of the image, in consequence of the partial
absorption of the light by the glass. If, however,
the glass be inclined against the slit, the correspond-
ing portion of the image is displaced to the right
or left, according to the inclination of the glass
bar, and the image of the slit appears broken. If

the experiment were repeated with a cube of glass

twice the thickness in place of the half-inch glass

Fig. 24.

Projection of the Slit, and Displacement of the Rays by Refraction.

bar, the absorption and displacement of the light

would be much more strikingly exhibited.

16. Refraction of Monochromatic Light by a

Prism.

Let us now consider what occurs when with two

media of unequal density, such as air and glass,
the outside surfaces of one of them, instead of
 MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT. 75

being- parallel, form an angle with each other, as,

for instance, in a three-sided glass prism, Fig. 25.
For the convenient handling of such a prism, so
that it may be turned about without the glass sur-
faces being touched, it is usually mounted on a brass
stand, as shown in Fig. 26, when the edges where
the surfaces unite can be placed at will in a
horizontal or vertical direction.
In order to follow the path of a ray of light

Fig. 25.

The Prism.

through a prism, let ABC, Fig. 27, represent the

section of a prism standing on its base, and let the
ray D e fall in the plane of the section upon the sur-
face A B. The ray on entering the glass is bent
towards the perpendicular fe in the direction eh.
After passing through the prism in a straight course,
it is again bent at h on emerging into the air, and is

permanently deflected from the perpendicular gh in

76 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the direction h E. The ray D e therefore takes the
direction DehE when a prism is interposed in its
path, while were the prism removed it would pursue
its original course along the straight line D Di.
It will thus be seen that the incident ray De is

deflected by the prism neither in a straight line nor

in a parallel direction : theory and experience have

Fig. 26.

both established that in every case the incident ray

is diverted from its original straight course in such
a manner that the emergent ray is bent towards
that surface of the prism (the base) through which
it does not pass. The edge A opposite the base
C B is called the refracting edge the solid angle
B A C formed at that point the refracting angle ; and
 MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT. 77

the angle formed by the emergent ray {h E) with

the course D D, of the incident ray is called the
angle of deviation, or angle of refraction.
Fig. 28 will illustrate this more clearly : the
incident ray S I passes through the prism after its

first refraction at I in the direction I E

becomes;
it

refracted a second tim$ as it emerges at E, and

then proceeds in the direction E R. In all the
three figures the dotted lines I N and EN 1
are
drawn perpendicular to the surfaces of the glass ;

Fig. 27.

Path of a Ray of Light through a Prism.

the ray is deflected in the denser medium of the

glass towards this perpendicular, while it is bent
away from it in the rarer medium of air, so that
the angle it makes with the perpendicular is always
greater in the air than in the glass. In the second
figure the incident ray S I passes unrefracted
through the prism in the direction I E, because
S I is perpendicular to the surface of the prism.
In the third figure the incident ray S I and the
emergent ray ER form the same angle with the
78 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
surfaces of the prism, in which position there occurs
the smallest divergence of the emergent ray ER
from the direction of the incident ray I S, and

Fig. 28.

Retraction of a Ray of Light by a Prism.

this is therefore called the position of Minimum

of deviation,
A luminous point is seen, as is well known, in
 MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT. 79

the direction in which the rays proceeding from it

reach the eye. If, therefore, the rays from a candle

(Fig. 29) are made to pass through a prism before

reaching the eye, and the prism so placed that the

Fig. 29.

Viewing Objects through a Prism.

rays are bent down towards the base, the eye sees
the flame in the direction of the emergent rays —
that is, in a higher position than it really occupies.

If, on the contrary, the prism be turned round so

8o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

that the base is uppermost, the rays of light will be

bent upwards, and the eye on receiving them will
see the flame in a lower position.

17. Refraction of the different Colours by

a Prism.

We have hitherto paid no attention to the nature

of a ray of light, and have therefore only made

Fig. 30.

Divergence of the different coloured Rays in passing through a Prism.

acquaintance with those phenomena of refraction

which are common to rays of every description.
Let us now consider the behaviour of the different
coloured rays in their passage through a prism.
For this purpose let a diaphragm in which is a
circular hole of about one-eighth of an inch in

diameter be placed immediately in front of the

lantern A, Fig. 30, and the aperture covered with
a thin piece of glass m, coloured red with oxide of
 REFRACTION OF COLOURS.

copper. By interposing- the lens L, a small red

circle A I?
the image of the aperture A, will be seen
immediately opposite on the screen S S. If the

glass prism npo be inserted in the path of the ray

between L and A 1? in the place indicated in the figure,

the red circle on the screen will move from A z

to R.
The light from A which fell upon the prism in the

direction AB is thus considerably diverted from its

straight course AA l9 so that the emergent ray C R

has moved further away from the edge n, where
the two refracting glass surfaces unite, ’

and has
approached the opposite surface p o, the base of the
prism.
If green light be examined by the interposition
of a green glass, the ray emerging near C no longer
falls upon the screen at R, but at the point G,
which lies still nearer the base of the prism p o,

from which it may be concluded that green light

diverges more than red does from the original
direction. If, finally, a violet glass be placed before
the aperture, the violet ray is yet more refracted by
its passage through the prism than the green was,
for it strikes the screen at V. This experiment
may be repeated with orange, yellow, blue, and
other coloured glass and it will be found that
;

the place of the image on the screen changes

with every colour, that the red light is the least,
and the violet the most refracted, and that the
refrangibility of the different colours continues to
increase from red through orange, yellow, green,
and blue to violet.
6
82 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
We are now able to tell beforehand what will
happen if a ray of light composed of several
colours be allowed to pass through a prism. The
individual colours will be separated by the first re-

fraction on entering the prism, and they will be much

more widely dispersed as they leave it ;
the incident
ray will be decomposed into as many colours as it

consists of, and each colour will follow its own

particular path from the first entrance of the light
into the prism. All the coloured rays can be dis-
tinguished one from another upon the screen, as
they group themselves according to the order
already given.
These simple experiments show that rays of light
of different colours possess different degrees of re-
frangibility; red light is not so much diverted from its

straight course by refraction as violet is: the former,

therefore, is less refrangible than the latter. This
different behaviour of red and violet light is, as is

clearly shown by the undulatory theory, a necessary

consequence of the unequal rapidity of the ether
vibrations, which we have already recognized as the
cause of the different colours. In red light the
number of vibrations striking the eye in a second
is about 450 billion, in violet 800 billion ;
as
deep and shrill musical sounds are propagated
in the same medium with the same rapidity, so
the different colours travel with the same ve-
locity. Jf the latter be taken at 42,000 German
geographical miles, or 316,365,000,000 milli-

metres in a second, the length of each wave

 REFRACTION OF COLOURS. 83

that is to say, the distance between two suc-

ceeding condensations of ether —of red light will be
0*000703 of a millimetre, and of violet light 0*000395
of a millimetre. * If, therefore, different coloured rays
pass from one medium to another — instance,
as, for

from air to glass, — the rays of shortest wave-length,

namely the violet, are more easily influenced by the
increased resistance which the glass offers to the
passage of the light, and are consequently more
refracted than those of greater wave-length, namely,
the blue, the green, the yellow, and the red rays.
As each colour has a length of wave peculiar to
itself, so also has it a particular degree of refrangi-
bility ;
and therefore a beam of light which is com-
posed of several coloured rays must be decomposed
by refraction into its individual colours, since each
single ray is deflected or refracted in a different
* [Professor Tyndall in his “ Notes on Light” gives the follow-
ing numbers :

“The length of a wave of mean red light is about i-39oooth

of an inch; that of a wave of mean violet light is about 1-57500^
of an inch. The velocity of light being taken at 192,000 miles in
a second, if we multiply this number by 39,000 we obtain the
number of waves of red light in 192,000 miles; the product is

474,439,600,000,000. All these waves enter the eye in a second.

In the same interval 699,000,000,000,000 waves of violet light
enter the eye.”
It must be remembered that the new determination of the value
of the solar parallax by the observations of Mars, which agrees
closely with the results of a rediression of the observations of
the transit of Venus by Mr. Stone and Professor Newcomb,
requires that the usually received velocity of light should be
reduced by about one-twenty-seventh part, and may be taken
at 185,000 miles per second. This velocity agrees nearly with
the result obtained by Foucault from direct experiment.]
6a
84 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
degree. The mingled rays of light travelling along
one common road, which appeared to the eye before
refraction as a light of one colour, are separated by
its agency according to their several degrees of re-
frangibility, and afterwards proceeding in distinct

paths they are distinguished by the eye as separate

colours.
When a monochromatic ray — red, for instance
passes through a prism, the amount of its dispersion
does not depend merely on the rapidity of the ether
vibrations, or length of wave, but is also consider-
ably influenced by the nature of the substance of
which the prism is composed, and the angle formed

by the two surfaces through which the light passes.

There is, under similar circumstances, a greater
amount of refraction in a prism of bisulphide of
carbon than in one of glass, and the refractive
power varies, as we have seen, with the kind of
glass of which the prism is formed. For the pur-
poses of spectrum analysis, prisms of dense flint
0
glass with an angle of from 4 to 6o° are generally
employed but if the highly refractive properties of
;

the substance, bisulphide of carbon, be required, it

will be necessary to make use of a hollow prism (Fig.

31), formed of plane pieces of plate glass cemented
together, in which the liquid may be held.
The question now presents itself as to how colour-
less, that is to say white light, is affected by its

passage through a prism. It is well known that the

light coming to us from the sun at noon in a clear
sky is called pure white light. This light, however,
 THE SOLAR SPECTRUM.
is not always at our disposal, least of all in a pub-
lic lecture-room ;
we will therefore, before entering
upon any experiments with artificial light, briefly

review the results obtained by the prismatic analysis

of the light of the sun.

1 . The Solar Spectrum.

If a ray of sunshine be allowed to pass through
a small round hole in the window shutter of a dark-
ened room, as is shown in Fig. 32, there will appear
a round white spot of light, exactly in the direction

Fig. 31.

Prism of Bisulphide of Carbon.

of the ray, upon a screen placed opposite the open-

ing, as will be seen indicated by the dotted lines
in the figure. A very different appearance will be
presented if the ray of light be made to fall upon a
prism. The ray is at once deflected from its straight
course upwards, that is to say, towards the base of
the prism, and away from the sharp edge of the
refracting surfaces, which, as represented in the
drawing, are turned downwards : on its emergence
86 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

from the prism it no longer remains one single ray,

as it entered the window shutter, but is separated
into very many single-coloured rays, which as they
continue to diverge, form upon the screen an elon-
gated band of brilliant colours, instead of the former
round white image of the sun. In this brilliant

Fig. 32.

Exhibition of the Solar Spectrum.

band the individual colours blend gradually one into

the other, beginning at that end lying nearest the
direction of the incident ray (the lowest end in the
figure), with the least refrangible colour, a dark and

very beautiful red ;

this passes imperceptibly into
orange, and orange again into bright yellow ;
a
 THE SOLAR SPECTRUM. 87

pure green succeeds, which is shaded off into a

brilliant blue, and this gives place to a rich deep
indigo ;
a delicate purple leads finally to a soft
violet, by which the range of the visible rays is

terminated. A faint picture of this magnificent

solar image is given in No. i of the Frontis-
piece ;
this is called the Spectrum .* In the above-
mentioned colours of the solar spectrum the eye
discerns numberless gradations, which pass imper-
ceptibly from one to another ;
and since language
does not suffice to give separate names to each of
these, we must content ourselves with designating
only the seven principal groups, which are known
as the colours of the spectrum.
This experiment furnishes conclusive evidence
that white light is not simple and indivisible, but

composed of innumerable coloured rays, each of

which possesses its own peculiar degree of refrangi-
bility, and therefore, on refraction, pursues a sepa-

rate path. The prism analyses white light ;

the
result is the separation of all the coloured rays of
which it is composed, and the consequent formation
of the coloured image called the Spectrum.
The decomposition of sunlight by refraction is
shown in various phenomena known to the ancients
as well as ourselves, though they were not able, as
we are, to trace them back to their true cause. The
rainbow, with its pure but delicate colours, the
sparkle of the cut jewel in its brilliant flashes,

* Of the dark lines represented in this plate we shall not have

dccasion to speak till we reach Part III.
88 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the play of colour emitted by cut glass, and the
prismatic facets of crystal lustres as the sun shines
upon them, the glow of the clouds and high moun-
tain peaks in the various coloured light of the rising
and setting sun, — all these effects are occasioned
by the decomposition of white light by its refraction
on passing through glass in a prismatic form,
through drops of liquid, or through vapour.
The colours of the solar spectrum possess a
purity and brilliancy to be met with nowhere else
they are all perfectly indivisible, and cannot be
further decomposed, as may be easily proved on
attempting to analyse a coloured ray by means of a
second prism. If a small round hole be made in

the screen in any portion of the image of the

spectrum, the extreme red, for instance (Fig. 28),
a red ray passes through it, and appears upon
the opposite wall as a round spot of red light,
precisely in the same direction as the red rays left
the prism on the other side of the screen. If a
second prism be interposed in the path -of the ray
that has passed through the screen, the ray will suffer
a second refraction, and the image be thrown upon
another place (higher up in the figure) on the wall
this new image, however, is simply red, like the
incident ray, and by a careful adjustment of the
prism shows no elongation, but appears perfectly
round. Fig. 33 shows this phenomenon with the
central colour of the spectrum. The ray falling
on the prism s is decomposed into a coloured
spectrum at A B, and a small pencil of these
 THE SOLAR SPECTRTM.

coloured rays will not be further decomposed by

the second prism /, but only diverted. The same
thing occurs with all the colours of the spectrum
without a single exception, which proves that the
colours separated by the prism are not capable
of further decomposition, and are therefore in-

divisible and homogeneous.

The decomposition of white light into its coloured
rays is called dispersion ; the dispersion of light is

therefore to be clearly distinguished from refraction .

The latter, as we have seen, varies in amount with

Fig. 33.

Indivisibility of the Pure Colours of the Spectrum.

every kind of colour; it is greatest in the violet,

and smallest in the red rays. The amount of dis-
persion, to which we shall again refer in a closer
analysis of the solar light, is determined by the
length of the spectrum, or, in other words, the dis-
tance between the extreme red and violet rays. As
the nature of the refractive substance of a prism
— for example, the kind of glass of which it is

made — and its refracting angle each exert an in-

upon the amount of refraction, in a similar

fluence
manner do the same conditions also affect the
9o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

amount of dispersion, or the length of the spec-

trum ;
it may, however, be remarked here that
refraction and dispersion are not increased or
diminished in equal proportions.
The different colours are not present in the solar
spectrum in the same proportions, and consequently
they assume very unequal lengths in the spectrum.
If the whole length of the solar spectrum be divided
into ioo equal parts, the proportions of the colours
will be as follows: red 12, orange 7, yellow 13,
green 17, blue 17, indigo 11, and violet 23.
The unequal brilliancy of the different colours of

the spectrum is apparent even to a superficial ob-

server, and Fraunhofer found by careful measure-
ments that if the greatest intensity of light which
lies between yellow and green were expressed by

1000, the light of orange would amount to 640,

the middle red to 94, the outer red to only 32, the
green to 480, blue to 170, between blue and violet
to 3 1 ,
and violet only to 6.

19. The Spectra of the Lime-light and the

Electric Light.
In the absence of sunlight, Drummond’s lime-
light (Part L, p. 28) may be analysed by a prism in

the following manner. Let the lantern L (Fig. 34),

which has been already described, be placed on a

table T T, 5 feet long and 16 inches wide, turning
on a pedestal F, and the lime-light lamp introduced,
which is inserted a diaphragm d, provided
in front of

with a contrivance for allowing the light to pass out

Lime-Light.

the

of

Spectrum

the

of

Projection
92 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

of the lantern through a narrow slit. Opposite the

lantern, at a distance of 12 or 15 feet, place two
paper screens S S x,
8 feet square, inclined to each
other at a wide angle ;
let the lime cylinders
then be raised to incandescence by means of
the oxyhydrogen gas, the room be completely
darkened, and the table TT so turned that the
tube d of the lantern be perpendicular to one of
the screens (S). Then let a double convex lens /,

of 4 inches diameter, and about 12 inches focus, be

placed between the slit d and the screen S, at
a distance of about 1 2 inches from the slit, so
as to throw the rays issuing from the slit upon the
screen S in the form of a sharp and magnified
image, d% of the slit d. Close behind this lens
/, a flint-glass prism P of 6o°, 2\ inches high and
2 inches broad, must be placed in the direct path
of the rays,* when there will instantly appear on
the second screen S a magnificent spectrum, about
x

3 feet long and 16 inches wide, exhibiting the whole

range of colours as shown in No. 1, Frontispiece.
Owing to the distance of the screen, the spectrum
is displaced very considerably from the spot d 1
,

where the rays fell when unbroken by the prism ;

the red lies nearest to that straight line, the violet

is the furthest removed from it ;
the former is

therefore the least refracted, and the latter the most

so. The individual colours succeed each other

* This position of the prism is the most advantageous, because

the loss of light is least ;
the spectrum would be nearly as good
if the prism were moved n or 12 inches from the lens.
 LIME-LIGHT AND ELECTRIC LIGHT. 93

without the slightest interruption ;

their limits are
not sharply defined, they rather blend gradually one
into the other, and thus form an unbroken, or con-
tinuous spectrum.
As the lantern L may obstruct the view of the
screen S, to some of the spectators, the top of the
table TT can be turned upon its pedestal F, so as
to throw the spectrum upon the screen S. Instead
of turning the table, the coloured rays as they leave
the prism p might be received upon a flat mirror,
and thrown by reflection on to the second screen ;

but the spectrum would lose in intensity by this

reflection, inasmuch as a reflected image is always

fainter than the object. The table might even be
turned further round still, and the prism be directed
towards the spectators, when the rays could be
thrown by means of the mirror to any part of the
room.
In order to obtain a pure spectrum, the width of
the slit must not exceed one-sixteenth of an inch ;

were it widened, the spectrum would greatly in-

crease in splendour and brilliancy, but it would be

perceived on a careful examination that the colours
in the middle were neither so pure nor so clearly
separated one from another as before, and that in

the centre the light had become almost white.

Instead of the spectrum being received upon the
side of the paper screen fronting the audience, and
reflected thence so as to be visible to the spectators,
a transparent screen may be advantageously used,
behind which is placed the lamp. By this means the
 *

94 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

screen is visible without interruption from the lantern

or experimenter, and every arrangement much sim-
plified. A very suitable material for such a screen
is thin tracing-paper, which may be had about two
yards wide of any length, or fine white muslin sewn
together in breadths, and made transparent by
damping before each experiment. By fastening the
screen to a roller, it may be easily moved out of the
way when the attention of the audience is to be
directed to the lantern or prism.
The spectrum of the electric light may be thrown
upon the screen in the same manner as that de-
scribed for Drummond’s lime-light. The electric

lamp, as described before (Part I., p. 46), is substi-

tuted for the oxyhydrogen gas lamp in the lantern,

Fig. 35 and the two adjustable carbon points con-

;

nected by copper wires with an electric battery of

50 Bunsen’s or Grove’s large elements. As soon
as the current passes through the carbon poles, the
electric arc is formed, and the white light pour-
ing through the slit produces by means of the lens
/ (Fig. 34), a well-defined image of the slit upon the
screen. If the flint-glass prism p be again placed
in the path of the rays behind the lens, the wonder-
fully beautiful spectrum of the electric light appears
thrown sideways on the screen, in place of the
white image of the slit. By slightly increasing the
width of the slit, the spectrum gains considerably in

* The electric lamp and lantern represented in the drawing is

constructed by Browning especially for this purpose, and is much

simpler and cheaper than that by Duboscq.
 LIME-LIGHT AND ELECTRIC LIGHT. 95

brilliancy, and the colours are so clear and brilliant

that the spectrum would still be bright, were the

light spread over a surface even two or three times

as large. It will be desirable to enter somewhat
further into this experiment, because practically
it is often necessary to produce a great dispersion
of light, and thus obtain a very extended spectrum,
in order that its various details may be examined
with sufficient minuteness.
Fig. 35.

Browning’s Electric Lamp.

For this purpose the flint glass prism is replaced

by one of bisulphide of carbon (Fig. 35), which
produces a spectrum of the same breadth but of
almost double the length of the former one. Im-
mediately in front of this prism p (Fig. 36) is

placed the prism of flint glass p x,

so arranged as to
throw the rays upon the second prism p in a manner
similar to that in which it had itself received the
light from the lens (the prisms forming an angle
of about ioo° with each other) ;
in this way the
spectrum is extended to the length of about eight
96 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

feet, and diverted more than 90° to one side the :

colours, however, though still very visible, and

easily distinguishable one from another, have yet
lost much of their original brilliancy. A com-
bination of two prisms of bisulphide of carbon
would extend the spectrum still further, but the
brightness would be diminished in the same pro-
portion.
Fig. 36.

In many scientific investigations, not merely two,

but sometimes four and even as many as eight
0
prisms, with angles varying from 45 to 6o° are
employed, according to the strength of the light.

20. Recombination of the Colours of the

Spectrum.

If white light be actually composed of the colours

contained in the spectrum, then the recombination
 LIME-LIGHT AND ELECTRIC LIGHT. 97

of the same colours must reproduce white light.

The simplest method of collecting several rays of
light into one point is by a convex lens or a
burning-glass. If the sun’s rays fall perpendicularly
on such a glass, the refraction they suffer in their
passage through it causes them to converge to one
point —the focus. To accomplish by this means
the recombination of the coloured rays of the
spectrum of the electric light, a cylindrical lens
Fig. 37.

Recombination of the Colours of the Spectrum.

must be interposed between the prism and the

screen on which the spectrum of the small line of
light issuing from the slit is extended to a length
of some six feet : this lens is a convex lens of
peculiar form, which possesses the property of re-
combining in a point all the rays issuing from each
point of the line of light passing through the slit

after dispersion by the prism, and therefore of

7
98 . ... spectrum analysis, . .

representing the whole of the rays of that short

line of light again as a small line. When/there-
fore, this, lens ;
(Fig. 37) is placed at a proper
distance behind the prism, the colours of the
spectrum disappear from the screen, and are re-

placed by a short line of light, some few inches in

breadth, white in the middle and slightly coloured

at the edges. As this colour indicates that the large
screen is not in the focus of. the lens, a smaller one
is upon which the image ap-
placed nearer to it,

pears as a purely white, very narrow line of light,

in which all the coloured rays issuing from the
prism have been recombined, and the white light
reproduced out of which they originated.

21 . Influence of the Width of Slit on the

Purity of the Spectrum.
The spectrum of white light is the richer and
purer in colour the narrower the slit is made : the
truth of this statement will be easily proved by the
following considerations. The ray of white light
aa T
(Fig. 38), falling on the prism P from the
extreme end a of the slit a b, produces a complete
spectrum r v, which contains between r and v, or red
and violet, all the colours of the spectrum. In the
same manner the ray b b l9 proceeding from the other
end of the slit b , exhibits also a complete spectrum,
r z
v\, with all its colours. Between these two ends
a and b are many other points, emitting light,
which increase in number according to the width of
the slit ; out of these let us select for consideration
 INFLUENCE OF WIDTH OL SLIT ON SPECTRUM. 99.

the point c, the ray from, which c c forms another x

spectrum, r2 v.2 , between the two outer spectra, rv

and r vx which
z ,
it is evident falls partly over the
two other spectra between the two points r2 v2 *

While in the portions v v2 ,

r2 there are parts of
the pure spectra formed by the rays a a and x
b b x1

there are to be found in the portions v2 r2 of the

compound spectra v rx the superposed colours due
to the whole slit, and their colours being no longer
Fig. 38.

Influence of the Width of Slit on the Purity of the Spectrum.

separately distinguishable, produce on the eye the

impression of a confusion of tints.. The spectrum
of white light, therefore, emitted through a wide slit

is only pure or of one colour at the extreme ends,

in the red and in the violet rays ;
in the middle
a mingled light prevails, composed of all possible
groups of rays, and which, therefore, might be
decomposed afresh into its, constituent parts by a
second prism. , ,

. On this. account it is important to pay the greatest

IOO SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

attention to the width of the slit in all practical

applications of spectrum analysis : as a rule, it

should never be wider than the intensity of the

light to be examined absolutely requires. The
contrivances for the regulation of the width of
slit are mostly very simple ;
the purity of the
spectrum, however, is not merely affected by the
width of the slit, but also by the smoothness of
its edges, since a few particles of dust even on
the edges of the slit are sufficient to produce a
number of dark streaks along the whole length of
the spectrum, which greatly impede observation.

22 . The Continuous Spectra of Solid and

Liquid Bodies.
When the carbon points used for the production
of the electric light are carefully prepared, and
completely free from all extraneous substances, the
light is purely white, being emitted exclusively by
solid particles of carbon in a state of incandescence.
The spectrum of this light is, therefore, con-
tinuous, like that of incandescent lime ;
it is un-
broken by gaps in the colours, by sudden
or
transitions from one colour to another, and is un-
interrupted by either dark or bright bands.
All other incandescent bodies, whether solid or
liquid, give a similar spectrum, the colours being
distributed in the order represented in the Frontis-
piece, No. i. If, instead of the lime-light, the mag-
nesium light (§ 4), the light of an incandescent
platinum wire, or the flame of coal gas in which
 SPECTRA OF VAPOURS AND GASES. IOI

light is produced by incandescent particles of car-

bon, be analysed by the prism, continuous spectra
are always obtained, but with this difference, that
the various groups of colour are not always dis-
tributed in exactly the same proportion in each
individual spectrum ;
and therefore, according to
the kind of light employed, sometimes red, some-
times yellow, and sometimes violet predominates.
Only in very rare instances do incandescent solid
substances emit with any pre-eminent strength an
isolated set of coloured rays, as is the case with
the very rare substance, Erbia. It may therefore
be considered that, as a rule, where there is a con-
tinuous spectrum without gaps ,
and containing every
shade of colour, the light is derivedfrom an incandescent
solid or liquid body .

23. The Spectra of Vapours and Gases.

Very different spectra are obtained when the
source of light is not an incandescent solid or liquid
body, but a vapour or a gas in a glowing state.
Instead of a continuous succession of colours, the
spectrum then exhibits a series of distinct bright
coloured bands, separated one from another by dark
spaces.
As gases and vapours in a luminous state emit
much less light than do solid bodies, the exhibition
of their spectra on a screen before a large audience
is restricted to those substances which give by their
volatilization in the oxyhydrogen flame, or electric

lamp, a luminous vapour of sufficient brilliancy to

1,02 „t;
•' 1

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

form a spectrum clearly visible at some distance,

notwithstanding the distance of the screen from the
slit, and the loss of light by its passage through the
lens and the thick prism. For this purpose, the
vapours of copper, zinc, brass, silver, cadmium,
sodium, thallium, etc., are particularly suited.
Although the oxyhydrogen flame is adapted for

these experiments, inasmuch as it emits scarcely

any light, yet the electric lamp is much more suited
to the purpose, because it generates a far greater
degree of heat, therefore volatilizes more rapidly
the above-named substances, and brings them to
a higher state of luminosity. In order to exhibit
these spectra, the apparatus described in § 19,
and drawn in Fig. 35, is employed ;
the lower
carbon pole of the lamp is replaced by a half-inch
cylinder, u Fig.
, 39, of pure carbon, the upper end
of which is slightly hollowed, and it is fixed pre-
cisely in the focus of the lantern lens. In the
hollowed end of the carbon is laid a piece of zinc

the size of a pea, and the upper pole, 0, is brought

down until it comes in contact with it, when the
electric current instantly passes through the carbon,
and the intense heat produced quickly volatilizes the
zinc. If the upper carbon pole 0 be now withdrawn

to form an arc of flame, and it be raised somewhat

higher than was the case during the former experi-
ment, so that the carbon may glow less, and the
light be almost exclusively that of the luminous
zinc vapour, there will be seen on the screen, not
the spectrum of incandescent zinc, but that of the
 SPECTRA OF VAPOURS AND GASES. 103

vapour of zinc which constitutes the arc of light

seen between the carbon poles. It will be at once

perceived that this spectrum differs essentially from

the continuous spectrum already described ;
it con-
sists, in fact, of only one red band and three very
beautiful bright blue bands. The faintly coloured
band which forms as it were a background to these
bright stripes, is due to the glowing carbon, some
of the white light of which reaches the screen on ;

Fig. 39.

Volatilization of Metals in the Electric Light.

opening the lantern, the zinc vapour is seen rising

in the form of a blue cloud.
The carbon which has become contaminated by
the zinc may be replaced by a fresh cylinder,
in the cavity of which is laid a piece of copper,

and the electric current again allowed to pass

a spectrum of quite another kind appears on the
screen, consisting of three bright bands which were
not present in the zinc spectrum, while the red and
104 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

blue stripes which characterized the latter have

disappeared.
Instead of the carbon cylinders, thick rods or
wires of zinc, copper, etc., may be employed : the
spectra are then more decided and brilliant, but are
very evanescent, lasting- only for a moment, because
the metals burn away the instant there is contact,
and the electric current is then interrupted.

The inquiry now suggests itself whether the

ether waves which produce the colours in the
spectra of zinc and copper would suffer any reci-
procal interference were the same experiment to be
made with brass, a substance composed of zinc
and copper or whether each material in this alloy
;

would emit independently its own peculiar colours,

so that the spectrum of the compound substance
would consist of the superposed spectra of the com-
ponent metals ? In order to obtain an answer to
this question, it is only necessary to lay a piece of
brass in the cavity of a fresh cylinder of carbon,
and apply the electric current. A magnificent
spectrum meets the eye, in which can be recognized
at once not only the red line and three bright blue
bands of the zinc, but also the three green bands
of the copper. The rays from the volatilized con-
stituents of an alloy do not therefore interfere with
each other ;
each vapour, even when in combination
with other vapours, emits its own system of coloured
rays, which in passing through a prism separate
from one another in consequence of their unequal
refrangibility, and appear as a system of disunited
 SPECTRA OF VAPOURS AND GASES. 105

columnar bands, forming- an interrupted or dis-

continuous spectrum.
To avoid the tedious and troublesome operation
of changing the lower carbon cylinder, Ruhmkorff,
of Paris, has fitted to the lamp the contrivance
shown in Fig. 40, which will be easily understood
by comparing it with Duboscq’s regulator (Fig. 17).
The clockwork is dispensed with, as during the few
moments necessary for the volatilization of a small
piece of metal, the arc of light between the upper
carbon 0 and the lower carbon u is very slightly

removed from the focal point of the lens, and by

turning the screw a the whole of the upper portion
,

of the lamp may be raised and lowered at will, and

the arc of light thus kept continuously in the focus
of the lantern lens. Six carbon cylinders, instead
of one only as in Fig. 39, are here employed,
arranged in a circle upon a small plate, which by
means of the carrier G is made to revolve, so that
by simply turning the plate round, any one of them
may be brought exactly under the carbon cylinder
0. This cylinder can be raised or lowered by means
of the screw b ,
so that if before the experiment six
different metals be placed upon the carbon cylinders,
by merely turning the plate, and if necessary by
turning the screws a and b, each metal may be
volatilized in the arc of flame, and the spectrum of
its glowing vapour obtained.
The characteristic feature of spectra obtained
from luminous vapours or gases is the want of con-
tinuity in the succession of the colours. Such a
iö6: 3V?’V SFBCTRUM ANALYSIS, 1'

spectrum is composed of distinct coloured bands,

irregularly arranged, with dark spaces between them,

and is therefore called a discontinuous spectrum ,
a
spectrum of bright lines, or a gas spectrum.

Fig. 40.

The spectra of the vapours of sodium, lithium,

caesium, and rubidium are represented in Nos. 2, 3,

4, and
5 of the Frontispiece, while those of oxygen,
hydrogen, and nitrogen gas are shown in Nos. 6, 7,
and 8. They exhibit at a glance the great difference
 SPECTRA OF 'VAPOURS AND GASES. 107

which exists between the continuous spectrum

(No. 1) of incandescent solid and liquid bodies and
the discontinuous spectra of gases. The vapour of
sodium (No. 2) under ordinary circumstances, and
when not exposed to an extremely high temperature,
gives a spectrum consisting only of one bright
orange line, which however will be seen to be
double by the use of sufficient dispersive power.
The spectrum of luminous lithium vapour (No. 3)
consists only of two coloured lines or bands, one a
and the other a faint yellow line. Much
brilliant red

more complete is the spectrum of caesium at a ;

sufficiently high temperature the luminous vapour

exhibits from ten to thirteen clearly distinguishable
lines, three of which are visible even at a low tem-
perature. Of these three lines two are blue and one
yellow ;
the remaining yellow and green lines do
not appear as individual bands until the temperature
is sufficiently high to cause the glowing vapour to
emit light of the requisite intensity, as before this
heat is attained they run one into the other so
as to give a faint show of colour in the manner
of a continuous spectrum.
It is desirable to supplement the observations
previously made with the spectrum of brass by the
two following experiments. Let a grain of sodium
be laid upon the lower cylinder, and the electric cur-

rent allowed to pass through it to the upper carbon

pole. The sodium is quickly volatilized in the arc
of flame, and the spectrum already described (Fron-
tispiece, No. 2) appears on the screen, a single
io8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
stripe of bright yellow. Let the current now be
interrupted, and two fresh carbon cylinders intro-
duced, on the lowest of which is laid a grain
of common salt, and the current re-established.
Common salt is a compound of chlorine and sodium,
and it might be expected from the experiment with
brass, thespectrum of which was made up of the
combined spectra of its two components, zinc and
copper, that the spectrum of salt would similarly
consist of the spectrum of chlorine gas and that of
the vapour of sodium : this, however, is evidently not
the case, for only the same yellow bands appear which
were given by the metallic sodium, occupying pre-
cisely their former position on the screen ;
while of
chlorine, which when isolated gives a very character-
istic spectrum, there is nothing whatever to be seen.
The same thing occurs with other metals that
combine with chlorine, as may be seen if a mixture
of the chlorides of lithium, barium, magnesium,
and thallium be placed on the upper surface of a
somewhat wider cylinder of carbon. As the current
passes from pole to pole these substances are vola-
tilized in the arc of flame, and on contracting the
slit a little a number of closely arranged coloured
bands are seen, some of which —
as, for instance,

the red of the lithium and the bright green of the

thallium — stand out with especial distinctness. If

a second prism (Fig. 32) be interposed, so as to

lengthen the spectrum to about six feet, the indi-
vidual stripes appear less bright, but more sharply
divided one from another ;
by widening the slit, the
 SPECTRUM APPARATUS .. 109

stripes increase a little in brilliancy. Those who

are familiar with the simple spectra of lithium,
barium, magnesium, and thallium, will not find it

difficult to recognize each separate substance in the

compound spectrum produced by the mixture of
these substances; here again, however, the spectrum
of chlorine is not present, at least it is not visible.
If the various compounds of such metals as so-
dium, calcium, etc., — for example, chloride of cal-
cium, iodide of calcium, nitrate of lime, etc., —be in

the same way subjected to spectrum analysis, the

spectrum of the metal is alone obtained, and never
that of the other constituents; the spectra of
the vapours of metals assert themselves with such
marked prominence that the spectrum of any non-
metallic substance with which they are in com-
bination either does not appear at all, or else is so
overpowered by the clear and brilliant lines of the

spectrum of the metal as not to be perceived.

24. Spectrum Apparatus.

The thought is perhaps rising in the minds of
many who have accompanied us thus far that the
production of the spectrum of a substance for the
purposes of analytical examination is encumbered
with great difficulties and many troublesome details,
involving too much labour to be available for the
use of the chemist and the physicist. This is,

however, not the case ;

if in our mode of illustra-

* See Appendix A, “ On the Cause of Interrupted Spectra of

Gases,” by G. Johnstone Stoney, M.A., F.R.S.
IXO . SPl'CmUÄf ANALYSIS^

tion a powerful galvanic battery and the electric

lamp with its revolving table and large screen have
been employed, it has been only to show how by
the extraordinary heat and light of the voltaic arc,
the simple phenomena on which spectrum analysis
is based can be made visible to many hundred spec-
tators at once in a large lecture-room. When how-
ever the light from the heated vapours need not be
greater than is required for a single observer, the
whole electric apparatus may be dispensed with, and
the simple Bunsen burner (Fig. 2) substituted ;
in-

deed, in many cases, a powerful spirit flame is suf-

ficient to exhibit the gas spectrum of a substance.
The slit and the prism may then be reduced to
small dimensions ;
in place of the large screen of
paper that reflected the light, the small sensitive
screen of nerves— the retina of the human eye —be-
comes the surface on which the spectrum is received ;

and the whole cumbrous contrivance occupying so

much space is replaced by a small spectrum appa-
ratus as trustworthy as it is easy to manipulate.
Every spectrum apparatus or spectroscope, ex-
clusive of the source of light, is composed of an
adjustable slit, a contrivance (collimating lens) for
rendering the rays parallel that have passed through
the slit, and a prism., In order that the instrument
may be used any hour of the day, all light ex-
at
cept that under examination must be excluded from
the. prism, and therefore the slit, lenses, and prism

are enclosed in a tube, or if. the prism be too large

,

the latter is fitted. Fjft Tt separate x.Qver,b Further*

 SPECTRUM APPARATUS. .-Pf i

as the spectrum on emerging from the prism is but

little longer than the width of the slit, and only

becomes of some length as the distance from the

prism increases, a magnifying glass is introduced,
in order that the eye, though at but a small disr
tance from the prism, may see the spectrum of a
sufficiently large size, and the spectrum therefore
is not observed with the naked eye, but through
the medium of a telescope of moderate power.*
It has been already mentioned that the coloured
rays composing the spectrum form an angle with the
incident rays as they enter the prism. It is therefore

Fig. 41.

The simple Spectroscope.

necessary, in observing the spectrum, that the tube

of the telescope directed to the outer surface of the
prism should be placed in a different direction to
the tube carrying the slit and the lens. A spectro-
scope arranged in this way is shown in Fig. 41. The
light emitted from L, after passing through the
slit 5 and the collimating lens /, reaches the prism p
in parallel rays; it is there diverted as well as de-
composed, whereby the spectrum S is seen through

* [The telescope is necessary not only for magnifying the spec-

trum, but also for enabling the eye to receive the whole of the
lightpassing from the collimating lens through the prisms.
Without a telescope the eye receives so much only of the beam of
parallel rays as is contained in the area of the pupil of the eyei]^
 I 12 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the telescope F in a direction very different from
that of the tube s L This arrangement has the
inconvenience that in conducting a research with
spectrum analysis the eye cannot be directed straight
at the light,and therefore the spectrum can only
be found after some search for it by moving the in-

strument backwards and forwards. A spectroscope

would therefore be obviously more convenient if
the slit, lens, prism, and telescope were all in a
straight line, so that it would be only necessary, in

Fig. 42.

Indivisibility of the Pure Colours of the Spectrum.

observing with it, to direct the instrument like a

telescope to the light to be examined, in order to
observe the spectrum.
On reconsidering the action of a prism s, Fig. 42,
it will be easy to understand that the various
coloured rays receive a different amount of deviation
according to the position of the prism as regards the
incident ray; it can be readily shown by calculation
that of all the emergent rays that one suffers the
least deviation which, as in E R, Fig. 28, makes the
same angle with the prism as the incident ray S I
 SPECTRUM APPARA TUS . 1
13

makes with the surface upon which it falls. When

a prism is so placed that the coloured ray in the
spectrum suffering least deviation is the one which
possesses the mean wave-length —about 0*000549 of
a millimetre icicle p. 82) —which is situated between
the yellow and the green, the prism is then said to
be in the position of minimum deviation; strictly
speaking, however, the prism has a special position
of minimum deviation for each coloured ray. The
angle formed by this central emergent ray with the
incident ray is the measure of the refractive or
Fig. 43.

Neutralization of Refraction and Dispersion.

deviating power of the prism, while the length of

the spectrum is the measure of its decomposing or
dispersive power.
If two prisms, A and B (Fig. 45), of similar com-
position and equal refracting angle, be placed in

reversed positions, the incident ray E, of white light,

will be refracted by the first prism A, and decom-
posed into its coloured rays; the second prism B,
however, which refracts in an opposite direction,
8
1
1 4 SPECTRUM ANAL YSIS.
destroys the first divergence, and reunites the in-
cident coloured rays into a single emergent ray F.
If the ray F be received upon a screen, there will

appear a white image, tinged at the upper edge with

red, and at the lower with violet light, because at
the extreme edges of the image the colours are not
superposed. In this case the second prism B has
neutralized both the refraction and the dispersion
of the first prism, and the action of this system of
prisms is very nearly the same as that of a thick
piece of glass with parallel sides.
Now if the dispersive power of a prism varied in

Fig. 44.

Amici’s Direct- vision System of Prisms.

the same proportion as its power of refraction, then

whatever the kind of glass employed for the prisms

placed as in Fig. 43, and whatever might be their
refracting angles, when they were so placed as to

neutralize refraction, power of dispersion or

their

capability of forming a spectrum would be likewise

destroyed. In other words, the formation of a spec-
trum would always be connected with the deviation
of light from its straight course, and it would not be
possible by means of a system of prisms to receive

the spectrum of a luminous object for example, a —

fiame or a star when —
viewed in a straight line.
 SPECTRUM APPARATUS. H5

In reality, however, this is not the case. The

dispersive power of various kinds of prisms is not
in equal proportion to the refractive power a flint- ;

glass prism, for instance, gives with an equal

amount of refraction of the central rays a spec-
trum of much greater length than can be obtained
from one of crown glass. It is therefore possible
so to combine and place in reversed positions, as
in Fig. 43, two prisms of different refracting angles,
one of flint, and the other of crown glass, that the
refraction of the incident rays shall be entirely
counteracted, while the greater dispersive power of
the flint glass shall only be partially destroyed by
the crown glass, and consequently a spectrum
formed by the remaining rays. If a bright object
be looked at through such a system of prisms, in a
rectilinear direction, its spectrum will be seen in the

line of sight; the colours will of course not be so

widely dispersed as would be the case were the
object looked at in an oblique direction through
the flint-glass prism alone.
Compound prisms of this kind, or more espe-
cially systems of prisms which show a spectrum
when held in a straight line between the source of
light and the observer’s eye, are called direct-vision

prisms.
Such an arrangement of the spectroscope was
approximately accomplished by Amici, in i860, by
a judicious combination of two crown-glass prisms,
with a third prism of flint glass of 90° interposed.
By this construction the rays of mean refrangibility
ii6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
suffer no divergence, so that a luminous object
may be viewed in a rectilinear direction, and a

spectrum be obtained, since the dispersion produced

by the flint-glass prism in one direction is greater
than that produced by the two crown-glass prisms
in the opposite direction.
Fig. 45 exhibits another form of direct-vision
prism, contrived by Professor A. Herschel for the
observation of meteors. The ray of light E under-
goes two total reflections from the inner surfaces of

Fig. 45.

Herschel’s Direct-vision Prism.

the prism before it emerges from it in the form of

the spectrum F, in a direction parallel to E. The
construction, however, of such a prism is surrounded
with difficulties, since the action of each surface
is required in the course of the rays, and it is

exceedingly difficult to attain sufficient accuracy in

the angles a and c.

Browning, the optician, has overcome these dif-

ficulties by combining two such prisms. In the
Herschel-Browning system of prisms (Fig. 46), the
ray F, which emerges from the first prism A in
 SPECTRUM APPARATUS. 117

a direction parallel to the incident ray E, is brought

back again by the second prism B to the direction
of the incident ray, so that the central emergent
coloured rays G form an exact prolongation of the
incident ray E.
Janssen, of Paris, adopting Amici’s construction,
has produced, with the help of the excellent opti-
cian Hofmann, a direct-vision spectroscope, which
from the facility with which it can be used, its
moderate price, and the great purity and length of
the spectrum it produces, has become an instrument

Fig. 46.

Herschel-Browning’s System of Prisms.

indispensable to the chemist, the physicist, and the

astronomer.
Janssen’s direct-vision spectroscope, Fig. 47, has
the appearance of an ordinary telescope, and can
either be held in the hand while in use, or placed,
when steadiness is required, upon a small revolving
stand. The several parts are sketched in the draw-
ing above the instrument, in the same positions
that they occupy within the tube. In front, at the
end which is directed towards the source of light,
 8

1 1 SPECTRUM ANAL YSIS.

is the slit S, formed of two steel edges,* which can

be easily widened or contracted by means of the
screw V and an opposing spring. At L the colli-
mating lens / is by which the rays diverging
inserted,

from the slit S are rendered parallel, and thrown

Fig. 47.

Janssen-Hofmann’s Direct-vision Spectroscope.

upon the five prisms p. Of these, which are drawn

in detail in Fig. 48, the first, third, and fifth are of
crown glass, while the second and fourth are of
flint glass, and they form so perfect a system from

* [Mr. Rutherfurd employs the unalterable substance obsidian

for the edges of the slit.]
 SPECTRUM APPARATUS . 119

the accurate adjustment of the angles of the prisms,

that the emergent central coloured rays F have
precisely the same direction as the incident rays E,
and therefore pass in a straight line through the
tube LGM O, in which the compound prisms
occupy the space between L and G. The lenses
Fig. 48.

Janssen’s Direct-vision System of Prisms.

a and a behind G form the object-glass ;

0' and 0
in the small sliding tube O, the eyepiece of the
telescope through which the spectrum is observed.
Browning has manufactured another direct-vision
spectroscope, with seven prisms, which commends
itself by the excellence of its performance, the
Fig. 49.

Browning’s Miniature Spectroscope.

facility of its use, the smallness of its dimensions,

the purity of colour, and its low price. A sketch
ot it shown in Fig. 49 the slit is simply regu-
is ;

lated by turning round a ring at the end of the

tube, and the spectrum is observed direct without a
 120 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

elescope. The length of this admirable little in-

strument only about 3^ inches, and is therefore

is

very deservedly called the miniature or pocket

spectroscope.

25. Mode of Measuring the Distances between

the Lines of the Spectrum.
We have already seen that the spectra of lu-

minous vapours consist of one or more coloured

bands, and that it is not difficult from the distribu-
tion of these lines in the spectrum to recognize the
substance by which such a spectrum is produced.
Experience teaches that the single lines forming the
spectrum of any given substance never fall in the
same places as those of another substance, the spec-
trum of which may be shown at the same time but ;

owing to the immense number of these lines (in

• o
#

Lon, for example, according to Angstrom and

Thalen from 460 to 500), they approach each other
so closely, especially when the spectrum is not much
spread out, that it is necessary to have a contrivance
in a spectrum apparatus for determining* the relative
places of the single lines, and for measuring with
precision the amount of separation one from the
other.
The number and relative position of these lines

is, indeed, always the same in a given apparatus for

any one substance as long as the temperature re-
mains the same, however variously the substance
may be combined with other bodies but by the use ;

of prisms of greater dispersive power, or of a larger

 SPECTRUM APPARATUS. 121

number of prisms, or by increasing the refracting

angle of the prisms or the size of the telescope,
these positions are altered, so that the actual amount
of separation between any two lines in the spectrum
of any substance varies according to the arrange-
ment of the spectrum apparatus. This alteration
extends even to the relative distances of the various
lines in one and the same spectrum when the
;

whole spectrum of a substance is by any means

extended two or three times its original length,
the single lines do not all separate one from the
other in the same proportion. On this account

Fig. 50.

Graduated Scale in Spectroscope.

the same substance does not yield, in different

spectroscopes, spectra identical throughout ;
the
estimation of this difference is therefore one out of
many reasons why it is requisite to have some
means of measuring the distance of the individual
lines one from the other, and of determining their

relative positions.
122 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The simplest and most usual arrangement of this

kind is illustrated in Fig. 50. C is again, as in Fig.
41, the tube enclosing the slit s, and the collimating
lens /; p is the prism, and F the telescope. To this
is added a third tube S, which is with the others
fastened to a stand, and lies with them on a hori-
zontal plane. At the extreme end of this tube is fixed
a reduced millimetre scale m, photographed on glass
of about one-fifteenth the original dimensions, which
is provided, according to the size of the apparatus,
with a larger or smaller number of fine divisions.
The tube S is inclined in such a manner towards
the surface of the prism n, on which the telescope is

directed, that its axis and that of the telescope form

the same angle with the surface of the prism ;
con-
sequently the scale m is, in obedience to the laws of
light, reflected by the outer polished surface of the
prism in the direction of the axis of the telescope,
and its magnified image is seen in the telescope F
at the same time as the spectrum to be observed.
The scale m is bordered on both sides with tinfoil,
and illuminated from without by a candle, K, or a
small gas flame, so that its image is seen with com-
plete distinctness the whole length of the spectrum ;

and as its black divisions are parallel to the coloured

bands, the amount of separation between any two of
these bands may easily be read off in parts of the
graduated scale.

In the direct-vision spectroscope, Fig. 47, a small

glass scale placed in the eyepiece of the telescope
is seen projected upon the spectrum, and by means
 SPECTRUM APPARATUS. 123

of this scale the position of the lines of the spectrum

may be measured.
A contrivance preferable to any fixed scale is that
by which a well-defined mark of some kind as, for —
instance, a fine wire or cross-wires, or two points
facing each other, or a line of light, etc. — is made to

move along the spectrum in the inside of the tube,

and the amount of motion accurately measured ex-
ternally by means of a micrometrical arrangement.
This micrometer consists principally of a sliding
plate a, Fig. 51, provided with a slit or fine metal
wire, an underplate b b, on which the first plate

Fig. 51.

Micrometer for Measuring the Distances between the Lines.

travels, and an exceedingly fine screw d, the head c

of which is engraved after the manner of a divided

circle. This screw, which is held firmly at g, works
into the screw-plate d attached to the slide a in ,

which the mark is fixed, which it moves to the right

or upon the lower plate. In order to measure
left

accurately the amount of motion, the value of a

screw-thread must be ascertained, and the screw-
head c be so divided as to mark off parts of an entire
revolution. If, for instance, one revolution of the

screw is half a millimetre in value, and the circum-

ference of the screw-head c be divided into fifty
124 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

equal parts, the displacement of the mark by a

complete revolution of the screw amounts to half a
millimetre, consequently a displacement amounting
to one division of the screw-head is equivalent to
only - of a half millimetre, or to — of a millimetre.
The screw-head c works close to the sharp edge n,

by which parts of a revolution can be read off, while

the number of complete revolutions are registered
by means of the indicator on the slide a being
brought over the divisions marked on the under-
plate b b. The micrometer is so connected with the
eyepiece of the telescope in the spectrum apparatus
that the slide a, with its indicator, is in the inside of
the tube, while the screw-head c and the divisions
numbering the complete revolutions are visible on
the outside. The micrometer mark is seen projected
upon the spectrum in the held of the telescope, and
may be brought over any part of it by turning the
screw. In this way it is possible, by moving the
indicator from one line of the spectrum to another,
to determine accurately the distance between any
two lines by the divisions marked on the screw-
head.
Another mode of determining the relative posi-
tions of the lines of a spectrum, consists of a telescope
provided with cross-wires, or a line of light which
can be moved on an axis from one line to another,

and the angle measured which is described by this

motion. In this case the distance between the
lines is denoted by the angle ;
it will be seen at
once that for any given instrument it is easy to
 —

SPECTRUM APPARATUS. 125

calculate the real distance between the lines from

the angles measured. *

* [Two new forms of spectroscopes, in which the positions of

the lines can be rapidly registered, were constructed for obser-
vations of the solar eclipse of December, 1870.
Professor Winlock contrived a form of instrument in which the
positions of the observing telescope, when directed to different
parts of the spectrum, are recorded by marks upon a plate of
silvered copper.
Mr. Huggins communicated to the Royal Society the following
description of the instrument taken by him to Oran :

“The short duration of the totality of the solar eclipse of

December last, led me to seek some method by which the positions
of lines observed in the spectrum of the corona might be instantly
registered without removing the eye from the instrument, so as to
avoid the loss of time and fatigue to the eye of reading a micro-
meter-head, or the distraction of the attention and other incon-
veniences of an illuminated scale.
“ After consultation with the optician Mr. Grubb, it seemed
that this object could be satisfactorily accomplished by fixing in
the eyepiece of the spectroscope a pointer which could be moved
along the spectrum by a quick-motion screw, together with some
arrangement by which the position of this pointer, when brought
be instantly registered.
into coincidence with a line, could
“ I was furnished by Mr. Grubb with an instrument fulfilling

these conditions, and also with a similar instrument with some

modifications by Mr. Ladd, in time for the observation of the
eclipse.
“ Unfortunately, at my station at Oran, heavy clouds at the time
of totality prevented the use of these instruments on the corona,
but they were found so convenient for the rapid registration of
spectra, that it appears probable that similar instruments might
be of service spectrum observations.
for other
“ In these instruments the small telescope of the spectroscope
and at its focus is a pointer which can be brought rapidly
is fixed,

upon any part of the spectrum by a screw-head outside the tele-

scope. The spectrum and pointer are viewed by a positive eye
piece which slides in front of the telescope, so that the part of
the spectrum under observation can always be brought To the
 1 26 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

26. The Compound Spectroscope.

The reader is now in a position to understand
the use of the various parts of a complete spectrum
apparatus, Fig. 52, especially the three tubes directed
to the prism at different angles, as in that constructed

middle of the field of view. The arm carrying the pointer is

connected by a lever with a second arm, to the end of which are

attached two needles, so that these move over about two inches
when the pointer made
is to traverse the spectrum from the red
to the violet. Under the extremity of the arm fitted with the
needles is a frame containing a card, firmly held in it by two pins
which pierce the card. This frame containing the card can be
moved forward so as to bring in succession five different portions
of the card under the points of the needles ;
on each of these
portions of the card a spectrum can be registered.
“ The mode of using the instrument is obvious. By means of
the screw-head at the side of the telescope, the pointer can be
brought into coincidence with a line ;
a finger of the other hand
is then pressed upon one of the needles at the end of the
arm which and the position of the line is
traverses the card,
instantly recorded by a minute prick on the card. A bright line
is distinguished from a dark line by pressing the finger on both

needles, by which a second prick is made immediately below the

other. In all cases the position of the line is registered by the
same needle, the second needle being used to denote that the line
recorded is a bright one.
“It was found that from ten to twelve Fraunhofer lines could

be registered in about twelve seconds, and that when the same

lines were recorded five times in succession on the same card,

no sensible difference of position could be detected between the

same line in the several spectra.
pricks registering the
“It is obvious by registering the spectra of different
that,

substances on the card, a ready method is obtained of comparing

the relative positions of the lines of their spectra.
“ Each spectroscope was furnished with a compound prism made

by Mr. Grubb, which gave a dispersion equal to about two prisms

of dense glass, with a refracting angle of 60°”]
 SPECTRUM APPARATUS. 12 7

by Kirchhoff and Bunsen. The eye of the observer

is placed in the axis of the telescope directed to that
surface of the prism from which the light emerges
in the form of the spectrum ;
the opposite surface of
the prism receives through the slit and collimating
lens the light emitted from the object to be exa-

Fig. 52.

The Compound Spectroscope.

mined ;
at the side of the observer is the tube carry-
ing the illuminated scale, or the micrometer screw,
so that the mark coinciding with any division of the
scale may be placed on any line of the spectrum.
* The description of the microspectroscope, telespectroscope,
and meteor-spectroscope will be given further on.
128 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
In most spectrum investigations the dispersion
obtained by a flint-glass prism of 45 0 or 6o° is
sufficient to show the chief characteristics of the
spectrum ;
should this not be the case, however,
the dispersion must be increased by the use of
several prisms, a method already explained in
reference to Fig. 36.
Kirchhoff employed in his investigations on the

solar spectrum an excellent apparatus constructed

by Steinheil, of Munich, in which, instead of only
one prism of flint glass, four such prisms were
employed, and a telescope possessing a magnifying
power of 40. Each of the four prisms (Fig. 53),
three of which had a refracting angle of 45 0 and the
,

fourth of 6o°, was cemented on to a small brass

 SPECTRUM APPARATUS . 129

tripod, and could thus be easily placed in the right

position on a horizontal iron table. The tube A

carried at the end, directed towards the sun, the slit,

and the prism for comparison, which will be de-

9
 ; ;

130 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

scribed hereafter (Fig. 57) the telescope B, which
received the widely diverging rays of the solar
spectrum from the last prism, could be moved by

means of a micrometer screw R, on a divided circle,

so as to determine the distance between any of the
dark lines in angular measure.
This amount of elongation of the spectrum
has been, however, surpassed ;
Thalen employed
six flint-glass prisms, each having an angle of 6o°
Gassiot went as far as eight, Merz even to eleven
prisms of glass, while Cooke made use of as many
as nine prisms of bisulphide of carbon. Fig. 54
shows one of the largest spectroscopes yet made,
constructed by Browning, and used by Gassiot at
the Kew Observatory for the investigation and
delineation of the solar spectrum. The tube A
carries the collimating lens, the slit, and the prism
for comparison ;
the nine prisms rest, as in Kirch-
hoff’s instrument, on small plates provided with
levelling screws upon an iron table; B is a telescope
of high magnifying power; C, a tube fitted with a
scale (compare Fig. 50). The slender ray of light
entering the first prism from the slit and collimator-
tube A passes through the range of nine prisms as
shown in Fig. 55, and finally emerges from the last

prism and enters the telescope B in the form of a

widely dispersed ray or an elongated spectrum.
The power of a spectrum apparatus, however, does
not depend alone upon the number of the prisms,
but also quite as much upon the dispersive power
of each prism. In the workshops of the celebrated
 BROWNINGS AUTOMATIC SPECTROSCOPE. 13

optician Merz, of Munich, prisms have been manu-

factured lately of the densest lead glass, having
a specific gravity of 475 ;
one of these prisms with a
refracting angle of 6o° is quite as efficient as the
four prisms together employed in Kirchhoff’s in-
strument, Fig. 53.*

Fig. 55-

Path of the Ray through the Nine Prisms.

27. Browning’s Automatic Spectroscope.

Spectroscopes consisting of several prisms are
usually adjusted by finding the minimum of devia-
tion for the brightest rays, — those, for instance,
situated between the yellow and the green, for each —
prism which is then permanently secured to its

* [Very dense glass has the disadvantage of not being colour-

less. In lead glass the absorption of light due to this cause is
almost wholly confined to the part of the spectrum more refrangible
than F.]
9 a
132 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
supporting plate. There are, however, two objec-
tions to this arrangement. In the first place, only
those rays for which the prisms are specially
adjusted are seen under the most favourable cir-

cumstances, because they only pass through each

prism in a line parallel to the base. In the second
place, since the last prism is immovable, while the
telescope travels in an arc from one end of the spec-
trum to the other, the object-glass of the telescope
receives the full light only when it is directed to
the central part of the spectrum ;
and, on the
contrary, only a part of the light falls on the
object-glass when the telescope is directed to one
end of the spectrum, either the red or the violet.

Now it is easy to see that in observing the ends

of the spectrum it is most important that the object-
glass should receive the whole of the light, since it

is just thesfe-- terminal colours that have least bril-

liancy. This can only be accomplished by the

prisms being made adjustable for the minimum of
deviation for those rays which are under examina-
tion.

Bunsen and Kirchhoff, therefore, in their investi-

gations of the solar spectrum, attached the prisms
of their compound spectroscope (Fig. 53) to the
ground-plate by means of movable supports, and
altered the position of the prisms for every colour
of the spectrum ;
it is needless to remark that such
an arrangement involved much trouble and incon-
venience.
This inconvenience is removed in Browning’s
 BROWNINGS AUTOMATIC SPECTROSCOPE. 133

automatic spectroscope, by so connecting the prisms

with each other and the telescope, that on placing
the instrument on any particular colour, the prisms,
without any interference from the observer, will be
simultaneously and automatically adjusted for the
minimum of deviation for that colour.
Fig. 56 shows the arrangement of the various

parts of the automatic spectroscope. Of the prisms,

numbered from 1 to 6, the first only is fastened to
the ground-plate P P, the others are connected to
each other by hinges at the corners of the triangular
metal holders forming the base. A metal rod a ,

provided with a slit, is attached to the middle of

134 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
this base, by means of which each prism can
move round a central pin common to the whole set.

The prisms are arranged in a circle round this pin,

which again is fastened to a swallow-tailed movable

bar, 5-5, about two inches in length, situated under
the plate P P. If, therefore, the central pin be
moved, the whole system of prisms moves with it,

and the amount of motion communicated to each

prism varies in proportion to its distance from the
first prism, which is stationary; if, for instance,
prism 2 moves i°, the third prism is moved 2 °,
0 0 0
the fourth 3 ,
the fifth 4 ,
and the sixth 5 The.

tube of the telescope B is fastened to a lever H,

which is connected by a hinge with the last prism,

No. 6. At the other end of this lever, or on

the carrier of the telescope B, works the micro-
meter screw M, by turning which the tube B can
be directed upon any part of the spectrum issuing
from prism 6. This lever is so adjusted, that to
whatever angle the telescope is turned, the amount
of movement for the last prism shall be twice as
great. The rays emerging from the middle of
this last prism fall perpendicularly upon the centre
of the object-glass of the telescope ; the rays
issuing from the collimator A, and falling upon
the first stationary prism 1, pass through the indi-
vidual prisms in a line parallel to their base, and
arrive finally on their emergence from the last

prism, 6, in the direction of the optical axis of the

telescope, whether it be directed upon the central

or the terminal colours of the spectrum ;
the object-
 —

BROWNINGS AUTOMATIC SPECTROSCOPE. 135

glass is consequently always filled with light. As

the tube B is turned towards any colour of the
spectrum, the lever H sets at the same time all the
prisms in motion, in such a manner that each
minimum angle of deviation.
adjusts itself to the
The automatic spectroscope shows a great ad-
vance in the construction of compound spectro-
scopes, and has already been acknowledged as such
by all authorities on this subject.*
* [Automatic spectroscopes possessing these advantages in a,

had been constructed previously by Littrow„

greater or less degree,
Rutherfurd, Prof. Young, and Mr. Lockyer. An independent
method adopted by Grubb, is thus described by him :

“ The spectroscope as exhibited is in an unfinished state, having

been sent to Mr. Huggins for arranging some small matters
of convenience, such as the dividing of Sector, Reading micro-
scope, etc.
“ It consists of a combination of four compound prisms and two
semi-compound prisms, all made use of twice, the total power of
the instrument therefore being equal to ten compound prisms, each
0
having a dispersion of about 9 that is, a total dispersion of
,

about 90°, probably the largest ever obtained. The observing

and collimating telescopes are respectively 6 and 45 inches focus,
and 1 inch aperture, the section of pencil actually in use being
1 inch by This is perfectly constant from end to end
-

o 6 inch.
:

of the spectrum, as the prisms are automatically worked.

“ The prisms are 2\ inches high, being just twice the height

required for the section of the pencil : the lower half being made
use of for the first course of rays, the upper for the backward
course.
“ Referring to the diagrams (the same letters of reference apply
to both), the dotted lines represent those levers, etc., which are
situated in a different plane, being at the back of the spectroscope.
The right-angle prism of reflection (o) is applied only on the upper
half of the first semi-compound prism (1), so that it does not
interfere with the first course of the rays, which utilize only the
lower half of the prisms.
136 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

28. Prism of Comparison, or Reflecting

Prism.

By means of a careful examination of the spec-

trum lines of all known substances in which atten-
“ The parallel rays from the collimator enter the lower half
of the first semi-compound prism without refraction, this prism
(1), therefore, is stationary. They then pass through four entire
compound prisms, 2, 3, 4, 5, and one semi-compound, 6, from
which by two internal total reflections in the prism of reflection, 7,

they are passed to the upper half of the prisms, by which they
return through the four entire compounds and two semi-compounds,

and are fir ally received, emerging from the first fixed semi-prism,
by the right-angled prism of total reflection o, and so passed to
the observing telescope, which is placed at right angles to the
collimator merely as a matter of preference. Any other position
can be utilized if desired.
“ The prisms and automatic arrangement are contained in an
 PRISM OF COMPARISON. 137

tion has not only been given to the brightness of

the lines, but also to the exact measurement of
air-tight box, and both observing and collimating telescopes are
stationary, considerable advantages in such a powerful spectro-
scope, and allowing of great compactness.
“ The several parts of the spectrum required to be examined

are brought into the field by acting on the sector, which carries
the automatic arrangement, each line being exactly in minimum
deviation when brought to the centre of the field.
“The sector reading by a vernier to 10 seconds of arc divides
the spectrum into about 20,000 parts.
“ The mechanical arrangement of the automatic movement is

that which we made a model of during Mr. Huggins’ visit here

last spring, and decided upon as giving the most constant and
reliable results.

“ The motion is given to the chain of prisms entirely by 3.

system of levers which will be easily understood from the dia-

grams.
“ The first three movable joints of chain ABC are connected
by levers to the studs <2, b ,
c, which is
fixed in a circular disk,
rotated through 6o° by the toothed sector and pinion. The pins
being fixed at their proper radii, draw the several prism tables
through the required angle, the levers forming tangents in their
mean position. The lasttwo joints D and E were found geo-
metrically to describe most accurately arcs of circles j they have
138 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

their relative distances, accurate drawings have

been made of the spectra of various substances,
some of which are given in the Frontispiece and
in the table, Fig. 61. If these tables be provided
with a millimetre scale, by which the distance
between any two lines can be determined, they
form a valuable standard of comparison in doubtful
cases when examining the spectrum of an unknown
substance. But in an ordinary spectroscope, no
great dependence can be placed on the measures
made with the photographic scale, for the breadth
of the lines depends upon the width of the slit, and
this may vary with each observer ;
the measure-
ment, too, and subsequent comparison of a spec-
trum with the spectra represented in the tables,
requires too much time, besides being laborious

therefore been attached to levers working on fixed centres at

back of spectroscope, shown in the drawing by dotted lines.
“ The whole system of the automatic movement is composed of

hardened steel pivots, working in hardened steel bearings, a system

which can obviously be made to work with the greatest accuracy
and constancy.
“ Thedelicate steel parts of slit have been electro-gilt, to pre-
serve them from oxidation. The jaws (of gold plate) are drawn
asunder by a double wedge, acted upon by a screw, so as to
preserve the axis of collimation. They are pulled together by a
spring at the back. The micrometer head of screw is divided
into forty parts, each division being equivalent to
of opening.
^ of an inch

“ The slots in the table of the spectroscope have nothing what-

ever to do with the guiding of the chain of prisms. They are
merely to allow of the junction of the two systems of levers working
in different planes .” —
Monthly Notices of R. Astronomical Society,
vol. xxxi., p. 36.]
 PRISM OF COMPARISON. 139

and uncertain, while in many cases the spectrum to

be examined is very evanescent, or perhaps appears
under circumstances that make comparison with
the tables either impracticable or quite untrust-
worthy in its results.

In all such cases it is well to employ a contrivance

of Kirchhoff’s, by which only one-half of the slit

is employed for the spectrum to be examined,
and the other half made use of for receiving a
second spectrum from the incandescent vapour of
Fig. 57.

The Prism of Comparison, or Reflecting Prism.

a well-known substance, which can then be com-

pared directly with that under examination. For
this purpose the upper half of the slit remains
free, and can, as shown in Fig. 57, be made wider
or narrower at will by means of the micrometer
screw. In front of the lower half is placed a small
equilateral glass prism, a b, which is movable, and
which cuts off from this portion of the slit all the

rays of light falling directly in front of it.

A reference to Fig. 58, which gives a horizontal

section of the vertical slit and prism of comparison,
will easily explain its action. F is the source of
light whence the rays pass straight through the
upper half of the slit above the surface of the small
140 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

prism, and form a spectrum according to the usual

action of an inverting telescope, in the lower half
of the field of view. At one side, on a level with
the prism, is placed the flame L, either a Bunsen
burner or a spirit lamp, in which the substance
is volatilized, the spectrum of which is needed for

comparison with that formed by the light F. The

rays from L falling at right angles on the surface
df will be totally reflected as by a mirror from the
prism surface d c at the point r, and will emerge
from the prism in the direction r s, pass at 5 through

Fig. 58.
cF

The Prism of Comparison.

the lower half of the slit, and fall in the direction

5 t on the lower half of the principal prism in the

inside of the tube, in the same manner as the

rays from F fellon the upper half.* In this way

the spectra 0 and u of the two flames F and L

'* [The light passing through each half of the slit is not
restricted to the corresponding part of the prism, but since it

consists of diverging rays, spreads itself over the collimating lens

and then passes through the prism as a beam of parallel rays of
the same diameter as the lens.]
 PRISM OF COMPARISON. 141

are seen in juxtaposition in the same field of view

as shown in Fig. 59, where for greater clearness it

is represented as it would appear if both images

were thrown upon a screen. In reality, as the
spectra 0 and u are seen through a telescope direct
without a screen, their positions are reversed, so
that the spectrum 0 from the upper half of the slit

is seen below, and the spectrum u from the lower

half is seen above. If the same substance be vola-
tilized in the two flames F and L, the corresponding

Fig. 59.

The Double Spectrum.

lines of one spectrum will fall in exact prolongation

of those of the other, because two pencils of rays of
the same constitution will produce precisely similar
spectra with the same width of slit, the same prism,
and the same position of the telescope.
If, therefore, the presence of a certain substance
be suspected in one of the flames, — for example, in

F, —and from its spectrum received through the

upper half of the slit, there remains some doubt
as to its nature, a small quantity of the supposed
142 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

substance is volatilized in the second flame L, and

a comparison made between the juxtaposed spectra.
If there be a complete coincidence between the lines

of the upper and lower spectra, they both belong

to one and the same substance ;
while in the case
of want of coincidence, the body to be tested does
not contain the same substance as that with which
it is compared. From the extreme sensitiveness of
the eye to the exact coincidence of two lines in two
spectra produced under similar circumstances and
observed at the same time, this mode of comparison
forms one of the most important methods of spec-
trum analysis.
Fig. 60.

Hofmann’s Prism of Comparison.

Fig. 60 shows how the small prism of comparison

P can be easily applied to a direct-vision spectro-
scope (Fig. 47) by means of the sliding-ring C. It

willbe understood that instead of the second flame,

the electric spark or one of Geissler’s tubes filled

with a known gas may be employed ;

the import-
ance of this method, when applied to the spectrum
investigations of the sun, the fixed stars, nebulae,
and comets, can only be fully entered into when
comes under discussion.
this part of the subject
 ,

DESIGNATION OF LINES OF SPECTRUM. 143

For the ready comparison of various spectra, it

is convenient to have always at hand the means
of producing the spectra of known elements. For
this purpose small wax or tallow candles are
prepared, the wick of which is impregnated with
the various metallic compounds of chlorine, and
they are employed as a secondary source of light
in the manner above described.

29. Designation of the Lines of the Spectrum.

Not only the number of the spectrum lines of
a substance, but also the degree of their intensity,
is deserving of careful attention. As the brilliancy of
the lines increases with the temperature, so, as a rule,
it is those lines which are particularly prominent
at a high degree of heat that are the first to appear
at a low temperature. These prominent lines there-

fore are the most suited for the recognition of a

substance, and on this ground are called the charac-
teristic lines. Such lines according to their degree
of brightness are designated in each substance by
the letters of the Greek alphabet, a ß, y, 8 ,
etc.,

being affixed to the chemical sign denoting the sub-

stance. The spectrum of potassium (Fig. 61, No. 1)

has two characteristic lines, one red and one violet;

the former, as the most intense, is therefore desig-
nated Ka, a, by Ka, ß. The brilliant red
the latter
line of lithium (Fig. 61, No. 3, Frontispiece No. 3)

is called Li, a, the fainter orange line Li, ß; the

characteristic lines of the spectrum of barium (No. 6)
are in the green ;
those of csesium (No. 8, Frontispiece
 144 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

Fig. 6i.
"> TO 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 IOO 1X0 120 I3O 40 150 l6o J70

blue violet

Table of Spectra according to Kirchhofi and Bunsen.

 METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA. 145

No. 4) Cs, a and Cs, ß are blue ;

those of rubidium
(No. 7, Frontispiece No. 5) Eh, a Eh, ß, violet, and ,

Eh, 7, Eh, $, dark red the most intense line of

;

hydrogen gas (Frontispiece No. 7) is red, and is

designated by H «, the greenish-blue line nearly

equal to it in brightness by H ß, and the much
fainter violet line by H 7, etc.

The table in Fig. 61 exhibits the spectra observed

by Kirchhoff and Bunsen as follows 1, Potassium :
;

2, Sodium 3, Lithium
; 4, Strontium 5, Calcium
; ; ;

6, Barium 7, Rubidium
; 8, Caesium 9, Thallium ; ; ;

10, Indium, collated for easy comparison, with a

statement of the colour of the individual lines, and
a scale for determining their relative distances.
The colours marked above No. 1 represent the solar
spectrum, in which the black lines designated A, B
up to H will be hereafter explained.

30. Various Methods for Exhibiting the

Spectra of Terrestrial Substances.
The spectra of incandescent solid and liquid
bodies are continuous and resemble each other so
,

closely, that only in a very few instances can they

be distinguished ;
spectra of this kind are, therefore,
not suitable for the recognition of a substance,
though they authorize the conclusion, as a rule,

that the substance is either in a solid or liquid

state. Only the discontinuous spectra, consisting
of coloured lines which are obtained from a gas or
vapour, are sufficiently characteristic to enable the
observer to pronounce with certainty, by the number,
10
146 SPECTRUM ANALYSTS.
position, and relative brightness of these lines, the
chemical constitution of the vapours by which the
light has been emitted. It follows from this circum-
stance that spectrum analysis deals pre-eminently
with the investigation of gas spectra, and that for
the examination of a substance which does not exist
in nature in the form of gas or vapour, the first step
must be to place it in this condition.

Use of the Bunsen Burner.

The temperature at which substances are vola-
tilized varies greatly ;
while the heat of an ordinary
spirit lamp is sufficient for many, such as potassium
and sodium, for others, especially the heavy metals
and their compounds, the great heat of the electric

spark is requisite. In many cases, however, the tem-

perature of the non-luminous flame of the Bunsen
burner is sufficient to volatilize the substances in-

tended for examination, and to cause them to emit a

light sufficiently intense to give a brilliant spectrum.
A Bunsen burner, as shown in Fig. 2, is therefore

one of the necessary requisites for spectrum in-

vestigation. In using the lamp, the air is first shut

off below, and a pure continuous spectrum of the
luminous flame obtained by an accurate adjustment
of the telescope and a careful setting of the slit.

To prevent flickering, the lower part of the flame

issurrounded, as shown in Fig. 52, by a hollow cone
of sheet iron by the introduction of atmospheric
;

air the flame is then rendered non-luminous, and

only the upper very hot point of the flame made
 —

METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA. 147

use of, into which the substances to be tested are

brought from the side by means of a thin wire of
platinum, a metal on which this temperature has no
influence. When the spectrum appears, the focus
of the telescope must be adjusted immediately, and
the slit narrowed sufficiently to ensure the bright

coloured lines being sharply defined. In the Bunsen

burner, spectra can only be obtained from the metals
potassium, sodium, lithium, strontium, calcium,
barium, caesium, rubidium, copper, manganese,
thallium, and indium, and from these most readily
when they are in combination with chlorine, in which
state they are most easily volatilized.*

* [In the case of some only of these metals can the spectrum
of the metal itself be obtained by heating their chlorides in the
flame of the Bunsen burner.
Some time ago Roscoe and Clifton investigated the different
spectra presented by calcium, strontium, and barium, and they
“ suggest that at the low temperature of the Bunsen flame or a

weak spark, the spectrum observed is produced by some com-

pound, probably the oxide of the difficultly reducible metal;
whereas at the enormously high temperature of the intense electric
spark these compounds are split up, and thus the true spectrum
of the metal is obtained. In none of the spectra of the more
reducible alkaline metals (potassium, sodium, lithium) can any
deviation or disappearance of maxima of light be noticed on
change of temperature.” In a recent paper “ On the Spectra of
Erbia and some other Earths,” Huggins, after describing the
bright lines seen in the spectra of some earths when incandescent
in the oxyhydrogen flame, remarks :

“ The question presents itself as to the nature of the vapour to

which the bright
.
lines are due in the case of the earths, lime,
magnesia, strontia, and baryta. Is it the oxide volatilized ? or is

it the vapour of the metal reduced by the heat in the presence

of the hydrogen of the flame ? The experiments show that the
luminous vapour is the same as that produced by the exposure of
10 A
 a

148 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The method of introducing* the substances to be
examined into the flame by means of a platinum
wire has this drawback, that the spectrum is visible
only for a very short time, and in many cases the
bright lines flash out only to vanish again imme-
diately. In order to observe the spectrum for a
longer time, it is necessary, therefore, to be con-
stantly introducing new material into the flame, —
tedious and troublesome process.
To overcome this difficulty and obtain a per-

the chlorides of the metals to the heat of the Bunsen gas-flame.

The character common to these spectra of bands of some width,
in most cases gradually shading off at the sides, is different from
that which distinguishes the spectra of these metals when used as
electrodes in the metallic state. *
“ As the experiments recorded in this paper show that the same
spectra are produced by the exposure of the oxides to the
oxyhydrogen flame, Roscoe and Clifton’s suggestion that these
spectra are due to the volatilization of the compound of the
metal with oxygen is doubtless correct.
“ The similar character of the spectrum of bright lines seen
when erbia is rendered incandescent would seem to suggest
whether this earth may not be volatile in a small degree, as is the
case with lime, magnesia, and some other earths. The peculiarity,

however, of the bright lines of erbia, observed by Bahr and

Bunsen, that they could not be seen in the flame beyond the
limits of the solid erbia, deserves attention. My own experiments
to detect the lines in the Bunsen gas-flame, even when a very thin
Avire was used, so as to allow the erbia to attain nearly the heat of
the flame, were unsuccessful. The bright line in the green appears,
indeed, to rise to a very small extent beyond the continuous
spectrum, but was unable to assure myself whether
I this appear-
ance might not be an effect of irradiation.
“ It is perhaps worthy of remark that the chlorides of sodium,

* “ For the spectra of metallic strontium, barium, and calcium, see Phil.

Trans. 1864, p. 148, and Plates I. and II. Both forms of the spectra of these
”
substances are represented by Thalen in his Spektralanalys.’ ‘
 METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECIEA. 149

manent spectrum, Mitscherlich has devised the

following expedient. A solution of the substance
to be examined is introduced into a small glass
vessel a (Fig. 62), closed at the top and bent round
at the lower end, which terminates in a narrow
tube b. In this opening is placed a bundle of very
fine platinum wire c, tightly held together by a wire
of platinum, and secured into the tube by the bent
position of the wires. By capillary attraction, the
liquid is continually drawn through the opening by

potassium, lithium, caesium, and rubidium give spectra of defined

lines which are not altered in character by the introduction of a
Leyden jar, and which, in the case of sodium, potassium, and

lithium, we know to resemble the spectra obtained when electrodes

of the metals are used. Now all these metals belong to the
monad group appeared therefore interesting to observe the
;
it

behaviour of the other metal belonging to this group.

“ Chloride of silver when introduced
into the Bunsen flame
gave no lines. The mixed with alumina, which
chloride was then
had been found to give a continuous spectrum only, and exposed
to the oxyhydrogen flame, but no lines were visible. When, how-
ever, the moistened chloride was placed on cotton and subjected to
the induction spark without a jar, the true metallic spectrum was
seen, as when silver electrodes are used.

“The behaviour of silver, therefore, is similar to that of the

other metals of the monad group. Now the difference in basic
which is
relations known
to exist between the oxides of the
monatomic and polyatomic metals would be in accordance with
the distinction which the spectroscope shows to exist in the
behaviour of their chlorides ;
the chlorides of the polyatomic
metals would be more likely to split up in the presence of water

into oxides and hydrochloric acid.

“In the case of some of the oxides and chlorides, one or more
of the lines appeared to agree with corresponding lines in the
metallic spectra ;
it may be, therefore, that under some circum-
stances, as in the case of magnesium burning in air, the metallic

vapour and the volatilized oxide may be simultaneously present.”]

150 SPECTRUM ANAL VS/S.
the platinum wick to the place of volatilization. A
series of such tubes may be ranged round the cir-
cumference of a revolving table d (Fig. 63), so that
the platinum wick of anyone of them can be brought
at will into the flame of the Bunsen burner //, placed
near the edge of the table. An addition of acetate
of ammonia to the solution assists the capillary
action of the platinum wick, which when rightly
placed in the flame allows of the spectrum being
continuously observed for nearly two hours.
Not less complete, and more generally applicable,
is the following contrivance by Morton, of Phila-

Fig. 62.

b
Mitscherlich’s Spectrum Wick.

clelphia, which, intended principally for the produc-

tion of monochrojuatic (homogeneous) light on a large
scale, is also employed in spectrum researches for
bringing a continuous supply of greater quantities
of the substances to be examined into the Bunsen
flame. The apparatus consists of four or five or-
dinary non-luminous Bunsen lamps AB (Fig. 64),
fixed into one common gas tube D, and enclosed
below, where the supply of air is received, by a cover
 1

METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA. 15

in g of tin C D. At one side of this case is a wide

opening- C, through which the point F of a dis-
perser E supplies a stream of vapour by the heat of a
spirit lamp, or else a stream of air driven through is

the tube F, by means of bellows or an indian rubber

ball, in the manner of an ordinary spray apparatus.
Close under the orifice of the pointed tube F is a
glass tube which reaches down into a glass vessel con-
taining a solution of the substance to be examined.

Fig. 63.

Mitscherlich’s Apparatus for Permanent Spectra.

The stream of air or vapour forces some of the

liquid in the vessel G up the vertical glass tube,
and disperses it ;
the fine particles, mixed with a
sufficient quantity of atmospheric air, are driven
forcibly through the orifice C into the tin case,
where they are mingled with the coal gas and are
 152 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
mouth of the burners.
volatilized at the By this
method Morton has produced monochromatic light of
various kinds on a large scale, especially the yellow
light of sodium, by the use of a solution of common
salt, which with a suitable disposition of sixty such
sets of burners he employed for the production of
magic effects on the stage.

Application of the Induction Coil.

When the heat of the Bunsen burner is not suf-
ficient to volatilize the substance to be investigated,
recourse must be had to those sources of still

Fig. 64.

greater heat that have been already described (oxy-

hydrogen flame, p. 23, the voltaic arc, p. 39, the in-
duction coil, p. 33), among which the induction coil
deserves the preference on account of its greater
facility of management. The apparatus
is em-

ployed in the usual manner by moistening the ends

of the platinum wires, between which the spark
passes, with the substance to be investigated, and
 ;

METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA. 153

examining the spectrum of the spark, or, when

this heat is insufficient, by intensifying the spark
through the interposition of a special condensing
apparatus (p. 33).

In general, however, the effect of this method is

to produce two different spectra, which are super-

posed, one of the gas in which the spark passes,
and the other of the metal forming the poles. If

electrodes of different metals be employed, and the

spark be allowed to pass always through the same
gas, the spectrum of the luminous gas appears as if

it were a background upon which the more intense

spectra of the metals are well relieved.
The way in which a Leyden jar is interposed for
intensifying the spark is easily understood by re-

ference to Fig. 65. M is the end of the induction

coil, which to ensure a discharge of some intensity
is supplied with electricity from a powerful Bunsen
battery of from six to eight elements (Fig. 13).
The extremities of the coil are fastened into the in-
sulated binding screws 1 and 2. From the first

(1) of these pass two wires, one (4) to the binding

screw d and the other to the knob K,
,
in connection
with the inner coating of the intensifying jar R
from the second (2) also pass two wires, one to the
binding screw a ,
and the other (3) to O, where
it is connected by means of the copper disk T with
the outer coating of R. B and D are wire holders
for the reception of the metals, the spectra of which
are to be examined, or for the insertion when neces-
sary of platinum wires, the ends of which may be
154 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
smeared with the substances to be investigated.
The upper metallic arm ab B is insulated from the
lower arm d D
by the intervening piece of ebonite,
so that the equalization of the opposite electricities
accumulated in i and 2 can take place only through
the wires B and D
i, and the spark can only
at
pass when the quantity of electricity accumu-
lated in the jar R is of such an intensity as to

enable the discharge to break through the stratum

of air between the wires B and D. Sparks pro-
duced in this way are shorter than those not inten-
sified, but far more powerful ;
they are very bright,
and of so intense a heat that all metals may be
raised to incandescence in them and volatilized ;
 METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA. 55

the spectra thus obtained are unfortunately not

steadily visible, for owing to the discontinuous
action of the machine, they flash out momentarily
with every fresh spark, and by their inconstant light
interrupt investigation. #
Browning has much improved and simplified this
method of introducing a Leyden jar into the current
of an induction coil by substituting plates of ebonite

Fig. 66.

Browning’s Intensifying Apparatus.

for the glass jar. When these are coated on both

sides with tinfoil, they act like a Leyden jar. Brown-
ing places from four to six of such plates in layers
entirely insulated one from another, enclosed in a
case A, seen in Fig. 66. By a simple mechanical

* [The difficulty is easily removed by such an arrangement of

the power of the coil relatively to the size of the jars, that the dis-
charges succeed each other with a rapidity sufficient to produce a
persistent impression on the eye.]
156 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
contrivance inside the box one or more of these
intensifying plates can be used as required. The
brass rod B, with the two ebonite holders C, D for
wire or glass, is screwed on to the lid of the case,
and is placed within the box when the condenser is

not in requisition. The substances to be investi-

gated, or the metal wires, are inserted between the
platinum forceps 3 and 4, from the binding screws of
which the conducting wires 1 , 2 lead to the poles
-v,
y of the ebonite plates projecting from the box.
The whole apparatus is by means of the same
binding screws placed in connection with the wires
(1, 2, Fig. 65) of the induction machine. The
ebonite holder D is fitted for the reception of glass

tubes or other vessels provided with conducting

wires —the details of which will be given hereafter,
— and by the help of a spring, of Geissler’s tubes,
so that the spectrum of the substances they con-
tain, whether in a liquid or gaseous condition, may
be brought under examination.
The first successful contrivance for' the exami-
nation of the spectra of liquids, and of substances
in a state of solution, is due to Seguin, of Grenoble,

whose plan has been greatly extended and very

variously applied by Becquerel. The contrivance,
as arranged by Ruhmkorff and Browning, for con-
venient use, consists of several glass vessels, b , bz , b 2 ,

(Fig. 67), five or six inches in height, and rather

more than an inch in width, inserted in the small

table A B ;
these vessels are fused at one end,
while at the other they are closed by corks. A
 METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA 1 57

platinum wire fused into the lower end of the

vessels, and projecting into the inside, places
the liquids they contain in connection with the
negative pole of the induction coil, while a second
platinum wire, fused into the narrow glass tubes
a a l9 a 2
, ,
passes through the corks from above, and

Fig. 67.

The Becquerel- Ruhmkorff Apparatus.

projecting one-twentieth of an inch from the small

tubes, remains some tenth of an inch distant from
the surface of the liquids. By connecting the
binding
screws 1 ,
2 on one side with the inductor, and on the
other side, as shown in the figure, with the platinum
158 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
wire b of the first vessel, and a 2 of the last vessel,

and by placing the other wires in connection, a with

bz , a T with b 2 , etc., the electric current may be made
to pass through all the liquids, and by the passage
of the spark between the upper platinum wires a a , z ,

a 2 and the liquids, the substances in solution

,
may
be volatilized in the heat, and their various spectra
obtained at the same time.
When the action of the induction coil is so regu-
lated that the interruption of the current and con-
sequent passage of the spark takes place in rapid

succession, the spectrum remains almost perfectly

free from disturbance, and the apparatus works for
hours together like an intense heat-lamp constantly
fed with the substances to be investigated. As, how-
ever, by the rapid succession of sparks the liquids in
the smaller glass tubes often become considerably
heated, wider tubes should be employed when the
apparatus is to be used for many consecutive hours.
For these experiments, solutions of the various
metallic compounds of chlorine in pure water are
the most suitable when in a concentrated form
;

they produce spectra of great intensity, but weak

solutions will give spectra that are easily to be
recognized. The spark is coloured more or less
intensely according to the nature of the metal held
in solution. The following metals give great bril-
liancy to it : chloride of sodium (yellow) ;
chloride
of strontium (red) ;
chloride of calcium (orange) ;

chloride of magnesium (green) ;

chloride of copper
(greenish-blue) ;
chloride of zinc (blue) ;
but various
 METHODS FOR EXHIBITING SPECTRA. 159

other compounds of barium, potassium, antimony,

manganese, silver, uranium, iron, etc., give also
very remarkable colourings, and corresponding
characteristic spectra. It is one advantage of this

method of investigation, that the spark from pla-

tinum wires produces no direct spectrum of platinum,
inasmuch as the heat is not sufficiently great to
volatilize this metal completely.
For the investigation of the spectra of gases,
either Plücker’s tubes (Fig. 12 ) may be employed,
for which besides the glass tubes provided with
platinum or aluminium wires, a special quicksilver
air-pump is requisite; or Angstrom’s plan may be
adopted, in which the electric discharge from a
Leyden jar or induction machine is allowed to pass
between two points of one and the same metal
enclosed in glass tubes, which are filled with the
gases to be examined. In the first case, the tube
R, filled with highly rarefied gas, is placed within
the spring clamp B, lined with cork, and movable
upon the stand A (Fig. 68), which at the same time
revolves upon its horizontal axis, and therefore
serves to place the tubes vertically or horizontally,
as may be required ;
when the electric discharge
passes through the tube, the enclosed gas becomes
luminous, and shines in the narrow part of the
tube with an intense light ;
it is only necessary
then to bring the slit of the spectroscope as near
as possible to the tube in a position parallel to
its length, to recognize at once a distinct spec-
trum of the gas. In the other plan, where the
i6o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

spark passes between two points of metal in the

gas to be investigated, the gas or metal spectrum
is more or less brilliant according to the distance
of the points one from the other; the spectrum of
the gas should therefore be observed in the middle
between the metal points, where it is most dis-

Fig. 68.

Stand for Plücker’s Tubes.

tinctly marked and most easily distinguished from

the discontinuous spectrum of the metal. #

* [A convenient method of observing the spectra of gases at

the atmospheric pressure is to cause the induction spark to pass
between wires sealed in a glass tube which is drawn into an open
capillary point at one end, and at the other is connected with the
vessel in which the gas is slowly produced. The glass tube should
be cut away in front of the wires, the edges ground flat, and a
 INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON SPECTRA . 161

31. Influence of Temperature and Density

on the Spectra of Gases.
Bunsen and Kirchhoff have proved that the de-
gree of heat of the flame in which a substance is

volatilized and made luminous has no influence on

the position of the coloured lines of the spectrum,
but that it affects considerably their number and
brightness. As the brightness increases with the
temperature of the flame, it often happens that
bright lines will appear in the spectrum of the same
substance at a high degree of heat which were
scarcely to be seen, or indeed were invisible, at a
lower temperature. The spectrum of thallium, a
metal recently discovered by spectrum analysis,
consists of a single bright green line when vola-
tilized in a Bunsen burner ;
but if the electric spark
be allowed to pass between two thallium wires,
many other lines become visible at the far higher
temperature of the spark, among them a set of
violet-coloured bands at some distance from the
bright green line. Lithium in a moderate tem-
perature gives only the one magnificent red line
already alluded to ;
at a higher temperature a faint
orange line makes its appearance, and at the ex-

small plate of glass held air-tight over the opening by elastic

bands, an arrangement which permits of any deposit on the

inside of the tube being easily removed. By this method fresh
portions of gas are constantly exposed to the spark, which is of
importance when some compound gases are under examination,
and some sources of impurity, which are possible when the gas is

collected, are avoided.]

162 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
treme neat of the voltaic arc Tyndall was the first

to notice, during a lecture at the Royal Institution,

the further addition of a bright blue band. The
principal red line (Ka) of potassium can be made
to appear and disappear according as the tem-
perature is increased or diminished. By the use of
an ordinary Bunsen burner producing a moderately
high temperature, this line is always apparent in

the spectrum of potassium ;

but if the temperature
be raised by the use of bellows it immediately
disappears.* If a few grains of common salt be
dropped into the flame of a Bunsen burner, there
is emitted an intense light of one colour, producing
a spectrum of one single yellow line. If the tem-
perature of the flame be raised by a further supply
of oxygen, the brilliancy of this line is immediately
augmented, and the number of coloured lines

so much increased as to approach somewhat to a

continuous spectrum. f If Debrai’s heating appa-

* [The red line is present with the intense heat of the induction
spark, and is double. In addition, Huggins observed about sixteen
lines, which are marked in his maps, when the induction spark was

taken between electrodes of metallic potassium. When metallic

lithium was employed, only one line of moderate intensity was
^een in addition to the three strong lines which distinguish this
substance.]
t [In 1863 Huggins observed that when an induction spark is
passed between electrodes of sodium, in addition to the well-known
double line, three other pairs of lines and a nebulous band make
their appearance in the spectrum. The two more prominent of
these are not far from air lines, and with an instrument of in-
sufficient dispersive power might easily be confounded with them.
He showed that these lines really belong to sodium, and not to
accidental impurities.
 —

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON SPECTRA. 163

ratus be made use of, and the sodium vapour

raised to the temperature of 2500° C. (45 3 2° Fahr.),
the bright lines become so numerous that the dif-
ferent colours run one into the other, and produce
a continuous spectrum. The former yellow sodium
flame has become white, and contains rays of every
degree of refrangibility.
Plücker and Hittorf obtained similar results in

their researches on the spectra of luminous gases

and vapours, whereby they proved the existence
of two different spectra (of the first and the second
order) in hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus,
sulphur, selenium, etc. The spectrum of the first

order is a continuous one, with shaded bands ;

that
of the second order consists of narrow bright lines
on a dark background : the former appears with
an electric discharge of moderate tension, while
the latter belongs to a high temperature, such as
can be produced in Geissler’s tubes by the electric

spark at a high tension.

There is also at least one bright line between the well-known

lines coincident with D. He describes his comparison of this
spectrum of sodium with the solar spectrum thus :

“ So numerous are the fine lines of the solar spectrum, and so

difficult is it to be certain of absolute coincidence, that I hesitate
to saymore than that the pair of lines 818 and 821 (of the scale of
the maps in Phil. Trans., 1864) appeared to agree in position with
Kirchhoff’s lines 864' 1 and 867-1 and of the pair 1169 and 1174,
;

one appears to coincide with a line sharply seen in the solar spec-
trum, but not marked in Kirchhoff’s map, which would be about
1150-2 of his scale, and the other with Kirchhoff’s line 1154-2.
The other pair and the nebulous band axe too faint to admit of
satisfactory comparison with solar lines.”]
10 A
 164 SPEC TR UM A NA L VSIS.

Still, however, in some cases where the same kind

of electric discharge is employed, different spectra
are obtained according to the degree of density
given to the gas enclosed in the tubes. Wiillner
has followed out these investigations with hydrogen,
oxygen, and nitrogen, and obtained, according to
their degree of density, from two to four spectra for
each of these gases.
The following remarkable phenomena are ex-
hibited by hydrogen with the use of one of Ruhm-
korff’s large induction machines, set in action by a
battery of six of Grove’s elements, and with the
occasional introduction of a Leyden jar (Fig. 65).
When the pressure to which the gas is subjected is

much less than one-twentieth of an inch of mercury,

the spectrum is discontinuous, consisting of six
groups of extremely bright lines in the green. When
the density of the gas increases, there appears tem-
porarily ,
by the use of a simple induction current
not too strong, a spectrum of bands, I. order (Fig. 69,
No. 1), which however, on the pressure. of the gas
amounting to one-twentieth of an inch, soon changes
into the spectrum of lines designated by Plücker as
II. order (Fig. 69, No. 2), and consisting of the
three lines H a (vivid red), H
ß (bright green-blue)
and Hy (blue-violet, and fainter than the others).
(Compare Frontispiece No. 7.)* When the pressure
on the gas exceeds that of one-tenth of an inch, a

* A
fourth line, H
3 (violet), was discovered by Angstrom in this
spectrum, which corresponds with the dark line in the solar spectrum
marked h.
 INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON SPECTRA. 165

bright light appears in the red and in two places

in the green, and with an increase of pressure the
spectrum assumes more and more the character of a
spectrum of bands (I. order) extending from orange
to blue, but still crossed by a series of bright lines
between H« and H ß. Up to a pressure of eight
inches this spectrum retains its full brilliancy, but as

the pressure increases to sixteen inches it gradually

loses in intensity, without its general character

Fig. 69.

Spectra of the various Orders.

being essentially altered, excepting that the indi-

vidual lines, as was observed by Plücker, begin to
widen.
If the pressure be still further increased, the spec-

trum becomes brighter again, the yellow and the

orange gradually reappear, the line H « remains
j66 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
still very bright, but is somewhat indistinct at the
edges. From this line, however, a completely con-
tinuous spectrum without bands extends from the
orange to the violet, and is brightest where the line
Hß was situated. With a further increase of den-
sity the brightness of the spectrum is throughout
much increased ;
under a pressure of twenty-nine
inches, there is still a faint maximum of light per-
ceptible at the spot H «, which at a pressure of
thirty-nine inches almost ceases to be visible.
The spectrum is then completely continuous between
H a and Hß ,
like that of an incandescent solid
body, only the brightness is somewhat differently
distributed. The temperature of the tube is now
raised so high by the heat of the gas that the
sodium line appears as a bright orange line, which
is occasioned by the vapour of sodium given out by
the glass. With a pressure of forty-eight inches
the whole of the continuous spectrum is really
dazzling; and even under a pressure of fifty-two
inches the electric discharge from the jar may still

be passed through the tube, though it now takes

place only by flashes.
The changes, therefore, through which the spec-
trum of hydrogen gas successively passes when the
density of the gas is gradually increased from the
minimum up to the maximum pressure at which
the induction current ceases to pass are as follows :

i, the spectrum of six lines in the green; 2, the

temporary spectrum of bands (I. order); 3, the
spectrum of three lines (II. order); 4, the more per-
 ;

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON SPECTRA. 167

manent and complete spectrum of bands (I. order)

5, the pure continuous spectrum.

That the shaded spectrum of bands (Fig. 69,
No. 1) differs essentially from the unshaded continu-
ous spectrum, shown by Wüllner’s observations
is

with the Leyden jar. When the condenser was

introduced the shaded spectrum was not visible, but
by an increase of pressure the spectrum of the three
lines, Ha, H ß, H 7, passed at once by a widening

of the lines into the unshaded continuous spectrum;

it is therefore incorrect to describe, as is often done,
a spectrum of bands as a continuous spectrum of
I. order, and also to speak of two distinct continu-
ous spectra.
Oxygen exhibits nearly the same phenomena.
Under slight pressure there first appears a spec-
trum of bands ;
as the pressure increases, this
spectrum gives place to what Plücker has desig-
nated a spectrum of lines, which loses in brilliancy

as the density of the gas increases, till at a pressure

of eight inches it is scarcely visible. The bright-
ness then augments, and at the same time there
appears as a background an unshaded pure con-
tinuous spectrum, which becomes so brilliant in the
red and yellow as to incorporate with itself the lines
of the other spectrum, which are no longer distin-
guished by their greater brightness.
In nitrogen, the change from the spectrum of
bands (I. order) to the pure continuous spectrum is

very distinctly marked, since at a certain density of

the gas the spectrum of bands I. order (Fig. 69,
 i68 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
No. 3) disappears, and is replaced by the spectrum
of lines II. order upon a dark background ;
it is not
till afterwards that the background becomes quite
continuous and luminous.
If it be conclusively established by these inves-
tigations of Wüllner that the various spectra of
a gas are dependent upon its density, and that
the continuous spectrum is formed at the greatest

density and with the strongest induction current

that can be made to pass, yet the answer to
the question as to the dependence of these spectra
upon the temperature of the gas is still left to
conjecture, since the connection between the kind
of electric current and the temperature of the
spark or of the glowing gas has not yet been
ascertained. Everything, however, seems to point
to the conclusion that the spectrum of bands
(I. order) is characteristic of the lowest temperature
—a conclusion which seems to be borne out first of
all by the early observation of Plücker and Hittorf,
who always obtained a spectrum of batids with a
simple induction current, but a spectrum of lines
when a condenser was introduced and secondly ;

by the observations made by Wüllner on a great

variety of gases. The spectrum of lines (II. order)
is the result of a higher degree of heat, the con-
tinuous spectrum that of the highest temperature.
The spectrum of six lines occurs at the minimum
pressure, under a similar condition of the electric
discharge (by flashes or impulses) that took place
with the maximum pressure ;
the temperature of
 INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON SPECTRA. 169

the gas producing this spectrum is therefore in

all cases higher than that by which a spectrum of

bands is produced.
In conformity with this view, that the continuous
spectrum appears only with the highest tempera-
tures, such as are requisite to render luminous
gas of great density, is the fact discovered by
Frankland, that as the yellow sodium flame be-
comes white when burning in a stream of oxygen,
and then emits rays of every refrangibility, so also
does the flame of hydrogen, usually so little

luminous, become a white luminous flame in com-

pressed oxygen gas by an increase of temperature,
when it emits a continuous spectrum.
The doubt still left by these investigations as to
whether the difference in the spectra of hydrogen
is to be ascribed mainly to the influence of pressure
or to the temperature conditional on that pressure,
must first be settled before it can be determined
from the appearance of one or other spectrum what
the amount of pressure is to which the gas is sub-
jected,and this is rendered the more necessary by
the investigations lately undertaken by Secchi con-
cerning the various spectra of hydrogen, nitrogen,
bromium, and chlorine.
Secchi sent the electric spark from an ordinary
friction machine, through a tube filled with rarefied
nitrogen, the tube being so constructed as to con-
sist of three lengths of tubes of various calibres,
the first portion a capillary tube, the second part
one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and the third
i7o SPECTR UM A NA L YSIS.

about three-tenths of an inch. When the conductor

was placed in connection with one of the platinum
wires from the tube, while the other wire com-
municated with the friction cushion, there was
seen in the capillary tube only the spectrum of
I. order, consisting of narrow connected stripes
or bands, giving the appearance of grooves (Fig.
69, No. 3). When, on the contrary, one of the
platinum wires was connected with a metal knob,
and a spark allowed to pass, while the other wire
conducted to the earth, the spectrum changed ac-
cording to the length of the spark. When the spark
reached the length of three-quarters of an inch, the
capillary tube shone with a green light, and gave a
spectrum of lines, or that of II. order, while the
wider portions of the tube gave a spectrum of bands
of I. order. With a sufficient length of spark, there-
fore, three varieties of spectra may be seen at the
same time ;
in the narrowest part of the tube the
spectrum of IT. order with bright lines appears,
and in the two wider parts of the tube are to be
seen spectra of bands or stripes. One of these
latter spectra is that described by Plücker as con-
sisting of fine groove-like bands, and the other is
composed of wider bands, which are so spread out
that three of them are equal to eight of the former.
The same phenomena occur if instead of an elec-
trical machine a powerful induction coil be used,

and a condenser introduced into the current.

Similar results were obtained from bromine,
chlorine, and hydrogen, which prove that in different
 TEMPERATURE AND THE WIDTH OF LINES . 171

ections of the same tube filled with gas of the same

density, spectra of the various orders may be obtained at
the same time.

Now the influence of the diameter of the tube

upon the temperature of the enclosed gas is the
same, no doubt, as that which occurs in the metal
wires, in which it has been established that the
heat increases in an inverse ratio to the square of
the diameter. It therefore follows that the tempe-
rature of the gas is greatest in the capillary part of
the tube, and that under an equal pressure of the gas
the spectrum of bands (I. order) corresponds to a
lower temperature than the spectrum of lines (II.

order).
The temperatures at which these spectra of the
various orders are produced are not the same for
all gases. In a tube containing both nitrogen and
aqueous vapour, the lines of hydrogen (spectrum II.

order) made their appearance at the same time as

the spectrum of bands I. order of nitrogen, whence
it follows that the lines of hydrogen are visible in a
temperature in which the lines of nitrogen do not
appear.

32. Influence of the Temperature of Gases on

the Width of the Lines of the Spectrum.
The width of the lines of the spectrum de-
pends in general upon the width of the slit of the
spectroscope ;
by widening the slit these lines also
widen, without their brilliancy being affected. This
width, as a rule, is not less than that of the slit, but
172 SPEC TR UM ANAL YSIS.

lines wider than the slit are often observed. An

exception to this rule is found in some lines in the
spectra of gases when they have been produced at
different temperatures. The spectrum of hydrogen
occupies so important a place in the investigations
of the physical constitution of the sun and other
heavenly bodies, that it will be desirable here to
mention the facts which relate to the widening and
contracting of the three characteristic lines.

Plücker and Hittorf were the first to observe that

in a narrow tube filled with hydrogen the three
characteristic lines Ha, H ß, Hy (Frontispiece
No. 7) appeared at a certain degree of rarefaction.
By raising the temperature of the tube by the
introduction of a Leyden jar, or other means of
intensifying the electric discharge, an increase of
the width of the line H y, towards both ends of the
spectrum, is first apparent, then a widening of the
lineH ß, while Ha remains almost unchanged till

H y has passed into an undefined, broad violet band,

and H ß has, with diminished intensity, become
extended in both directions. With a pressure of
2* inches, the spectrum of lines has already passed
into a continuous spectrum ;
and under a pressure
of 14* inches the intensity of the spectrum has so
much increased that the red line H «, now widened
into a band, is scarcely distinguishable from the
rest of the spectrum.
When the gas is highly rarefied, the line H« is

the first to disappear, while Hß is still distinctly

visible.
 TEMPERATURE AND THE WIDTH OF LINES. 173

These observations upon pressure have been

confirmed by Wiillner as follows: under a pressure
of s of an inch the spectrum of hydrogen con-
sists of the three lines; with a pressure of jL inch,
the line Hy is considerably increased in width,

Hß less so, while H« remains unchanged. When

the pressure is increased to 18 inches, the lines
Hy and Hß have so far expanded that continuous
bands of colour appear in their places, and Ha is

visible only as a wide, diffused line, until at the

great pressure of 22 inches the spectrum is per-
fectly continuous, and Ha is no longer to be
recognized as a line, but is changed into a broad
red space.
It was found by Secchi by employing tubes of
varying calibre (§ 31) that with a diminution of
the tension and temperature of the electric spark,
the width of the hydrogen lines decreased, till with
thesame width of slit they disappeared, or else be-
came very fine and scarcely to be seen, in the parts
of the tubes of greatest diameter, while they con-
tinued visible in the capillary portions. It therefore
follows that with same pressure on the gas a
the
diminution of temperature is accompanied by a
narrowing of the hydrogen lines, and it seems that
with a given density there is a limit of temperature at
which the three bright Imes of this gas disappear.
Were it possible to estimate this temperature, the
amount of pressure to which the gas was subjected
could be inferred. This question is involved in

considerable difficulty, but is at the same time of

 174 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
such great importance in the investigations of the
solar atmosphere that it will no doubt soon engage
the attention of those physicists who have the re-
quisite apparatus at their command.

33. Influence of Temperature on the delicacy

of Spectrum Reactions.

Bunsen and Kirchhoff discovered in their first

labours on this subject, that the spectra of alkalies

and alkaline earths increased in intensity as the
temperature to which they were subjected increased,
but it remained uncertain whether the increased
brightness resulted merely from the increased vola-
tilization of these metals or from the consequent
increased delicacy of the spectrum reactions.
Cappel has therefore lately renewed these investi-

gations ;
solutions of the metallic salts were volati-
lized between the poles of a small induction machine
giving a spark f
of an inch long, and by the use of
Mitscherlich’ s glass tubes, provided with platinum
wicks (Fig. 62), the spectrum made permanent for
some time. A
series of solutions, each half the
strength of the preceding one, were prepared from
a number of metallic chlorides; the spectrum of the
metal which was in connection with the positive
pole was continuously observed, while increasingly
concentrated solutions were brought in succession
into the electric current till the lines of the sub-
stance, the position of which had previously been
accurately determined for that particular spectro-
scope, were clearly visible.
 7 —

TURE AND SPECTRUM REACTIONS. 175

result of these observations is given in the

tig table :

Susceptibility ii 1 Milligrammes

No.
Name of the Metal
investigated. By the use of the By the use of the
Induction Spark. Bunsen Burner.

1
I Caesium . . .
4,000 25,000

2 Rubidium .
1,000 7,000

3 Potassium . . .
400 3,000
1

4 Sodium .... 14,000,000

Lithium ....
i

5 40,000,000 600,000

6 Barium .... 900,000 2,000

7 Strontium . . . 100,000,000 30,000

8 Calcium .... 10,000,000 50,000

9 Magnesium . . 500,000
1

io Chromium . . . 4,000,000
1 1

n Manganese . .
200,000 83
1

12 Zinc j 600,000
1

i 3
Indium .... 90,000
1

2,000

14 Cobalt .... 1

15,000

15 Nickel .... 600

16 Iron 26,000
1

1
Thallium . . .
80,000,000 50,000

18 Cadmium . . .
18,000

19 Lead ..... L_
20,000

20 Bismuth . . .
70,000

21 Copper .... 20,000

T

285

22 Silver .... 12,000

23 Mercury. . . .
10,000
1
24 Gold 4,000
1
25 Tin 17,000

second column contains the minima of me-

176 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
tallic substance needed to produce the principal
characteristic line, therefore the most sensitive line
of the metal. It shows that by the use of this
minimum of metallic substance the spectrum con-
sists of only one single line, with the exception
of copper, the spectrum of which, even with the
smallest perceptible mixture, is composed of three
lines. The third column is compiled from earlier
observations, so modified that the weight of the
mixtures has reference to the amount of metal con-
tained in the compounds.
From this table it appears that, with the exception
of the alkalies, the susceptibility of the spectrum
reactions in the metals, inclusive of lithium, is from
40 to 3,000 times greater in the heat of the electric
spark than in the temperature of the non-luminous
gas flame. Many new lines make their appearance
in the spectrum of the induction spark which are
not visible at a lower temperature.*
As a practical result of these investigations by
Cappel, it seems to be established that the spectrum
analysis of alkalies is best conducted by the tem-
perature of the oxyhydrogen flame, and that of
other metals by the electric spark. It seems pro-
bable that by the use of still higher tension, such as
may be obtained by the introduction of condensers
(Fig. 65), the sensibility of the spectrum reactions
in a great number of metals may, in consequence
of the higher temperature, be raised above the fore-
going limits.
[See note, p. 147.]
 2

COLOURS OF NATURAL OBJECTS. 177

The importance of the choice of a suitable tem-

perature in investigations with spectrum analysis is

shown by the behaviour of strontium. If, for example,

— of a milligramme of this metal be taken, a quan-
tity that can be detected by the ordinary mode of
analysis, l part of this small quantity will be shown
by its spectrum analysis in the Bunsen burner but ;

if the electric spark be employed,

^ part of this last

small particle may be distinguished with the greatest

certainty. Cappel, therefore, rightly maintains that
in searching for new metals the employment of high
temperatures is very important, and that the use of
very powerful induction machines, with the addition
of condensers, would very probably lead to the dis-
covery of new elements.

34. The Colours of Natural Objects.

Besides the colours of the spectrum, which are
the simple elements composing white light, there is

another class of colours apparent in every sub-

stance, which are therefore known as the colours of
natural objects. When we see that a picture is

formed by covering the canvas with various pig-

ments, and that leaves and flowers are bright with
the most beautiful tints, while white cloth becomes
red, green, or blue according to the colour of the
liquid into which it is dipped, we are easily led to
believe that every substance carries in itself its own
colour, which is peculiar to it alone, and is inherent
in the substance. At most, we might admit that
light was requisite to render the colour visible.
1
173 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
And yet this is not so. Were colours really
something inherent in the object, every coloured
substance would manifestly appear always of the
same colour by whatever light it was illuminated.
But this, as every one knows, is not the case. The
beautiful violet dress which in daylight appears of
the purest colour seems dull and gloomy by gas-
light; materials which in daylight are a bright blue
are tinged with green in candle or lamp light. And
what if the landscape or a coloured object be viewed
through a tinted glass ? All colours then seem
changed, without the objects in themselves being
altered ;
if the colour of the glass be intense, the
various colours of the objects immediately dis-

appear, and everything seems shaded in the colour

of the glass. The same thing happens if some
common salt be rubbed into the wick of a spirit

lamp, and surrounding objects viewed by the yellow

light of such a flame ;
the colours disappear, or lose
much of their brilliancy, and everything seems either
in mere light and shade, or else of a dull grey.
These facts clearly prove that colours are not
inherent in objects, that they have no independent
existence, but that they are called forth by some
extraneous cause.
On the other hand, these considerations show
that there must be something in the objects them-
selves to help in the formation of colour ;
for they

in no way assume the colour of the light illumi-

nating them, but appear, as a rule, of quite a

different hue.
 ;

COLOURS OF NATURAL OBJECTS. 179

The natural colour of an object is that in which

it appears when illuminated by the pure white light
of the sun, or by daylight ;
it is called red or blue
when it so appears by daylight. Now if an object
be illuminated by white and yet appear of
light,

another colour, the cause of the change must be

looked for in the influence which the surface of the
body exercises on the ether waves constituting
white light. The effects of this influence are very
different according to the nature of the colouring
matter with which the object is provided ;
but they
may mostly be reduced to one of two cases —either
that a portion of the ether motion is entirely
stopped, or so considerably diminished in its

passage over the ponderable atoms of the substance,

as that heat instead of light is evolved, — or else that
the ether waves are irregularly reflected from the
surface of the object, as sometimes occurs with the
waves of sound. In the first case the rays of light
are said to be absorbed in the latter, scattered .

When the surface of a body has the property of

absorbing all the colours of the solar spectrum with
the exception of one, — the red, for example, — that
body appears red to us by daylight because this
colour alone is reflected to the eye. When, on the
contrary, it has the power of absorbing some of the
rays, — the red and orange, for instance, — and of re-
flecting the others, namely, the yellow, green, and
blue, the colour of the object will then be that pro-
duced by the mixture of the unabsorbed — the re-
flected —colours. Now as white light contains the
12 A
 *

i So SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
whole range of colours visible in the spectrum, it

can easily be understood why so many different

coloured objects should be seen in nature with such
an infinite variety of tints.

When all the colours of white light are reflected

from an object in the same proportions as they
occur in the solar spectrum, the object appears
white by daylight, and brilliant in proportion to the
quantity of light it reflects. In proportion, how-
ever, as it reflects fewer rays of all kinds, the
white loses in intensity; the object appears first

grey, then dark, and at last black, when all the rays
falling upon it are absorbed and none reflected.
Those objects are therefore black the surfaces
of which are so constituted as to absorb all the
coloured rays of white light ;
those are white which
reflect all the rays which fall upon the surface; and
those are coloured which reflect some of the rays
and absorb others.
A white object may therefore appear of all

colours : if red light falls upon it, it reflects it to

the eye, and appears red ;
in blue light it ap-
pears blue ;
in green light, green, etc. ;
whereas a
black object always appears black, whatever may
be the colour of the light by which it is illuminated.
We may here further remark that a coloured sub-
stance assumes a different tint when illuminated by

* [A certain proportion of the light falling upon coloured bodies

is usually sent back unchanged by superficial reflection, without
undergoing the elective absorption to which the colour of the
substance is due.]
 ;

COLOURS OF NATURAL OBJECTS. 181

coloured light, and then appears of another than its

natural, that is to say, daylight colour. Vermilion,

for example, when placed in red light becomes of
a more fiery red ;
in orange or yellow light, it ap-
pears orange or yellow, but deeper in tone ;
green
rays impart to it something of their own tint, but a
the red substance can reflect only a few of the gree i

rays, it appears pale and dull by their light ;

it

seems still duller and darker in blue light, and with

indigo and violet it is almost black.
These phenomena are explained by the supposi-
tion that the surfaces of coloured bodies possess
the property of reflecting the rays of one particular
colour in far greater proportion than those of the
other colours ;
they do not therefore appear black
when illuminated by a light differing from their
own natural colour. Take, for example, a piece of
paper half of which is coloured a deep blue and half
red : the coloured rays other than the blue and red
are not all absorbed : it is true that the blue piece
reflects the blue rays pre-eminently and in greatest

number, as the red part does the red rays, but the red
has also the capability of reflecting other rays to
a small amount. If the pure yellow light of a
spirit flame impregnated with salt be allowed to fall

on the paper in a completely dark room, the paper

must appear black if the colouring matter reflect
only the red and blue rays, because the yellow
rays of the burning sodium will be absorbed, and
no other light falls upon the paper: but this is not
the case. The paper only appears black on the
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

blue part ;
the red half is still visibly coloured,
though of a decidedly yellow shade. We therefore
conclude that the blue of the paper does not reflect

the yellow rays, but that the red has that power in
a small degree. Almost all coloured objects act
like the red paper ;
they reflect pre-eminently one
particular colour, namely, that one of which they
appear by daylight ;
but they are able also to reflect
in small quantities all other or at least seme other
colours, and so they vary in tint according to the
kind of light in which they are seen.
The colours of objects are very rarely pure and
simple like those of the spectrum; most of them
arecomposed of several colours, and can be de-
composed into their original elements by a prism.
As without prismatic decomposition we are unable
merely from the colour of an object to say positively
which colours are absorbed and which reflected,
so it is equally impossible for us to decide from
the colour of a flame what the composition of its

light may be without investigation. The light of

the sun, the lime-light, the magnesium light, the
light of coal gas, petrolium, and oil, all appear to
us more or less white, and yet the spectra of the
various lights differ considerably. It is true they
all contain the whole range of the colours of the
spectrum, from red to violet ;
but each colour is pre-
sent in very different proportions. The light from
gas, oil, and candles has less blue than that of the
sun and the lime-light, and very much less violet.

A blue material will therefore reflect less blue by

 ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY SOLIDS. 183

lamp, gas, or candle light than by daylight ;

the
colour will not only be flat and dull, but will have a
touch of green in it on account of the preponderance
of yellow light. Blue and violet especially receive
a green tinge by candlelight, in which these colours
appear much duller than in daylight ;
and indeed
sometimes, according to the nature of the colouring
matter employed, this tint is so decided that in

artificial light many kinds of green cannot be dis-

tinguished from blue.

35. Absorption of Light by Solid Bodies.

By the term absorption we have already designated
that action by which light, in its passage through
certain media, or by its reflection from the surfaces
of bodies, is weakened, partially retained, or entirely
stopped. We found that those substances called
black absorbed rays of every colour and reflected
no light from their surfaces, and that most sub-
stances absorbed with great avidity rays of certain
colours, while they were insensitive to others. The
cause of this absorption is probably due to the
vibrations of the ether being communicated to the
ponderable molecular particles of the substance.
Similar phenomena are noticed when light is

transmitted through coloured glass. When all the

objects in a landscape appear red through a red
glass, it is because the glass allows only the red
rays to pass through, and absorbs every other
coloured ray : such a glass is transparent only to
red light, and is opaque to every other colour. But
 ;

184 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

it is rarely the case that coloured glass is trans-
parent for one colour only most kinds of glass
;

absorb rays of certain colours, and allow the others

to pass through in very different proportions. The
naked eye is unable to decide which of the coloured
rays are transmitted through a coloured glass
this can only be accurately determined by ana-
lyzing the transmitted light by a spectroscope or
simple prism.
If we examine by a spectroscope the transmitted
light of the coloured glass that we before made use
of (§ 17) for obtaining red, green, and blue light,

it will at once be seen that the ruby red glass trans-

mits some orange and even some yellow rays, as
well as the red, but that it entirely absorbs the
green, blue, and violet rays; the cobalt blue glass
transmits some violet and green rays, besides the
blue, but absorbs all the red rays. If both glasses
be laid one over the other, and a gas flame looked
at through them, it seems as if scarcely a single
ray was transmitted ;
the red glass absorbing the
green, blue, and violet rays, and the blue glass
absorbing the red rays, there pass through only
traces of such light as has not been entirely ab-
sorbed, and this causes the gas flame to appear
of a dull yellow. A combination of several glasses,
or indeed any single glass which absorbs all the
coloured rays composing white light, is opaque, that
is to say, black ;
glass of perfect transparency,
absorbing absolutely none of the transmitted light,

does not exist.

 ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY LIQUIDS . lS 5

36. Absorption of Light by Liquids.

The absorptive power of coloured liquids is in

general much more decided and marked than that of

coloured glass. No colouring matter has yet been
found which will absorb or transmit only one kind
of coloured rays ;
the colours of liquids, therefore,
as seen by white light, are mixed colours, and their

absorption varies exceedingly, according to the

refrangibility of the light which falls upon them,
and the degree of concentration possessed by the

Fig. 70.

Glass Vessel for Absorbent Liquids.

solution. Sorby, Haerlin, Hoppe, and Valentin,

besides Gladstone and Huggins, have delineated a
great number of well-known colouring matters and
other liquids, in the course of their investigations,
and have ascertained to what extent their various
degrees of concentration affect the individual parts
of the continuous spectrum.
If these absorption phenomena are to be exhibited
before a large audience by the use of the electric
or Drummond’s light, it is desirable to take those
186 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
coloured liquids which show their absorption in a
very characteristic manner, as, for instance, a solu-
tion in ether of chlorophyll — the green colouring
matter of leaves, — a solution in water of the colour-
ing matter of human blood, or a thin layer of
potassium permanganate solution.
If a continuous spectrum of white light about

Fig. 71.

Spectra of Absorbent Substances.

six feet long be projected in the usual way, and

a glass vessel (Fig. 70) composed of flat plates
containing the chlorophyll solution introduced into
the path of the rays, the spectrum on the screen
will be seen immediately to change. Dark bands
(Fig. 71, No. 2; Frontispiece No. 10) appear
in the red, as well as in the yellow, green, and
 ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY LIQUIDS. 187

violet portions, and the blue shades give place

to a faint red hue ;
the green chlorophyll solution
does not therefore absorb the whole of the red and
yellow rays, but only those which possess a peculiar
refrangibility or wave-length ;
it exerts the same
influence on most of the blue and violet rays, while
it transmits unchanged all the other colours of white
light.

If a greatly diluted solution of fresh arterial blood

be substituted for the leaf green, the red in the
spectrum will be intensified, while the blue and the
violet will be nearly extinguished. Fig. 71, No. 3,
shows in the yellow and commencement of the
green two dark blood bands, with a faint green
stripe interposed.
These phenomena appear in a much more striking
manner if they are observed through a spectroscope
instead of being projected on a screen; the coloured
liquid is then placed immediately in front of the slit,

and the spectra viewed directly by the eye. It is

needful for this purpose to have small glass troughs

with parallel sides, similar to the one drawn
in Fig. 70, but Stokes recommends carefully se-
lected test-glasses,* any of which may be filled

with the requisite liquid, and placed, as shown in

Fig. 72, close in front of the slit by means of a sup-
*
Browning manufactures such glass tubes and vessels of every
required size and shape, especially in the form of a wedge, so as
to test easily the same liquid at different successive thicknesses.
He also furnishes, enclosed in glass tubes, a whole series of liquids,

the absorptive power of which is either remarkably great or else

manifested in a peculiar way.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
porting ring fastened to the end of the spectroscope.
If the instrument with the slit not too contracted be
directed towards a luminous cloud, or when this is

not available towards a bright light placed imme-

diately in front, there will appear a brilliant spectrum
crossed by dark bands produced by the absorp-
tion of the liquid.
In many cases small changes produced in these
colouring matters by dilution, by chemical action,

Fig. 72,

Observations of Absorption.

or by the increase or diminution of the thickness ol

the stratum of liquid, are accompanied by changes
in the absorption bands, so that a conclusion may
be formed from the position, width, and intensity of
these dark bands as to the nature of the colouring
matter and the circumstances by which it has suffered
alteration. The two dark blood bands are seen in
the yellow-green of a spectrum formed by either day-
light or lamp-light from water infused with but a
 SORBY-BROWNING MICROSPECTROSCOPE. 189

trace of blood, and which exhibits to the naked eye

scarcely a perceptible tinge of yellow. On this ac-

count spectrum analysis has been called into the

service of physiology and pathology, and is fitted to

render valuable aid in medico-legal investigations,

since it is not improbable that the spectroscope,
when in connection with the microscope, will be able
to detect the presence of blood or poison in many
cases where the microscope alone can furnish no re-
sults, or only those of an untrustworthy character.

37. The Sorby-Browning Microspectroscope.

The object of this instrument is to facilitate the
accurate observation of the absorptive phenomena
of the smallest solid and liquid bodies, such as are
prepared for microscopic examination —a corpuscule
of blood, for instance.* Sorby, with the assistance
of Browning, has so arranged the spectroscopic part
of the instrument that it can be applied to any
microscope by fixing it in the place of the ordinary
eyepiece so that the spectroscopic investigation of
an object can be pursued without any change in

the manner of using the instrument. In a com-

* [In his earlier researches with the microscope, Sorby illuminated

the object to be examined by placing it in a spectrum formed on

the stage of the instrument by a prism and lens placed beneath.

Huggins first pointed out the method of observing the spectra of
the light from microscopic objects by means of a slit and a prism
placed above the object-glass of the microscope. (See “ On the
Prismatic Examination of Microscopic Objects,” Trans. Micro-
scopical Society, May 10, 1865.) It is on this principle that the

very convenient instrument described in the text is based.]

190 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

plete instrument a contrivance is attached to the

side by means of which the substances to be investi-
gated may be compared with the spectra of known
substances : this apparatus consists of a small stage,
a prism for comparison (§ 38) and a movable scale
for measuring accurately the places of the absorp-
tion bands.
Fig. 73 shows a perspective view of the whole

The Sorby-Browning Microspectroscope.

0

instrument, as fitted to slide into the upper tube of

the microscope in place of the eyepiece Fig. 74 ;

gives a section showing the internal construction,

and Fig. 75 gives a section through the plane of
the two screws C and H, exhibiting the slit with its
contrivances for adjustment and the prism for com-
oanson.
 SORB Y-BRO WNING MICROSPECTROSCOPE. 1 9

The tube A encloses a second tube carrying- a

direct-vision system of five prisms r, and an achro-
matic lens by means of a milled head B,
/ (Fig. 74);

with screw motion, this inner tube can be moved up

and down, so that the slit situated in the plane of
the screws C and H may be in the focus of the lens

/; consequently the rays from the slit, after passing

through the lens, fall parallel on to the prisms.

Fig. 74.

DD is the stage on which the objects for com-

parison—liquids between plates of glass or small in

tubes — are secured within notched edges, by means

of metal springs, which hold the small glasses in

such a position that the light falling on them from

the side, after its passage through the liquid, reaches

a square opening in the middle of the stage, whence,

as Fig. 74 shows, it passes through a side opening
 192 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

0 into the inside of the principal tube, and falls

upon the reflecting prism R, which acts as a prism

for comparison. When the apparatus for com-
parison is not required, the square opening in the
stage DD is closed by a sliding plate by means of
the screw E, so that the side-light may be shut out
of the instrument.
Fig. 75 gives a section through the plane of the
slit between the screws C and H. The piece n is
fixed, while m is movable, by means of the screw

Fig. 75.
o

H
Adjustments for the Slit in the Microspectroscope.

H and an opposing steel spring, which serves to

widen or narrow the slit. Close over the slit is a
covering plate />, which is moved backwards and
forwards by the screw C and a spring acting
against it, thus enabling the slit to be lengthened
or shortened. The reflecting prism R covers a part
of the slit ;
if this slit be open, and the light from
the object for comparison fall from the side at 0

upon the prism R, it will be reflected back, and be

thrown upon the system of prisms c, together with
 SORB Y-BRO WNING MICROSPECTROSCOPE . 193

the light coming through the open part of the slit

from below (Fig. 74). In this way two spectra

are received in juxtaposition, one produced by the
light passing through the tube G, the other by the
light which has been transmitted through the known
liquid upon the stage D D.
In order to use the microspectroscope, the tube
A, with the prisms, must be removed, and the tube
G inserted into the eyepiece tube, so that the slit

at the eye end shall be parallel to the inner slit A

The object-glass required is then screwed into the
lower part of the microscope, the object the spec-
trum of which is to be investigated laid upon the
stage, and illuminated according as it is transparent
or opaque with a mirror from below or by means of
an achromatic condenser from above, and the focus
adjusted in the same manner as for an ordinary
microscopic investigation, so that the enlarged
image may be distinctly seen. For this purpose it

is requisite that the slit, by means of the screw

H should be opened wide. The tube A, with the
compound prism, is then replaced, its position
regulated with regard to the slit by the screw B,
and the width of the slit adjusted until a well-
defined spectrum is obtained. As each portion of
the spectrum possesses a refrangibility peculiar to
itself, the prisms must, for the delicate absorption
lines, be specially adjusted for each dark line. It

* [Mr. Browning now makes the instrument with a circular

aperture instead of a slit, so that the eye-cap may be placed in any
position.]

13
 ;

194 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

need scarcely be remarked that in these investiga-

tions the lowest possible powers are employed.
When the substance to be investigated is to be
compared with the spectrum of a known substance,
the stage D D is employed in the manner described.
If it be used in daylight, the tube of the microscope

Fig. 76.

must be directed to a bright part of the sky (Fig.

73) for a better illumination of the liquids on the

stage D D, especially by lamp-light, the mirror I is

employed, and is so supported as to allow of its

being placed in any position with respect to the

opening in the stage.

 SORBY-BROWNING MICROSPECTROSCOPE. 195

For the accurate determination of the position of

the absorption lines, the upper cover of the tube A
is removed and replaced by another, which, as re-
presented in Fig. 76, is provided with a lateral tube
a a. In this tube the lens e can be adjusted by
means of the screw b while in ,
front is a con-
trivance by which an opaque glass plate d, on which
a fine transparent line or cross has been photo-
graphed, may be moved backwards and forwards by
the micrometer screw M51), and the
(compare Fig.
amount of motion measured. In front of the opening
of the tube a a is placed a movable mirror S, which
reflects the light it receives, whether daylight or
lamp-light, on to the glass plate d . By turning
the micrometer screw M the light transmitted
through the glass plate is thrown into the tube A A,
in the form of a bright line, and the lens £ adjusted
to such a position as to direct the image of this

line upon the upper surface of the range of prisms c.

0
presenting an angle of 45 whence it is reflected in ,

the direction of the principal tube, and reaches the

eye at the same time as the spectrum. A bright line
or cross is thus seen upon the spectrum, and it is

not only easy, by turning the micrometer screw M,

to place the bright line precisely upon any absorp-
tion line, but also to measure accurately the relative
distances between any dark lines in the spectrum
by means of the divisions of the micrometer.
In order, however, that the results given by vari-
ous instruments may be compared, these divisions
must not be arbitrary.
196 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

It has already been mentioned (p. 87), and will

be more fully entered into in Part III., that the solar

spectrum, and consequently the spectrum of day-
light, is not continuous, but is everywhere crossed
by numerous dark lines of varying intensity. These
dark lines always occupy the same place in the
scale of colour in the spectrum, that is to say each
line is produced by the absorption of one and the
same colour, or by light of the same refrangibility,
whatever may be the composition or angle of the
prism. It is most advantageous to select the darkest
lines in the solar spectrum to form a scale for divid-
ing the screw-head M of the microspectroscope.
For this purpose Browning divides the screw-
head M into a hundred equal parts, and determines
the divisions of the scale for every instrument by a
previous trial in which bright daylight is admitted
from below through the slit and the tube G (Fig.

73), and these divisions are successively marked off

by the indicator on the screw-head whenever the

bright line of light (Fig. 76) is coincident with
the individual dark lines of the solar spectrum.
The dark lines are then drawn in accordance
with these numbers upon a spectrum about five

inches long, which is divided into an arbitrary

number of equal divisions, as represented in the
upper half of Fig. 77. By means of such a spec-
trum, the position of the absorption bands of any
liquid may be determined without difficulty, care
only being taken that artificial light be employed
for the formation of the spectrum, since daylight
 SORBY-BROWNING MICROSPECTROSCOPE .
197

always produces the dark lines of the solar spec-

trum, and these might easily be confused with the

absorption lines. In fact it is only necessary when
dark bands are observed in the spectrum of a sub-
stance to bring the line of light in the micrometer
upon the spectrum (Fig. 76), and place it by means
of the screw M in coincidence with the absorption
lines to be measured, and then read off the number
upon the divided screw-head. The numbers read
off for the various lines need only be compared with

Fig. 77.

Scale for the Microspectroscope.

the divisions of the scale of the normal spectrum,

in order to determine at once the position of these
lines in the spectrum for all similar investigations.
Should a more complete representation of the ab-
sorption spectrum be required, it is only necessary,
as shown the lower half of Fig. 77, to draw the
in

lines according to the numbers read off on the

micrometer screw-head upon a spectrum furnished
with the scale of the normal spectrum. The bright
igß SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .
’
- \

line seen at the number 96 in this lower spectrum,

ought to indicate that an absorption line was seen

at this spot in the instrument. If instead of the
line of light a bright cross be used, the point
formed by the intersection of the lines is placed

in the middle of the absorption line, or if it be a

band upon each edge in succession.
Those who wish to enter more minutely into in-
vestigations of this kind will do well to begin with

Fig. 78.
B I)

Absorption Bands of Human Blood.

various solutions of blood, with madder, aniline

red, fresh solution of permanganate of potash, or
with other similar substances of highly absorptive
power.
In Fig. 78 are shown the absorption bands of
human blood as given by Stokes it will be seen ;

how greatly they vary in the same substance ac-?

 ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY GASES. 199

cording as it is subjected to changes or mixed with

other bodies. All four spectra are the absorption
spectra of human blood : No. 1 is that of fresh
scarlet blood ;
No. 2 that of deoxidized blood
(cruorine). By the action of an acid on blood the
cruorine is converted into haematin, which gives a
spectrum showing an entirely different
set of bands
and haematin can again be oxidized and reduced,
until it exhibits the dark bands shown in Nos. 3
and 4.

While Hoppe-Seyler and Valentin are already

actively engaged with the absorption spectra of
those substances which play an important part in
physiology and pathology, Sorby has devoted him-
self to the investigation of articles of commerce
such as dyes and wine — to ascertain its age, as well
as to detect the adulteration in food, such as beer
and wine, mustard, cheese, butter, etc. Spectrum
analysis has thus opened a wide field of investi-
gation to the physiologist, the physician, the
botanist, the zoologist, the chemist, and the techno-
logist, and the labours undertaken in these various
departments of science have already yielded valuable
results.

38. Absorption of Light by Gases.

While colourless gases only weaken the intensity
of the light they transmit, and exert no selective
absorptive power upon any particular rays and ;

while, on the contrary, coloured solid and liquid

bodies wholly absorb certain rays, and entirely
200 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

transmit others, thus producing wide absorption

bands that extend sometimes over whole groups of
colours in the continuous spectrum, coloured gases,
differing from both, exhibit only narrow dark bands
which like black lines traverse not unfrequently every
colour in the continuous spectrum.
For the exhibition of these absorption phenomena
a glass globe (Fig. 79) is employed, smoothly
polished inside, and capable of being closed at both
ends by pieces of plate glass. The vapours for
examination are introduced into the globe by a
side opening; but if it be desirable that they should

Fig. 79.

Glass Globe for Absorbent Vapours.

be formed during the investigation, the substances

needed for their development can be placed in the
vessel by removing the cover, and vaporized by a
careful application of heat. The globe must be
placed immediately before the prism, or close in

front of the slit of the spectroscope, and in such a

position in the path of the rays that they may pass
through the inside of the sphere perpendicularly to
the glass plates covering it.

To exhibit the absorptive properties of nitrous

 ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY GASES. 20 1

acid scale, the electric lamp or

gas on a large
Drummond’s must be employed, and the con-
light
tinuous spectrum of white light thrown upon the
screen in the manner described in § 19, Fig. 34. If

the globe filled with the red vapour of nitrous acid*

be placed in front of the prism in the position
already described, the spectrum will appear crossed
by a row of dark bands, the violet end having
entirely disappeared. By increasing the heat of the
vapour these bands gradually become stronger,
while new dark bands successively appear, until at
last, when the temperature has reached a certain
limit, all the coloured portions of the spectrum
are absorbed, and not a ray of the electric light is

able any longer to penetrate the vapour. Brewster

carried the process so far by a constant increase of
temperature as to render the gas entirely opaque
even to the power of the sun’s rays. The absorp-
tion spectrum of this gas is shown in Fig. 71, No. 4
(Frontispiece No. 9).
If some pieces of iodine be placed in the globe
and heated, a violet vapour is produced, through
which the electric light may be made to pass. The
phenomena which are then seen differ greatly from
those before exhibited by slightly widening the
;

slit a large piece of the spectrum, from the

beginning of the yellow to the blue, appears to be
cut out, and if the slit be contracted to obtain a
* The vapour is obtained in the simplest and most convenient
manner by heating nitrate of lead, a process which may take place
either in a separate vessel or with care in the glass globe itself.
202 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

purer spectrum, this broad dark belt resolves itself

into numerous fine dark lines, which are seen to

cross the whole of the spectrum from red to the
beginning of blue. If the absorption spectrum of
the vapour of iodine be examined in a test tube
glass by means of a spectroscope, the whole of the
orange and yellow will be seen crossed by a great
number of fine black lines, which become so nu-
merous in the green that they can scarcely be
separated one from the other, and appear to form a
shaded band (Fig. 71, No. 5). With instruments of
high magnifying power these dark bands are re-
solved into very fine lines, increasing in number
and intensity towards the middle and darkest por-
tions of the bands.
Other coloured gases yield similar absorption
spectra, particularly the vapours of bromine, hydro-
chloric acid, perchloride of manganese, also, accord-

ing to Morren, of chlorine, etc., while, on the con-

trary, there are other vapours, such as those of
sulphur and selenium, which, although coloured, do
not occasion any absorption bands in the spectrum.
Aqueous vapour also exercises an absorptive
action upon light, and its absorption lines are very
noticeable in the spectrum of the sun, and that of
diffused daylight. On account of the connection of
these lines with the spectrum of the heavenly bodies,
the consideration of the details of their appearance
must be left till we come to the discussion of the
solar spectrum in Part III.
 EMISSION AND ABSORPTION OE LIGHT. 20T

39. Relation between the Emission and the

Absorption of Light,
When it is remembered that solid bodies in a
state of incandescence emit a much greater body^
of light than gases emit in a similar condition,
and that they are able to absorb a much greater
quantity of the light falling on them, — in certain

circumstances even the whole of it, —through the

transfer of the ether vibrations to their ponderable
atoms ;
when, further, it is remembered that just
those substances that give oat heat with the greatest
facility, and in the fullest quantity, are also the
most capable of receiving heat from without or
absorbing it, the thought is suggested that there
must be an intimate connection, a certain re-

ciprocity between the power of a body to emit

light (emission) and to absorb it (absorption).
That the temperature of the substance has an in-

fluence on this relation between its emissive and

absorptive powers is proved by the phenomena of
the gas spectra of the first, second, and third order

(§ 31), as well as by the variety of absorption spectra

exhibited at different temperatures by the same
substance. A
century ago the eminent mathe-
matician and physicist Euler, in his “ Theoria lucis
et caloris,” enunciated the principle that every sub-
stance absorbs light of such a wave-length as co-
incides with the vibrations of its smallest particles.
Foucault mentioned in hiswork on the spectrum of
the electric light, published in 1849, that owing to
 :

204 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the impurity of the carbon points the intense
yellow sodium line appeared, and was changed
into a black line when sunlight was transmitted
through the electric arc. Angstrom gave expression
as early as the year 1853 to the general law that a
gas when luminous emits rays of light of the same
refTangibility as those which it has power to absorb, or,
in other words, that the rays which a substance absorbs
are precisely those which it emits when made self-

luminous.*
But all these facts remained isolated, and there
was yet wanting the comprehensive grasp of a
general physical law under which the individual
phenomena could be arranged. It was reserved to
Kirchhoff to discover this law, and to establish
triumphantly its truth, not only by mathematical
proof, but also in many striking instances by
experiment.

* [In a report to the British Association for the Advancement

of Science in 1861, Professor Balfour Stewart wrote, “ In con-
nection with this subject it may not be out of place to intro-
duce the following extract of a letter from Prof. W. Thomson, to
Prof. Kirchhoff, dated i860. Prof. Thomson thus writes :
‘
Prof.

Stokes mentioned to me Cambridge some time ago, probably

at
about ten years, that Prof. Miller had made an experiment testing
to a very high degree of accuracy the agreement of the double
dark line D of the solar spectrum with the double bright line
constituting the spectrum of the spirit-lamp burning with salt. I

remarked that there must be some physical connection between

two agencies presenting so marked a characteristic in common.
He assented, and said he believed a mechanical explanation of
the cause was to be had on some such principles as the following
Vapour of sodium must possess,by its molecular structure, a
tendency to vibrate in the periods corresponding to the degrees
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 205

In the year i860 he published his memoir on the

relation between the emissive and absorptive powers
of bodies for heat as well as for light, in which
occurs the celebrated sentence “ The relation between
:

power of emission and the power of absorption of one

the

and the same class of rays is the same for all bodies at
the same temperature which will ever be distin-
guished as announcing one of the most important
laws of nature, and which, on account of its exten-
sive influence and universal application, will render
immortal the name of its illustrious discoverer.

40. Reversal of the Spectra of Gases.

From Kirchhoff’s law it follows as a necessary
consequence that gases and vapours in trans-
mitting light absorb or impair precisely those
rays (colours) which they themselves emit when
rendered luminous, while they remain perfectly

of refrangibility of the double line D. Hence the presence of

sodium must tend to originate light of that
in a source of light
quality. On the other hand, vapour of sodium in an atmosphere
round a source must have a great tendency to retain on itself, i.e.,
to absorb and to have its temperature raised by light from the
source of the precise quality in question. In the atmospheie
around the sun, therefore, there must be present vapour of
sodium, which, according to mechanical explanation thus sug-
gested, being particularly opaque for light of that quality, prevents

such of it as is emitted from the sun from penetrating to any con-

siderable distance through the surrounding atmosphere. The test

of this theory must be had in ascertaining whether or not vapour

of sodium has the special absorbing power anticipated.’ ” In the
same connection must also be considered the experiments on the
properties of radiant light communicated in i860 by Prof. Balfour
Stewart to the Royal Society.]
206 spectrum analysis:

transparent to all other coloured rays. Lumi-

nous sodium vapour, for example, gives under
ordinary circumstances a spectrum of one bright
yellow double line ;
it emits therefore this yellow
light only. If the white light of the sun, the
electric arc, or the oxyhydrogen lamp be allowed
to pass through the vapour of sodium, the vapour
will abstract or extinguish from the white light
just those yellow rays it emitted when in a
which
luminous While the greater part of these
state.

yellow rays are absorbed by the sodium vapour, all

Fig. So.

Reversal of the Sodium Line (seen with the Spectroscope).

the other rays — the orange,red, green, blue, and

violet —pass through unimpaired.
The mode in which Kirchhoff conducted his ex-

periments, which admit of certain and easy repeti-

tion by means of a direct-vision spectroscope, is
shown in Fig. 80, where the apparatus is arranged in
the same way as for the exhibition of the absorption
spectra. L is an oil lamp, the white light from
which is decomposed into a continuous spectrum of
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. .207

every shade of colour by the prism of the spectro-

scope S (p. 1 18). After the eyepiece of the tele-
scope and the slit have been so adjusted as to
exhibit a distinct spectrum, there is placed close in
front of the slit 5 a glass tube N, from which the
oxygen of the air has been expelled by the intro-
duction of hydrogen gas, and in which are laid
some pieces of metallic sodium. The glass tube is
heated by means of the spirit lamp or gas flame G,
and part of the sodium is converted into vapour;
a dark line soon makes its appearance in the bright
yellow of the continuous spectrum of the oil lamp
precisely in the place where
sodium vapour the
when rendered luminous by heat shows its yellow

line. For proof of this it is only necessary to

replace the sodium tube N by a spirit flame in

the wick of which some common salt (chloride of

sodium) has been rubbed, and to screen the light of

the lamp : the luminous sodium vapour produces
the yellow line precisely in the same place in

which the yellow light was before absorbed from

the continuous spectrum and the dark line formed.
The optician Ladd furnishes strong glass tubes
half an inch in width, closed at both ends, and
filled with hydrogen gas and a small quantity of
sodium. On being slowly and gradually heated,
the sodium becomes vaporized. If such a tube be
held vertically close in front of the slit 5, and
the white light of a lamp, or what is preferable the
light from incandescent lime be allowed to pass
through the tube containing sodium vapour before
2q8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

entering the slit s , a dark line is visible precisely

in the place of the bright sodium line. By the use
of a spectroscope of strong dispersive power the
bright sodium line does not appear as a single but
as a double line : accordingly in such an instrument
the dark absorption line of sodium vapour appears
double, and both these dark lines occur precisely
in the place where the two bright sodium lines are
found when the light from sodium alone falls into
the spectroscope.
In thesame way, by employing the vapours of
and barium, Kirch-
lithium, potassium, strontium,
hoff and Bunsen extinguished from a continuous
spectrum precisely the same bright colours which
these vapours emit when luminous. Luminous
lithium vapour (Frontispiece No. 3) gives a spec-
trum of one intense red line and a fainter orange
one; lithium vapour absorbs also just those same
colours from white light sent through it. If Kirch-
h off’s experiment be repeated with lithium in the
same manner (Fig. 80) as already described with
sodium, two unequally dark lines will appear in the

continuous spectrum of the lamp light precisely in

the same places where the luminous lithium vapour

showed the two bright lines.
The important result of these investigations is

therefore that the characteristic bright lines of

sodium, lithium, etc., are changed into dark lines
when the intense white light of incandescent solid
or liquid bodies passes through the vapour of these
metals. The spectrum of luminous sodium vapour
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 209

is a bright yellow (double) line, the rest of the field

in the spectroscope remaining dark ;
the spectrum
of an incandescent solid or liquid body, after it has
passed through sodium vapour at a lower tempera-
ture than itself, occupies on the contrary the whole
field with its brilliant colours excepting only that
one place in which the dark sodium line is found.

As therefore the bright lines of gas spectra are

converted in these experiments into dark lines,

while the dark parts of the spectrum are changed

into brilliant colours by the continuous spectrum
of the white light, the entire gas spectrum seems
to be reversed in respect of its illumination : for

thisreason the phenomenon has been called, after

”
Kirchhoff, “ the reversal of the spectrum .

It has been fully proved by Kirchhoff that the

difference between the temperature of the incan-
descent solid or liquid body giving the continuous
spectrum, and that of the absorptive vapour
through which its white light passes, exercises a
great influence upon the reversal of the spectrum,
and that the whole phenomenon rests upon the
relation existing between the emissive and ab-
sorptive powers of the vapour, which relation is

determined by the difference of temperature. The

reversal experiments, therefore, succeed only when
there is a great difference of temperature between
the incandescent solid body and the absorptive
vapour, and they will succeed all the more cer-
tainly the higher the temperature is of the in-
candescent body, and the lower that of the reversing
14
210 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

vapour. The light of the sun, the electric arc,

Drummond’s lime-light, or a glowing platinum wire,
may be employed in place of the lamp (L, Fig. 80).
If, instead of the glass tube filled with hydrogen
and sodium, etc., free sodium vapour be employed,
such as can be obtained by heating metallic sodium
in a flame, this flame must not be of a high tempe-
rature. The temperature of the Bunsen burner, or
even of a spirit lamp, is too great as opposed to the
heat of the oxyhydrogen lime-light ;
for this purpose
the moderately hot flame produced by spirits of
wine, diluted with as much water as it will bear, is

sufficient, when with the addition of a little common

salt, the sodium line in a good spectroscope, with a
suitable opening of the slit, will appear black upon

the coloured ground of the continuous spectrum of

the lime-light. If the white light of the electric
arc, with its far greater heat, be used to form the
continuous spectrum, the reversal of the sodium
and lithium lines may be produced by volatilizing
these metals in the flame of the Bunsen burner.
For the exhibition of the reversal of the sodium
line on a screen, the glass tube above mentioned
containing hydrogen gas and sodium is not well
suited, as the sodium vapour is not dense enough,
and soon stains the sides of the glass ;
but if the
electric arc be used for the white light, the sodium
vapour may be produced by means of a gas flame.
For this purpose the carbon points should be
previously moistened with a weak solution of salt,
and allowed to dry again. If a continuous
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 21 I

spectrum some three feet long- be formed by the

electric lamp and prism in the usual way, the bright
sodium line is seen passing through the yellow, the
position of which may be noted by making a mark
m at the side. The small amount of sodium ad-
hering to the carbon points soon evaporates in the
heat of the electric light, and the yellow line is ex-
tinguished. The gas burner G (Fig. 81) is now

Fig. 8i.

Reversal of the Sodium Line. (Projected on a Screen.)

placed before the slit of the electric lamp E, so that

the rays of the incandescent carbon issuing from it

must pass through the flame G. Before adding the

sodium to this gas flame, a perforated screen S of
pasteboard is placed in front of the lens L, in order
that the large screen on which the spectrum is

formed be protected from the intense yellow

shall
light of the burning sodium none of these pre-
:

parations exert the slightest influence upon the

14 A
212 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
continuous Spectrum r v v rx x on the screen. A
piece of sodium the size of a pea is placed in a
platinum spoon /, and brought into the gas flame; the
sodium ignites, and forms a dense cloud of vapour
through which the rays of the electric light must
pass. On the screen is seen a stripe D of intense
blackness, precisely in the place marked m where
the bright sodium line before appeared ;
the sodium
vapour has, partially at least, absorbed or ex-
tinguished from the white light of the incandescent
carbon the yellow light of the same degree of re-

frangibility as the sodium vapour emitted. If the

sodium be withdrawn from the gas flame, the black

line immediately disappears from the screen if it ;

be re-introduced, the black line again appears pre-

cisely in the same place. The sodium vapour
therefore absorbs the same light, that is to say the
same coloured rays, which it emits in a luminous
state.

The instructive experiment of the reversal of the

sodium line may be made in another way, which, is

not less fitted than the preceding one to give a

clear illustration of certain phenomena of the solar
spectrum. For this purpose the lower pole of the
electriclamp is replaced by a cylinder of carbon
half an inch thick, the upper surface of which,
slightly hollowed out (Fig. 82), contains a piece of
sodium the size of a pea. The Bunsen burner G, and
the pasteboard screen S, are removed, while the lens
L, the prism P, and the large screen remain undis-
turbed. To prevent the intense incandescence of
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 213

the carbon, and the consequent appearance of the

white electric light, the two poles are separated after
thefirst contact somewhat wider than is usual (rather

more than ~ of an inch) only a faint continuous

:

spectrum is formed, and the lamp emits only the

intensely yellow light of the burning sodium. As
soon as the electric current passes, the sodium
begins to glow strongly, and a single band of bril-

Fig. 82.

Volatilization of Sodium in the Electric Light.

liant yellow about two inches wide is seen upon the

screen, which is the spectrum of the luminous
sodium vapour. But in a few seconds a sharply
defined deep black line about an inch wide appears
in the middle of this yellow band, while the remain-

ing portion of the colour fades away. The bright

yellow sodium line has become changed into a dark

line, which continues as long as the combustion of

the sodium lasts.

 214 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

In this case the reversal is easily explained in the

following" manner. The sodium becomes first in-

tensely heated, and its vapour emits its yellow

light ;
immediately afterwards a great portion of
the sodium is converted into vapour by the great*
heat of the electric arc, and envelopes the small lu-

minous portion about the sodium in a dense cloud of

non-luminous sodium vapour. The yellow light of
the small luminous portion of the sodium vapour
must pass through this large cloud of sodium
vapour of a lower temperature, and is absorbed by
it before reaching the slit of the lamp. We may
repeat the conclusive inference : The vapour of
sodium absorbs precisely the same light that luminous
sodium vapour emits .

Without employing either the electric or Drum-

mond’s light, this phenomenon may be exhibited
by the following simple but ingenious contrivance
of Bunsen’s. It consists (Fig. 83) of two bottles,
A, B, containing zinc and common salt, and both
nearly filled with a very diluted solution of hydro-
chloric acid. Each bottle is closed with an India-
rubber stopper pierced with two holes, one of which
in each stopper serves for a gas burner of different
construction.
In one hole of the lamp A is a bent glass tube
b for the introduction of coal gas from a common
gaspipe ;
in the other opening is the tube c, which
is narrowed at the top, serving for the escape of the

gas. The other lamp B is fitted up in the same

manner as A, with the exception that the escape
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 215

tube c' is bent and terminates in a much smaller

opening.
Fig. 83.

Bunsen’s Apparatus for the Absorption of the Light of Sodium.

Over each of these glass tubes c and c' is a

burner constructed of tin-plate, which can be moved
2l6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

up and down. The burner d of the lamp A is

cylindrical below, and spreads out above in the

shape of a fan, so as to form a narrow and some-
what arched slit of about an inch in length. The
burner e of the lamp B is cylindrical throughout,
and is covered with a conical shaped chimney A,

which slides up and down the tube e. As the top

of the chimney has an opening only an inch in
diameter, which can be still further diminished by
the addition of another cover with a yet smaller
aperture, the gas when ignited forms a conical-shaped
pointed flame </, which can be reduced by means
of the stopcock of the gas tube to about an inch in
length. The flame g of the lamp A, on the con-
trary, is very large and broad, owing to the size
of the emission tube c, and the compression of the
wide burner df, and presents a luminous surface of
some extent.
The bottles are used for the purpose of mixing
a little common salt (chloride of sodium) with the
hydrogen gas formed by the action of the diluted
hydrochloric acid on the zinc. The hydrogen gas
as it rises mixes with the coal gas, and carries the
chloride of sodium into both flames, producing in
this way the brilliant yellow light of sodium vapour.
Both lamps are placed very near to each other,
so near indeed that, as shown in Fig. 84, the flame

g of the lamp A serves as a background to the

lamp B. In this position the small flame d ,
notwith-
standing the brilliant light of the flame g imme-
diately behind it, appears quite dark and smoky,
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 217

indeed almost black, when all conditions are favour-

able, — the burner and chimney rightly placed, and
the supply of gas suitably adjusted. The heat flame
g emits with intense brightness the light of sodium ;

the small sodium flame d in front of it absorbs

these rays as they pass through it; and as it is

much less luminous than the flame g, it appears

dark by contrast with the bright background.

Fig. 84.

Absorption of the Sodium Flame.

Desaga of Heidelberg, the constructor of this

apparatus, has latelymuch simplified it by uniting
the two burners, and fixing the common supply
tube by means of a single stopper on to a larger
bottle.

The experiment of reversal may be easily shown

by the use of a spectroscope in the following
manner. The instrument is so directed on to a
2 I 8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
spirit lamp that when a grain of salt is dropped
into the flame a well-defined spectrum consisting ol

the well-known yellow sodium line is formed. The

flame is then brought close in front of the slit, and
a piece of newly cut metallic sodium, the size of a
pea, is placed over the flame in a wire netting.
The flame cannot pass the wire, yet the sodium
begins at once to burn, and the brilliant yellow
sodium line is seen in the spectroscope : very soon,
however, a black line appears in the same place very
sharply defined against the bright background.
Here also the brilliant luminous vapour of the
burning sodium is enveloped in a dense cloud of
feebly luminous sodium vapour which completely
absorbs the greater part of the yellow sodium
light.

We can now readily predict what appearance will

be presented in the spectroscope if the light of an

incandescent solid or liquid body, before entering
the slit of the instrument, pass through a less highly
heated atmosphere of any kind of vapour, such as that
of sodium, lithium, iron, etc. The incandescent body
would have produced a continuous spectrum if its
light had sustained no change on the way but in ;

the vaporous atmosphere through which its rays

must pass, each vapour absorbs just those rays
which it would have emitted if luminous, thereby
extinguishing these particular colours, and substi-
tuting for them dark bands in those places of the
continuous spectrum where it would have produced
bright lines. The spectroscope shows therefore a
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 219

continuous spectrum extending through the whole

range of colours from red to violet, but intersected
by dark lines ;
the sodium line, the two lithium
lines, the numerous iron lines, etc., appear on the
coloured ground of the continuous spectrum as so
many dark lines.

Spectra of this kind are evidently absorption

spectra; they are also called reversed or compound
spectra. If a complete coincidence can be established in
such a spectrum by means of either a prism of com-
parison (§2 8), or a scale (§ 25), between the charac-
teristic bright lines of the gas spectrum of a certain
substance with the same number of dark lines, the

conclusion may be admitted that in the absorptive

atmosphere which has produced the dark lines, the
same substance is contained in a condition of
vapour. The wide influence which this result of
Kirchhoff’s discovery has on the investigation of
the physical constitution of the heavenly bodies,
is shown by the consideration that as the various
substances of this earth can be recognized by their
simple gas spectra, so the reversed gas spectra
afford the key to the recognition of the matter of
which the heavenly bodies are composed ;
and,
indeed, so important is the part which they play
in the analysis of the stellar world, that we may
well be excused if we linger a while longer on this
subject.
The question will occur to every one on reflec-
tion —why, if the weak sodium flame absorb the
yellow rays from the intense white light that
220 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
passes through it, do not the yellow rays of the
flame itself again replace the yellow sodium line ?

A somewhat closer investigation of all the influences

at work will not only give materials for fully an-
swering this inquiry, but afford the means also of
clearly explaining the cause and true nature of the
dark lines.

Let I designate the intensity of the white light

of the incandescent solid or liquid body, taking
the electric light as an example, i that of the ab-
sorptive flame, which for the sake of simplicity

we suppose to be a sodium flame, and - the

will
n
proportion between the absorptive and the emissive

powers of this flame — that is to say, - is lost by

absorption from the total intensity. If then the

white light I pass through the sodium flame, and

suffer a loss in intensity by absorption of \ there

will be in the place of the spectrum where the

sodium line appears, which we will call D, an

l —
^
amount of light equal to The amount of
11
I
absorption - diminishes the intensity of the spec-

trum at the spot D, but the intensity of the sodium

flame will to a greater or less degree supply the
deficiency. If the amount of the absorption were
precisely equal to the intensity i, the intensity of
the spectrum at the spot D
would be just as great
as that of the neighbouring parts, and there would
therefore be no interruption of the spectrum there ;
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 221

would neither be a dark line nor a bright line

visible. If the intensity i of the sodium flame be

greater than the absorption the brightness of the

spot D in the spectrum would be greater than on

either side of it, and there would appear at this

place a bright yellow sodium line, although the

white light had passed through the absorptive
flame ;
the reverse will be the case if the intensity i

of this flame be less than the whole absorption ;

the
brightness of the spectrum at the spot D will then
be less than that of the surrounding parts. In the

last case, however, this want of light will appear as

a shadow by contrast with the brightness of the
neighbouring places, and the usual bright yellow
sodium line will seem to be a dark line.
It will be seen further, from this investigation,

that in the places where the dark absorption lines

appear there is by no means a total absence of light;

therefore these lines should not be described as quite
black ;
but in contrast with the surrounding bril-

liancy produced by the full undiminished light of

the incandescent solid or liquid body, these lines
appear quite black even when their brightness ex-

ceeds that of the absorbing vapour.

The whole action of the reversal of a bright
spectrum line into a dark one rests on the pro-
portion between the absorptive power and the
compensating emissive power in the absorbing
vapour : the greater the absorptive power, and the
less the emissive power, further, the greater the
 —

222 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

light of the incandescent body, so much the darker
will the reversed lines appear to be.
The following table will serve to elucidate the
foregoing remarks, by giving four examples for the
sodium line :

The Inten- I

The The Intensity of the Spectrum

Inten- The Absorp-
sity of the
sity of the tivePower of | The Sodium
•N.o. White before in behind Line appears
Sodium the Sodium
Light is therefore
Flame is Vapour is
| j

called the Sodium Line is then

I 2 I
1
4 2 3-:- = 21 2 bright.

2 IO I
1
4
20 1 10 it 00 10 dark.

3 IOO I
1
2
IOO 101-^ = 51 IOO darker.

101 —
IOO 3
IOO -° = 26 IOO very dark.
4 I
4 4

In the first case, the place D is { brighter than

the surrounding parts of the spectrum, therefore
it appears as a bright sodium line ;
in No. 2, the
brightness of the place D is only equal to 8b while
that of either side is 10 ;
it is therefore not so bright
at D as at the side of D, and in consequence D
appears dark against the surrounding parts of the
spectrum. In No. 3, the contrast is still greater
between the light at D 51 and that at the side
100. Finally, in No. 4, where the absorptive power
of the flame is assumed to be the contrast be-
tween the strength of light, 100 and 26, is so great
that the line seems almost black. The intensity
with which the yellow line of sodium and the red
line of lithium appear when these substances are
heated in a Bunsen burner, warrants the conclusion
 REVERSAL OF SPECTRA OF GASES. 223

that these metals would also absorb with great

power rays of the same refrangibility, and therefore
the assumed absorptive power, given in the last
example, is considerably below the truth.
 PART THIRD.

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS IN ITS APPLICATION

TO THE HEAVENLY BODIES.

15
 I
!

|
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS IN ITS APPLICA-
TION TO THE HEAVENLY BODIES.

41. The Solar Spectrum and the Fraunhofer

Lines.

HE most brilliant example of a reversed spec-

trum, —that is to say, a continuous spectrum
crossed by dark absorption lines, — is afforded by the
sun. If an ordinary spectroscope, armed with a tele-

scope of low power, be directed to a bright sky with a

rather wide opening of the slit, a magnificent con-
tinuous spectrum will be seen, exhibiting the most
beautiful and brilliant colours without either bright
or dark lines. But if the slit be narrowed so as to
obtain the purest possible spectrum (§ 21), and the
focus of the telescope be very accurately adjusted,
the spectrum, now much fainter, will be seen to be
crossed by a number of dark lines and cloudy bands.
If, by the use of several prisms (§ 19), the spectrum
be lengthened, and a higher magnifying power em-
ployed, these thick lines and bands will become re-
 ;

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
solved into separate fine lines and groups of lines,
which are so sharply defined and so characteristically
grouped that by the help of a scale they are easily
impressed upon the memory and distinguished one
from another..
As early as 1802 these dark lines in the solar
spectrum had been observed and described by Wol-
laston later, in 1814, they were more carefully
;

examined and mapped by Fraunhofer, of Munich

and later still by Becquerel, Zantedeschi, Matthies-
sen, Brewster, Gladstone, and others but their ;

origin and nature remained a mystery, notwith-

standing the acutest reasoning and most painstaking
researches of many able physicists, until Kirchhoff
made his splendid discovery in 1859.
Fraunhofer was able to distinguish with certainty
about 600 lines ;
he found also that with the same
prism and telescope they always kept the same
relative order and position, and were therefore
peculiarly adapted to serve as marks for denoting
the place of any single set of coloured rays, and
for determining the refrangibility of any particular
colour.
To facilitate reference to any of the innumerable
colours of the solar spectrum (Frontispiece No.
1
1), Fraunhofer, whose drawing is accurately repre-
sented in Fig. 85, selected out of the great number
he observed eight characteristic lines situated in the
most important places of the spectrum, which he
designated by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H ;
of
these lines A and B lie in the red, C in the red near
 THE FRAUNHOFER LINES. 2 29

the orange, D in the orange,

forming a double line with a
high power, E in the yellow, F
on the borders of the green
and blue, G in the dark blue or
indigo, and H in the violet.
Besides these lines, there is a
noticeable group a of fine lines
between A and B, and also a
group b, consisting of three fine
lines, between E and F. It was
remarked even by Fraunhofer
that the position of the two Spectrum.

dark lines in the solar spectrum

designated by him D, were co- Solar

incident with the two bright

lines shown by the light of a -Fraunhofer’s

lamp, now known as the double

sodium line. These dark lines
85.
—

of the solar spectrum have been

Fig.

called, after their discoverer, the

Fraunhofer lines.

After Fraunhofer, Zantedes-

chi, Professor of Physics in the
University of Padua, devoted
himself to the investigation of
the dark lines in the solar spec-
trum, upon which work he had
already entered in the year
1 846. He deviated from Fraun-
hofer’s method of observation
 —

230 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

by introducing the prism between two condens-
ing lenses the slit was placed in the focus of one
;

lens, while the other served to project the spec-

trum on to a screen. By this means he constructed
an apparatus which in all essential points differed
little from the spectroscope now in use. # The im-
portant sphere destined to prismatic analysis did
not escape the penetration of this physicist, since
44
in his work Ricerche hsico-chimiche-hsiologiche
sulla luce,”f he thus expresses himself in speaking
of the significance of the spectrum :

44
The solar spectrum is the most perfect photo-
scope that in the present state of science can be
imagined. Light itself exhibits, and registers with
wonderful minuteness, the changes occurring in the
constitution of a luminous body, or in the medium
through which the light passes. I therefore recom-
mend to the scientific investigator a camera obscura
specially adapted to these photoscopic observations.
I am convinced that such investigations will prove of
the highest value, not only in the study of light,
but also in the departments of meteorology and

* [The ingenious use of a collimating lens, with the slit placed

in its focus, by which a spectroscope is made so much more
manageable, and without which arrangement many of the recent
applications of this instrument would have been scarcely possible,
seems to have been independently adopted by several observers
about the same time. Professor Swan made use of this arrange-
ment in experiments on the ordinary refraction of Iceland spar in
1847 and the distinguished optician Mr. Simms constructed a
)

collimator, in place of a distant slit, at the suggestion of the

present Astronomer Royal, in 1848.]
f Venezia, 1846. Typ. G. Antonelli.
 THE FRAUNHOFER LINES. 231

astronomy. Light, which in these days is commis-

sioned to be the painter of nature, may also become
its own delineator, since it is ever disclosing new
wonders out of the mystery of its being, and reveal-
ing those constant changes which are taking place,
not only in our planetary system, but throughout
the whole universe.”
By a careful investigation of the spectra formed
by prisms of different substances, it is found that
the same colours do not occupy the same propor-
tionate space in each spectrum ;
with a prism of flint

glass, for instance, there is proportionately less red

and more blue and violet than with a prism of crown
glass. The greater the difference between the refrac-
tive powers of a substance for the red and the violet
rays, the greater will be the distance over which the
colours are spread, — in other words, the greater will
be the dispersive power. The length of the spectrum
depends essentially upon this dispersion, and it is

therefore not a matter of indifference whether a

prism of flint glass, of crown glass, of water, or of
bisulphide of carbon be employed for producing the
solar spectrum.
Fig. 86 exhibits clearly the various dispersive
powers of the crown
different substances, flint glass,

glass, and water. The spectrum obtained by a flint-

glass prism is about twice the length of that given
by a similar sized crown-glass prism, and nearly
three times the length of that from a hollow glass
prism of the same form filled with water. The
spectrum produced by a prism of bisulphide of
232 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
carbon is very much longer than that given by a
flint-glass prism, and this even is surpassed by one
obtained from oil of cassia.
As the length of the spectrum is increased, the
separation between the Fraunhofer lines increases
also, but by no means in equal proportions. If,

for example, the spectrum of the flint-glass prism

were exactly twice the length of that of the crown-
glass prism, the distance between any two dark lines,

Fig. 86.

Solar Spectrum with Prisms of Flint Glass, Crown Glass, and Water.

F and B for instance, will not be exactly twice as

great in the one spectrum as in the other. In the
water spectrum FB = F H, the crown-glass spec-
trum is longer, but the various divisions formed by
the Fraunhofer lines have not increased in equal
proportions. In the water spectrum FB = FH,
while in the crown-glass spectrum FB is somewhat
smaller than F H ;
by this latter prism, therefore,
the blue and violet end is rather further extended
 THE FRAUNHOFER LINES. 233

in comparison with the red and yellow end than by

the water prism.
This difference is still more obvious in comparing
the two spectra of the water and the flint-glass
prisms with an equal deviation of the light corre-
sponding to the line B the difference in the pro-
;

portion of FB to F H is smaller in the flint-glass

spectrum than in the water spectrum, and this

difference is more apparent than in the crown-glass

spectrum.
It would therefore be an error to take for granted,
as some have done, that the distances between in-
dividual dark lines in the spectrum change in the
same proportion as the entire length of the spectrum ;

even if the dispersive power of any substance be

known for the outside rays, or for the lines B and H,
the amount of separation between the intervening
lines of the spectrum cannot be deduced from this

the relative position of these lines must be specially

ascertained for each refracting substance. An
accurate knowledge of the peculiar conditions of
the spectrum apparatus employed must therefore be
acquired by every observer before he can venture to
direct attention to the results of the observations
made with it ;
he must become familiar with the
precise places of all the chief lines and groups of
lines seen in the solar spectrum, so that in the ex-

amination of any particular line, whether in the

spectrum of a terrestrial substance or of a heavenly
body, he may knew at once, at least approximately,

to which of the Fraunhofer lines it lies nearest.

234 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
The instrument used by Kirchhoff in his investiga-
tions on the solar spectrum is represented in Fig.
53, in connection with which it was stated that the
amount of dispersion, or the length of the spectrum,
increases with the number of prisms employed. By
the use of such a powerful instrument a number of
dark lines that appear to be single in smaller spec-
troscopes become resolved into several individual
lines ;
the D-line even with a moderate power is

separated into two fine lines, and shows besides a

cloudy band of still further resolvability.
It is self-evident that with a great dispersion of the
light, by which the spectrum is greatly lengthened,
the intensity of each group of colours will be con-
siderably diminished. By the use of a sufficient
number of prisms the brilliant solar spectrum may be
reduced almost to invisibility, and an excellent means
is herewith provided, as will be seen later on, for
reducing the excessive brilliancy of the solar light
to the requisite amount when observing phenomena
on the sun’s limb.

4 2. Kirchhoff’ s Scale of the Solar Spectrum.

To facilitate the observation and recognition of
the numerous dark lines in the solar spectrum, and
to determine accurately their position and relative
distances one from another, the mapping of all the
visible lines must be made according to a given
scale, or else in accordance with a certain scale
adopted once for all, and this scale taken as a basis
for measuring or estimating the place of any par-
 KIRCHHOFF'S SCALE . 235

ticular line. Kirchhoff, with an

>
expenditure of time and trouble p 500

truly admirable, was the first & 600

to undertake these measures for « . 700

800
certain portions of the spec-
trum. The instrument which
he employed, consisting of four c
prisms, has been already shown
in Fig. 53 ;
from this drawing
-1300

it will be seen that he made use -1400 Scale.

of a divided circle, fixed to the _i 500 ’s

head of the micrometer screw _i6oo

cr 1

Kirchhoff

R, by which the cross-wires of -1700

the telescope B could be brought _i8oo

with

to coincide with each of the dark

lines of the spectrum. The Spectrum

^
eyepiece was so placed that
2200
the threads of the cross-wires Solar

-2300
0
formed angles of 45 with the _2400
The

dark lines ;
the point of inter- _25°° 87.

sectionof the wires was, by „2600

means of the micrometer screw -2700

Fig.

_28 oo
R, placed in succession over
„2900
every one of these lines, and
_30oo
the division on the screw-head
_3ioo
(Fig. 51) read off; an estima-
— 3200
tion of the degree of intensity
-3300
and breadth of the lines was re- -3400

corded at the same time. -3500

*
In tabulating these mea- _ 3600

sures, Kirchhoff employed as a 68

 — s

2 36 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
basis a scale divided into millimetres, and selected
an arbitrary starting-point : each millimetre corre-
sponded to a division on the micrometer screw-head.
The drawings published by Kirchhoff embrace a
portion of the spectrum extending from the line D
to a little beyond F, and occupy a length of four
feet. The remaining portions, from A to D and from
F to G, have been observed and measured by Hof-
mann, a pupil of Kirchhoff’ s, with the same instru-
ment, and according to the same method as the
first portion, and they occupy a similar length, so
that the whole of the solar spectrum is exhibited
in a very accurate drawing of about eight feet in

length.
Fig. 87 is a greatly reduced copy of Kirchhoff’
scale, with the principal Fraunhofer lines ;
Plates
II. and III., for permission to publish which we are
indebted to the kindness of Professor Kirchhoff, and
towhich we shall again refer in § 44, give the lines
measured by Kirchhoff and Hofmann according to
their width and intensity ;
these maps are about half
the size of the original drawings. #
The principal Fraunhofer lines are numbered on
this scale as follows :

A 405 E 15227 h 3371

B
a 505 M
b
iö 33'4
1648-3
H.
H
3568
is,
(?)
according
593 !
2

C 694 bsj 1655'° to Kirchhoff,

Dl I002 8 ,
F 2080 uncertain.
l
D 2
f 1006 'S G 2855

Monatsberichte der Berliner Akademie der Wissenschaften,

1859.
 a
46 45 44
A 38
53 5? 51 50 49 48 47 43 42 41 40 39

Rb Zil Pb Pt

115 114 113 112 III 110 109 (OS 106 (OS 104 103 102
D
107 101 100

lillllllillllllll ill 111

1
m Fe
nr;"
y Eg
^ ^
| j
Ba
n Ail
r
Ba Na
:i
AL Al Eg Cu " Ca Zl l

Ni Ari
146 145 144 143 142 141 140 139 138 137 136 135 134 133 132 131

iilimlii dmj llll Illllllll Ml! ii niiiim Hu iin ll II llll III lllllllllllll ill Illllllll lid 111 Illllllll III lillllllillllllll

J ' 1

M ! m i | i
i

t 'e Ac, Ni
r t
As Cä
: i

Ccl
::
,
: : y y
"" i

Cr
t;
Ba.
: : w Sb
LI
Sr
1 li .
i. i T LJ T Co
1
 Si

256 255 254 253 252 251 250 249 243 247 246 245 244 243 242 241

mj
7 176 175 174- 173 172 171 170 169 168 167 166 165 ^164 163 162
 ANGSTROM’S SOLAR SPECTRUM. 2 37

O
43. Angstrom’s Normal Solar Spectrum.
It is a grave objection to the plan of mapping the
solar spectrum according to the positions and rela-

tive distances of the dark lines, — their indices of re-

fraction (p. 69), —that the position of these lines is

considerably affected by the number and composi-

tion of the prisms employed; and therefore the
appearance of the spectrum, and the drawings made
from it, vary according to the construction of the
instrument. Fraunhofer was the first to undertake
the determination of the wave-lengths of those
colours, the places of which are occupied by the
principal dark lines of the solar spectrum ;
the sub-
sequent labours of Ditscheiner, van der Willigen,
Mascart, and Gibbs perfected this method, and
applied it to a greater number of lines, until at length
the task was completed, with the aid of the best
o
instruments, by Angstrom of Upsala, whose work is
characterized by such accuracy and completeness
as to render it worthy of the highest admiration,
to be regarded as a pattern to all investigators.*

* [For the preparation of his normal solar spectrum, which is

described in the text, and which is represented in an atlas of six

maps, Angstörm employed, in place of a prism, a grating —that is,

a piece of plain glass ruled closely with fine lines. This grating
was placed in the position in which usually a prism is placed,
between the object glass of the collimator and that of the observ-
ing telescope. Three gratings were employed by Angstrom, one
containing 4,501 lines within the length of nine Paris lines, a
second having 2,701 lines, and a third 1,501 lines within the same
length. The spectrum from a grating by diffraction, unlike that
produced by a prism, is always truly normal —that is, the relative
 238 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The number of dark lines measured by Ang-

strom, with the aid and co-operation of Thalen,
amount to i ,000 ;
and the wave-lengths of the
colours corresponding to these lines are accurately
determined in units of a ten-millionth of a milli-
metre. In the original maps,* [Plates IV., V., VI.,]
the whole solar spectrum from a to H 2 is represented
in when joined together form
eleven parts, which
a length of about eleven feet. The upper edge of
each part is provided with a scale divided into
millimetres ;
each millimetre of the scale repre-
sents a difference of wave-length equal to the ten-
millionth of a millimetre (0*0000001), and as the
tenth of a millimetre may be estimated with suffi-

cient accuracy, the scale used by Angstrom will

show, with approximate correctness, the wave-

lengths of lines to the hundred-millionth of a
millimetre.
As the red rays (a, B, C) have a greater wave-
length than the blue (G), or the violet (H), the
numbers denoting the divisions of the scale decrease
in succession from red to violet, in the reverse order
of Kirchhoff’s uniform scale. An eighth part of the
original drawing, in which the line F is included,
is given in Fig. 88. This line is situated close to
the division of the scale marked 4860, whence it

distances of the Fraunhofer lines correspond precisely with the

differences of wave-length of the light in the parts of the spectrum
where they occur.]
* Recherches sur le Spectre Solaire, par A. J. Angstrom.
Spectre Normal du Soleil, Atlas de six planches. Upsal, W.
Schultz. (Berlin, F. Diimmler, 1869.)
 F.)

line

the

with

(Portion

88.

Spectrum.

Fig.

Solar

Normal

Angstrom’s
 -

240 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

may be concluded that the wave-length of the
greenish-blue colour corresponding to the F-line
amounts to 0*0004860 of a millimetre. The lines
to the right of F possessing a greater wave-length
are towards the red, while those to the left are
in the direction of the violet. The line marked m
in the figure corresponds to a colour possessing
a wave-length of 0*00049565 of a millimetre, that
marked m 1
to a wave-length of 0*00050064 of a
millimetre, that marked m 2 to a wave-length of
0*00048481 of a millimetre, etc.
0
Angstrom determined the wave-lengths of the
principal lines in the solar spectrum to be as
follows :

D 2
I
0-00058950 „ G 0-00043072 „
D 2
i 0-00058890 „ h 0.00041012 „
E 0-00052689 „ H r 0-00039680 „
H 2 0.00039328 „

[These maps are given in Plates IV., V., and

VI. : they are about one-half the size of the original
drawings, and are inserted by the Translators with
the kind permission of Professor Angstrom.]

44. Coincidence of the dark Fraunhofer Lines

WITH THE BRIGHT SPECTRUM LlNES OF TER-
RESTRIAL Elements. — Kirchhoff’s Maps.
From the coincidence previously observed by
Fraunhofer of the two dark lines in the solar spec
 a,.

TO
«

FROM

SPECTRUM

SOLAR

THE

OF

MAPS

THALERS

AND

ANGSTROM’S
 F.
TO

D
FROM

SPECTRUM

SOLAR

THE

OF

MAPS

THALEN’S

AND

ANGSTROM’S
m

Uir
 h
to
g
from

spectrum

solar

the

of

maps

thalens

and

angstrom's
borealis

aurora

tlie

of

line

brilliant

The
 COINCIDENCE OF FRAUNHOFER LINES ETC. , 241

trum designated by him D, with the two bright

lines which Kirchhoff and Bunsen discovered to be
those of sodium, Kirchhoff was induced to put this
coincidence to the most direct test by obtaining a
tolerably bright solar spectrum, and then bringing a
sodium flame in front of the slit of the spectroscope.
“ I saw,” says Kirchhoff, “ the dark lines D
change into bright ones. The flame of a Bunsen
lamp showed the sodium lines on the solar spectrum
with an unexpected brilliancy. In order to find out
how far the intensity of the solar spectrum might be
increased without impairing the distinctness of the
sodium lines, I allowed direct sunlight to fall upon
the slit through the sodium flame, and saw to my
astonishment the dark lines D standing out with
extraordinary clearness. I replaced the light of the
sun by Drummond’s light, the spectrum of which,
like that of every other incandescent solid or
liquid body, contains no dark lines ;
when this light

was allowed to pass through a flame in which salt

was burning, dark lines appeared in the spectrum
in the position of the sodium lines. The same thing

occurred when, instead of a cylinder of incandescent

lime, a platinum wire was used, which, after being
made to glow in a flame, was brought nearly to its

melting point by the electric current.”

Kirchhoff could no longer doubt, from these ob-
servations, that the existence of the dark lines D
in the solar spectrum was due to the presence of
vapour of sodium in the sun, and that they must be
produced in the sun by reversion (absorption), in a
16
 :

242 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

manner similar to that shown in the experiments
already described with terrestrial sodium.
After the existence of sodium had been thus
suspected in the sun with so great an amount of
probability, Kirchhoff commenced the arduous un-
dertaking of comparing the spectra of a variety of
terrestrial substances with the spectrum of the sun,
to determine whether any of the spectrum lines of
these substances, and if so which of them, coincided
with the Fraunhofer lines, — that is to say, if they
appeared in the spectroscope in the same place, and
were of similar breadth and intensity.
We have already made acquaintance with the
method by which such a comparison may be made by
means of two spectra in the same instrument (§ 28).
Kirchhoff allowed the light of the sun to fall directly
into the spectroscope, and on to the first large prism
through the lower half of the slit, while the upper
half was covered by the small prism for comparison
the rays from an artificial source of light placed at
the side were so reflected by the prism into the in-
strument, that while the solar spectrum with the
Fraunhofer lines was seen in the upper half of the
field of view in the (inverting) telescope, there ap-
peared below, and in immediate contact with it, the
spectrum of the artificial light. In this way the
position of the bright lines of this spectrum could
be compared with great accuracy with that of the
dark lines of the solar spectrum.
The artificial light employed by Kirchhoff was
almost exclusively that of the induction spark from
 COINCIDENCE OF FRAUNHOFER LINES ETC. , 243

a powerful Jluhmkorff coil, with electrodes of small

pieces of such metals as he wished to volatilize in
order to obtain their spectra.
By the comparison of these spectra with the dark
lines of the solar spectrum, Kirchhoff arrived at the

Fig. 89.

Coincidence of the Fraunhofer D-Lines with the Lines of Sodium.

surprising result, that the bright lines of several

metals were entirely coincident with the same num-
ber of lines in the solar spectrum.
The coincidence of the two sodium lines D is

shown in Fig. 89 ;
the upper part represents that
portion of the solar spectrum with the two dark
D-lines which is situated in the yellow, between
100 and 10 1 millimetres of Kirchhoff’ s scale; the
lower part shows the bright lines given by sodium
vapour rendered luminous either by the electric
spark or the flame of a lamp; and both pairs of lines
occupy so precisely the same position in the spec-

trum that one forms the exact prolongation of the

other. In a very perfect instrument, another fine
16 A
244 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
line, corresponding- to a bright line given by nickel,

appears between the two dark lines.*

Two portions of the spectrum, the one situated
in the yellow between 120 and 125 of Kirchhoffs
scale, and the other in the green between 1 50 and
154, are represented in Fig. 90. The lower thirteen
bright lines, designated Fe.=Ferrum (iron), are lines
in the spectrum of iron; they fall in exact accord-
ance with an equal number of dark lines in the

Fig. 90.

Coincidence of the Fraunhofer Lines with the Lines of Iron and Calcium.

solar spectrum. The remaining twelve bright lines

indicated by dots belong to the spectrum of calcium,
and are coincident with as many dark lines in the
solar spectrum. Between these dark lines in Kirch-
hoffs drawing are several other lines, some of
which coincide with the bright lines of terrestrial
substances, while others are due to some other
effects of absorption.

* [There is at least one fine line between D x and D 2 which be-

longs to sodium, and which may be seen as a bright line when a
source of light containing sodium is examined.]
 COINCIDENCE OF FRAUNHOFER LINES ETC. , 245

Plates II. and III. contain all the dark lines

measured by Kirchhoff in the spectrum of the sun,
and below the solar spectrum are marked in black
the lines of those terrestrial elements with which he
had compared them in the usual manner. These
substances are designated by their chemical sym-
= Ferrum
bols: thus, Fe. Ca. = Calcium, Pb.
(iron),

= Plumbum (lead), Hg. = Hydrargyrum (mercury),

Na. = Natrium (sodium), Ba. = Barium, Mg. = Mag-
nesium, Au. = Aurum (gold), H. = Hydrogenium
(hydrogen gas), etc. The horizontal lines by which
the lower ends of the vertical spectrum lines are
gro uped together indicate that all lines thus bracketed

belong to the same substance, the chemical symbol

of which is placed below.
The wave-lengths of the bright spectrum lines of
terrestrial substances have in the same manner been
determined by Angstrom and Thalen, the latter of

whom has devoted himself especially to this subject;

the coincidence of these lines with the dark lines of
the solar spectrum has been proved by these ob-
servers, and recorded in their maps by inserting
them beneath the solar spectrum ( vide Fig. 88,
Plates IV., V., VI.)
Even in the portion of the spectrum published by
Kirchhoff there are some sixty bright lines of iron,
all of which coincide with as many of the dark
Fraunhofer lines ;
the continuation made by Hof-
mann contains thirteen additional very striking co-
incidences, and Angstrom and Thalen, who volatilized
iron in the electric arc, found a coincidence of more
2 46 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
than 460 bright lines of iron, with an equal number
,Fig. 91.
of the Fraunhofer lines.
The complete coinci-
dence of so many bright
lines in one and the same
substance with the same
number of dark lines of

the solar spectrum, shows

conclusively that it cannot
be the effect of chance. A
glance at Fig. 9 1 ,
in which
the coincidence is shown
of more than sixty of
Kirchhoff’s observed lines
of iron, with as many dark
lines in various parts of
the solar spectrum between
C and F, justifies the con-
clusion that those dark
lines are to be ascribed
to the absorptive effect

of the vapour of iron pre-

sent in the atmosphere of
the sun. The likelihood
that such a coincidence of
sixty lines is a mere chance,
bears a proportion to the
supposition that theselines
really make known the pre-
sence of iron in the sun’s
atmosphere, according to
 KIRCHHOFE* S THEORY. 2 47

60
the doctrine of probabilities, of i to 2 ,
or in other
words in the ratio of 1 to 1,152,930,000,000,000,000.
The most striking coincidences between the spec-
trum lines of terrestrial elements and the dark lines
of the solar spectrum are shown in iron, sodium,
potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, chro-
mium, nickel, and hydrogen ;
the spectrum lines

of these substances not only agree exactly with the

dark lines in position and breadth, but proclaim their

relationship to them by a similar degree of intensity.

The brighter, for instance, a spectrum line appears,
so much the darker will its corresponding line be in
the solar spectrum.
A partial coincidence only of the bright and dark
lines is shown in the spectra of the metals zinc, barium,
copper, cobalt, and gold, where the brightest lines
only correspond with the dark lines of the solar spec-
trum. Thalen has lately discovered that the greater
number of the 170 bright lines given by the metal
titanium correspond with as many of the Fraunhofer
lines ;
his investigations, which extend over forty-five
metals, fully confirm the observations of Kirchhoff.
The spectra of the metals silver, mercury, anti-
mony, cadmium, strontium, and
arsenic, tin, lead,
lithium show no coincidence with the Fraunhofer
lines, and this is also the case with the two non-

metallic substances silicon and oxygen.

45. KirchhopVs Theory of the Physical

Constitution of the Sun.

It had long been assumed that the gaps in the

248 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
colours of the solar spectrum which form the Fraun-
hofer dark lines, were due to an absorption of the
corresponding coloured rays in the atmosphere of
the sun ;
but no explanation could be given of
this phenomenon. The cause of this absorption
was ascertained by Kirchhoff in his discovery
that a vapour absorbs from white light just those
rays which it emits when luminous (§ 40), and he
proved the whole system of the Fraunhofer lines

to be mainly produced by the overlying of the

reversed spectra of such substances as are to be
found in the earth. He thus arrived at a new con-
ception of the physical constitution of the sun
which is entirely opposed to the theories held by
Wilson and Sir William Herschel in explanation of
the solar spots.
According to Kirchhoff, the sun consists of a solid
or partially liquid nucleus in the highest state of
incandescence, which emits, like all incandescent
solid or liquid bodies, every possible kind of light,
and therefore would of itself give a continuous
spectrum without any dark lines. This incandes-
cent central nucleus is surrounded by an atmosphere
of lower temperature, containing, on account of the
extreme heat of the nucleus, the vapours of many
of the substances of which this body is composed.
The rays of light therefore emitted by the nucleus
must pass through this atmosphere before reaching
the earth, and each vapour extinguishes from the
white light those rays which it would itself emit in
a glowing state. Now it is found when the sun’s
 KIR CHHOFF’S THEORY. 249

light is analysed by a prism that a multitude of rays

are extinguished, and just those rays which would
be emitted by the vapours of sodium, iron, calcium,

magnesium, etc., were they made self-luminous

consequently the vapours of the following substances,
sodium, iron, potassium, calcium, barium, magne-
sium, manganese, titanium, chromium, nickel, co-
balt, hydrogen, and probably also zinc, copper, and
gold, must exist in the solar atmosphere, and these
metals therefore must also be present to a con-
siderable extent in the body of the sun. According
to the investigations of Angstrom, the number of
the bright lines of the following substances coinci-
dent with an equal number of the Fraunhofer dark
lines is as follows: sodium 9, iron 450, calcium 75,
barium 11, magnesium 4, manganese 57, titanium
1 18, chromium 18, nickel 33, cobalt 19, hydrogen
4, aluminium 2, zinc 2, copper 7.

It appears therefore indubitable that the sub-

stances composing the body of the sun are similar
to those of which the earth is formed, for though
there may be between F and G some conspicuous
dark lines the origin of which is as yet unknown,
it would be premature to say that they were occa-
sioned by substances foreign to this earth.
Could the light from the sun’s nucleus in any way
be set and only that of the incandescent
aside,
vapours of the sun’s atmosphere be received through
the slit of the spectroscope, a spectrum would then
be obtained composed of the actual spectra of these
substances, that is to say the same system of bright
 —

250 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

coloured lines which now appear as the dark
Fraunhofer lines. The occurrence of a total solar
eclipse affords an opportunity of applying such a
test for Kirchhoffs theory, for as the sun’s disk is

then completely covered by the moon, and all light

from the body of the sun is intercepted, no light can
be received except from the solar atmosphere and the
glowing vapours by which the nucleus is surrounded.
The results of the observations of the solar
eclipses of 1868and 1869 did not fulfil the expec-
tations that had been entertained, for though the
Fraunhofer lines ceased to be visible the moment
when, with the disappearance of the last rays of the

sun, total darkness commenced, the system of

bright lines did not appear in their stead, which
as the spectra of the glowing vapours of the solar
atmosphere still in view was to be expected.*

* [At the total eclipse of 1870, Professor Young observed all

the Fraunhofer lines reversed. His observations, which seem to

enable us to fix with precision the birthplace of the Fraunhofer
lines, are described by Professor Langley as follows :

“ With the slit of his spectroscope placed longitudinally at the

moment of obscuration, and for one or two seconds later, the field
of the instrument was filled with bright lines. As far as could be
judged, during this brief interval every non-atmospheric line of the
solar spectrum showed bright ;
an interesting observation con-
firmed by Mr. Pye, a young gentleman whose voluntary aid proved
of much service. From the concurrence of these independent
observations we seem to be justified in assuming the probable ex-
istence of an envelope surrounding the photosphere, and beneath
the chromosphere, usually so called, whose thickness must be
limited to two or three seconds of arc, and which gives a discon-
tinuous spectrum consisting of all, or nearly all, the Fraunhofer
lines showing them, that is, bright on a dark ground.”]
 KIRCHHOFES THEORY. 251

It would, however, be premature to form a con-

clusion against Kirchhoff’s theory from these nega-
tive results ;
for it may easily be presumed that
the vapours of the solar atmosphere do not possess
that degree of heat which would be necessary to
produce a light sufficiently intense for creating gas
spectra at such an enormous distance (ninety-two
million miles) ;
indeed the great darkness and even
blackness of many of the Fraunhofer lines justifies
the conclusion that the difference of temperature
must be very considerable between the sun’s nucleus
and the atmosphere of vapour by which, according
to Kirchhoff’s theory, it is surrounded. And if on
other grounds, to which reference will be made
hereafter, it were admitted that the supposition of
the sun’s nucleus being an incandescent solid or
liquid body were untenable, yet Kirchhoff’s ex-
planation of the Fraunhofer lines, and his proof of
the presence of elements in the sun similar to those
found in the earth, would still remain unaffected.
Even if the nucleus of the sun were, as the French
astronomer Faye supposes, neither solid nor liquid,

but in a condition of vapour or gas, there is still

no doubt that either the ball of gas itself in con-

sequence of the extreme heat is incandescent,
and would therefore emit rays of every shade of
colour, —
proof of which has been furnished by the
experiments of Frankland, Deville, and Wüllner
(p. 165), in accordance with the views of De la

Rue, Stewart, and Loewy, — of which rays those

corresponding to the Fraunhofer lines would be
252 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
absorbed by the cooler outside strata, or else the

ball of gas, if non-luminous, is surrounded by a

stratum of vapour partially condensed forming a
cloud in a condition of extreme heat, called the
pho Josphere, whence emanates the white solar light,

and in which the absorption of the vapours com-

posing it takes place in the same way as occurs
in the direct volatilization of sodium by the electric
light (p. 212).
We shall enter upon these theories more in detail

hereafter, but this much may be said here : that

every explanation of the physical constitution of
the sun must always be based upon the discoveries
of Kirchhoff ;
and the various details of any theory
in explanation of the solar spots, the faculse, the
prominences, etc., must be in strict accordance with
the phenomena by Kirchhoff of the
established
absorption of the coloured rays and the reversal of
the spectrum.

46. The Atmospheric Lines in the Solar Spec-

trum AS OBSERVED BY BREWSTER AND GLAD-
STONE.

The Italian physicist Zantedeschi, of whom we

have already spoken, was the first to remark that
the dark lines in the solar spectrum are not all

invariable, and that the changes occurring in

number, position, intensity, and breadth, in some
of them are due to the varying condition of the
earth’s atmosphere. This subject has since oc-
cupied the attention of Brewster and Gladstone,
 THE ATMOSPHERIC LINES. 253

Piazzi Smyth, Secchi, and pre-eminently the French

physicist Janssen, but their investigations have not
as yet led to any satisfactory result.
Brewster and Gladstone (i860*) found that new
dark lines and bands made their appearance in the

solar spectrum when the sun approached the

horizon, and that certain dark bands were more
strongly marked in the morning and evening than
at noon when the sun stood high in the heavens.
As the sun when near the horizon must transmit
its rays through a stratum of air nearly fifteen times
as thick as when at a high altitude at noon, the
idea was suggested that the atmospheric air, though
colourless, might exercise an absorptive influence
upon the light, and obstruct the rays as vapours do
(§ 38), in proportion as the stratum increases in
thickness and density through which the solar rays
have to pass.
The solar spectrum published by Brewster and
Gladstone in i860, nearly five feet in length, con-
tains more than 2,000 visible dark lines or bands,
easily distinguishable one from another. The violet
end extends as far as in Fraunhofer’s map, while in
the direction of the red it is of considerably greater
length. The Fraunhofer lines retain their original
designations A, a B, ,
etc., while the lines and bands
interspersed between them, and clearly separable
one from the other, are marked by figures after the

* [Brewster in 1832 discovered that certain dark lines, seen under

the conditions mentioned in the text, in the solar spectrum, were
caused by atmospheric absorption.]
254 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

letters A, B, C, etc., in succession to-

wards the violet always commencing
with Thus between A and a there
i.

lie marked A A A
three bands, I? 2, 3 ;

between a and B there are eight lines

or bands, marked a a ... a l9 2, 8
.

There are seven lines between B and

C, sixteen between C and D, twenty-
nine between D and E, ten between E
and b, thirty between b and F, fifty
between F and G, fifty-three between
G and H, four between H and k, and

ten between k and I, each line marked

by a number, beginning always with
i. Besides these prominent lines,

there are many very fine lines inter-

spersed among them which are not
enumerated. Those lines and bands
which are pre-eminently influenced by
atmospheric conditions, and are there-
fore more or less prominent according
to the altitude of the sun, are desig-
nated by the letters of the Greek
alphabet.
The solar spectrum given in Fig.
92 is taken from a reduced drawing
by Brewster, and represents not only
the Fraunhofer lines, but also all the
variable linesand bands of any im-
portance which are easily discernible,
and which are here marked by the
 THE ATMOSPHERIC LINES. 255

Greek letters ;
the numbers are omitted. The draw-
ing shows the spectrum as it appears when the sun
isnear the horizon all the lines and bands marked
;

by the Greek letters disappear from the spectrum,

or become more or less pale as the sun attains a
meridian altitude. These bands were named by
Brewster and Gladstone atmospheric lines, to indicate
that they were formed by the absorptive power of
the earth’s atmosphere; these observers did not
succeed, however, in ascertaining to what elements
in the atmospheric air this selective absorption was
to be ascribed.
In the least refrangible portion of the spectrum
two intensely dark bands appear at sunrise in front

of A, bordered on both sides by a fine line Y Z.

A much in breadth, and preserves

increases this

width even when the sun has a considerable alti-

tude. When A is observed at noon, it appears as

a double line, or like two dark spaces separated
by a narrow band of light; when the sun is setting,

this bright stripe disappears, and the line is seen as

one band of uniform width and intensity. The group

« increases in intensity towards sunset, but the indi-
vidual lines do not subside into one band. The
strongest absorption takes place close to B. C and
most of the lines between C and C become
6 darker,
and C 6 (in the orange) is especially remarkable, as
it deepens in intensity while the sun is yet high in
the heavens. In England this line is visible during
the whole day in winter, but not in summer ;
at sun-

rise and sunset it is one of the darkest and best-

256 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

defined lines in the whole spectrum. C I5 increases

towards evening to a black band, and the double
line D becomes at the same time very prominent.
Behind D 2 a band, marked 3 begins, which is spe-
cially characteristic of the spectrum of light that has
passed through a thick stratum of air. Even in a
small spectroscope, this band may be readily seen at
any hour of a dull day in the diffused light, but it is

particularly dark and well defined during heavy rain

or a thunderstorm, and at sunset it becomes almost
black. The same is noticed in the bands e and

Z, as also in the line 17, which is very distinct at

evening, and from its proximity to E, which re-
mains unaffected by the atmosphere, may easily be
mistaken for it. On the further side of b are several
other remarkable atmospheric bands, particularly
i and x. F loses its sharpness at sunset, and
seven bands from A to c become visible between
F and G. At G the only change is a loss of bright-
ness towards evening, but a still greater amount of
absorption takes place beyond, in the violet rays.
The western sky immediately after sunset affords
the best opportunity for observing these dark atmo-
spheric lines, especially the bands $ and £ in the
bright parts of the spectrum. If at that time the
sky be red, the lines C, C 6, D, $ appear generally as
four very dark bands, but when the sky is yellow
they are much less distinctly marked. #

* [Mr. J. H. Hennessy, to whom a spectroscope was entrusted by

the Royal Society for observations of the atmospheric lines of the
solar spectrum at different altitudes of the sun at the favourable
 THE TELLURIC LINES. 257

47. The Telluric Lines in the Solar Spectrum

and the Spectrum of Aqueous Vapour, as
OBSERVED BY JANSSEN.
The investigations of Brewster and Gladstone
were resumed by the French physicist Janssen, in

1864, for the purpose of discovering what substance

in the atmosphere produced the selective absorption
of the solar spectrum. With an instrument of his
own construction, composed of five prisms, he suc-
ceeded at once in resolving the dark bands noticed
by the English observers into very fine lines, and
in ascertaining that their intensity was perpetually
varying. He found them to be darkest at sunrise
and sunset, and less intense in the middle of the day,
but they were never entirely absent from the spec-
trum, a periodicity of change which at once proves
their atmospheric origin. To procure still more
decisive evidence on this point, Janssen resolved to
pursue his observations on the solar spectrum from
the top of a high mountain, whence the absorptive
and denser stratum of the
influence of the lower
atmosphere would be excluded, and the effects of
absorption consequently would be manifested in a
more moderate degree than on the plain.

For this purpose, in the year 1864 Janssen re-

mained for a week at the summit of the Faulhorn, at

position of Mussoorie, has sent in a first report of his observations,

together with a chart of the atmospheric lines as seen by him at

sunset. This map has been printed in The Proceedings of the

Royal Society vol. xix.,p. 1,
,
and maybe found of assistance to
those who are studying these lines.]
17
258 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

a height of 3,000 metres (about 9,000 feet) above the

sea, and convinced himself that the variable dark
lines in the solar spectrum were in reality much
fainter there than in the plain. But in order to dis-
cover the real origin of this absorption, and to
obtain proof that these lines were produced only by
the earth’s atmosphere, he devoted himself to the
examination of artificial light, since the light of the
sun in travelling to the earth has to pass for millions
of miles through foreign media.
In October 1864 he caused a large pile of pine
wood to be set on fire at Geneva, at a distance of
2 1 ,000 metres (about thirteen miles) from his place
of observation, and observed the flame in the spec-
troscope ;
when viewed near, the fire gave a con-
tinuous spectrum without dark lines, but at the full

distance some of the dark lines appeared which

Brewster had observed in the spectrum of the setting
sun.
It remained now for Janssen to determine with
yet greater certainty whether this atmospheric ab-
sorption was to be ascribed to the air or to the
aqueous vapour contained in the air, an investiga-
tion beset with unusual difficulties, which could only
at last be accomplished when in 1866 the Gas Com-
pany of Paris placed their apparatus at his disposal.

An iron cylinder 1 1 8 feet long, after being ex-

hausted of by forcing steam through it under a
air

pressure of seven atmospheres, was filled with steam

and closed at both ends by pieces of strong plate-
glass. The cylinder was surrounded with sawdust
 THE TELLURIC LINES. 259

to prevent radiation, and additional contrivances

were also adopted to preserve the steam from con-
densation, and so to maintain its transparency. A
very bright flame (produced by sixteen united gas-
burners) was placed at one end of the cylinder and
the spectroscope at the other, so that the rays from
the flame had to pass through a stratum of aqueous
vapour 1 18 feet thick before reaching the slit of the
instrument. The spectrum of the light in the air
was entirely free from absorption lines but seen ;

through the cylinder of steam there at once ap-

peared groups of dark lines between the extreme
red and the line D, similar to those seen in the
spectrum of the setting sun. By this means not
only was the proof furnished that a large number
of the variable lines in the solar spectrum are due
to the presence of aqueous vapour in the earth’s
atmosphere, but also a method secured for detect-
ing the presence of aqueous vapour in the heavenly
bodies.
Fig. 93 represents the solar spectrum between the
lines C and D as drawn by Janssen ;
the upper
half is the spectrum of the sun in the meridian, the
lower half that of the sun at the horizon (vide p.254).

Those lines which present the same appearance in

both halves belong exclusively to the sun, while

those which are darker in the lower than in the
upper half are telluric lines .

It has been further shown by Janssen that almost

all telluric lines are produced by the aqueous vapour
of the earth’s atmosphere ;
that an absorptive in-
17 A
:6o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS,

fluence is also exerted by

this vapour on the invisible
portion of the solar spec-
trum beyond the red (that
is to say, in the heat spec-
trum), where it produces
absorption lines ;
and,
finally, that it affects the
whole of the violet portion
of the spectrum in a man-
ner more nearly uniform
than selective.
The absorption spectrum
of aqueous vapour con-
sists therefore of all the
lines introduced into the
continuous spectrum by
the aqueous vapour of the
earth’s atmosphere: it is

an absorption spectrum
which may be easily con-
structed for the portion
between C and D by leaving-
out all those lines from
the lower part of Fig. 93,
which agree exactly in ap-
pearance with those in the
upper half. It has been
proved that the groups
marked C ß and D arise
from the aqueous vapour
 THE TELLURIC LINES. 26

in the atmosphere ;
the telluric character of the
central group C 7 has been also established by
Janssen beyond a doubt, but as yet it remains un-
certain whether they are likewise to be attributed
to aqueous vapour.
The investigations of Janssen were not confined
merely to that portion of the solar spectrum included
between C and D ;
he continued the spectrum in

another map, where it reaches below the line B and

beyond D ;
in this spectrum are included also the
three groups marked by Brewster a, ß, 7, S (Fig. 92).
Janssen has extended his observations to the light
of the moon and fixed stars,* with the view of as-
certaining if the stellar light, which differs from that
of the sun, be subject to similar changes in its passage
through the earth’s atmosphere.
With this object Janssen attached a small direct-
vision spectroscope to a powerful astronomical
telescope, in the manner described more in detail

in the section on stellar spectroscopes, and ex-

amined the spectrum of Sirius as the star appeared
above the horizon. In its very bright spectrum were
several dark bands, which when measured were
found to occupy precisely the same position as the
dark bands that appeared in the solar spectrum at
sunrise and sunset. In proportion as Sirius gained
in altitude, the intensity of these telluric bands
gradually diminished, until as the star passed the
meridian they entirely disappeared.

* Janssen, “ Rapport sur une Mission en Italie.” Paris, Im-

primerie impe'riale, 1868.
2 62 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
Fi g. 94 gives the spectrum of the sun (II)

and the spectrum of Sirius (I) as they appeared

in the small spectroscope when observed in the
meridian and at the horizon. The telluric bands
will be recognized at once on comparing the two
spectra of the same object ;
the dark bands marked
i, 2, 3 are evidently telluric absorption bands
common to both the sun and Sirius when near the
horizon.
Secchi has also been occupied for many years
in observing the telluric lines of the solar spectrum.
From the first he expressed an opinion that the
existence of these dark lines, which vary with the

Fig. 94.

Meridian.

Horizon.

place of the sun, the position of the observer, and

the amount of humidity in the air, were to be as-
cribed to the absorptive action of the aqueous
vapour contained in the atmosphere. The in-

fluence of the weather was apparent in the fact

that some of these lines were invisible in clear
 THE TELLURIC LINES. 263

weather with a north wind, while they were strongly

marked on dull days with the wind in the south.
Secchi has also observed and measured the dark
absorption lines during rainy weather in the spec-
trum of a flame distant 2,000 metres (ib=mile), as
well as in that of large fires kindled on the moun-
tains.
o
Angstrom of Upsala has also instituted careful
investigations of the telluric lines in the solar
spectrum, and has introduced these lines into his
maps (§ 43, Plate VI.), measured according to the
wave-lengths of the colours they absorbed. In
Fig. 95 a map of these lines is given on a reduced
scale ;
the lines and bands there shown are all

atmospheric lines with the exception of the Fraun-

hofer lines C, D, E, b, F. The order of the
phenomena produced by the absorptive power of
the atmosphere as the sun approaches the horizon
0
is thus described by Angstrom.
The violet portion of the spectrum disappears as
far as G ;
the absorption then keeps advancing
towards the red, and intensifies the dark bands near
F and D. At the same time the lines A, B, and «,

which are always visible in the red part of the

spectrum, become much darker, and the lines of
aqueous vapour both at C and D continually aug-
ment. At last the only parts remaining bright
lie between B and a, between a and 3 ,
and in the

greater portion of the greenish-yellow in the vicinity

and to the right of $, while the portion between B
and $ is more or less shaded by dark bands. The
264 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
part of the spectrum least affected by the telluric
absorption lies between D
and
Angstrom concurs with
Brewster that nearly all the
changes of colour observed
in the red glow of sunrise
and sunset find a simple ex-

| planation in the phenomena

Jf
of atmospheric absorption,
ö whereby all the ingenious and

g elaborate explanations hither-

I
to attempted are completely
& set aside.
o Angstrom is of opinion
•S that the bands A, B, a, and $

w are not produced by the

ä aqueous vapour of the atmo-
J sphere, since they are very
h constant, and are not affected
0)

h apparently by changes of
b temperature ;
whether other
d gases contained in the atmo-
^ spheric air, as, for instance,
carbonic acid gas, exercise an
influence upon them, has yet
to be investigated.
It is fully admitted that
other heavenly bodies besides
the earth may be surrounded
by an atmosphere; Janssen’s discovery of the spec-
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 265

trum of aqueous vapour furnishes the means of as-

certaining- whether this vapour, indispensable to the
maintenance of all the living- organisms of our
planet, is also present in the other celestial bodies.
Repeated observations undertaken by Janssen on the
high mountains of Italy and Greece havealready
furnished proof that aqueous vapour is present in
the atmospheres of the planets Mars and Saturn.

48. The Solar Spots; The Facul^r and their

Spectra.
It would lead us too far from our subject were
we upon the phenomena of the solar spots,
to dwell
important as they are for acquiring a knowledge of
the physical constitution of the sun, or enter upon
a full description of their form, their mode of forma-
tion and disappearance, their motion, their con-
nection with the sun’s rotation upon its axis, their

periodic occurrence, and the various hypotheses that

have been formed as to their nature ;
but, on the
other hand, we must still less be silent on the sub-
ject, since spectrum analysis has investigated these
wonderful appearances with a success which has
added much to our knowledge of the constitution of
the sun.
A number of excellent photographs and drawings
have been made by Secchi, Nasmyth, Warren De la

Rue, and others of remarkable spots, showing very

clearly the characteristic forms they assume, and the
phenomena which accompany them. By means of
a magnifying lantern and an intense light, these
 :

266 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

photographs may be thrown upon a screen and ex-

hibited to a large audience. Spots similar to those
shown in Fig. 96 and following figures consist
principally of a dark, almost black, central portion,
the umbra * surrounded by a space somewhat less

Fig. 96.

Solar Spot seen through a large Telescope by Secchi, at Rome, April 3, 1858.

dark called the penumbra the umbra has generally

an irregular form, while the penumbra exhibits a
structure radiating towards the centre.

* [The dark central part of a spot, called by the author “kern,”

has been distinguished throughout by the name umbra in accord-,

ance with the usual custom of astronomers. Mr. Dawes showed

that within this part of a spot one or more darker spots may
generally be observed, to which he gave the name of nucleus .]
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 267

If the sun be observed with a high power, the sur-

face presents by no means a uniform appearance
a multitude of bright and dark stripes cross each
other in all directions, and the luminous surface
appears like a net of bright meshes interwoven with

Fig. 97.

dark threads and small dark pores. The brightest

portions (Fig. 97) show a more or less elongated
form (compare Fig. 101), which suggested to Na-
smyth the name of “willow leaves,” while Dawes
 *

268 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

compares them to “ bits of straw,” and Huggins
calls them merely “ granules.”
On this uneven and ever-varying bright back-
ground the spots make their appearance in the
greatest variety of form and size. The penumbra
Fig. 98.

Solar Spot after Nasmyth with three Bridges of Light.

* [Dawes restricted the name straws to the objects of that shape

in theimmediate neighbourhood of the spots, which appear to be
formed either by the elongation of the normal granules, or by an
aggregation of them under the influence of the forces which are
present in the spots. The term granules adopted by Huggins,
,

was first suggested by Dawes for the solar particles in their normal
form, that is, as they appear on the general surface of the sun,

because, as he observed, “ the appellation granulation or granules

assumes nothing either as to their exact form or precise character.”
The observations of these astronomers agree in representing the
granules to be generally of an oval form, but that irregularly
shaped masses of almost every form frequently present themselves.
The average may be taken to be about 1 "
size of these particles

in diameter, and the average longer diameter of the more oval

particles at about T'5.]
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 269

not unfrequently stretches across the black central

portion in various places, Fig-. 98, and generally
appears much darker at the outer edges, where the
spot touches the bright part of the sun’s surface,
than in Very often the penumbra is
other places.
traversed by few or more bright curved bands,
stretching from the outer edge towards the nu-
cleus, generally at right angles to the confines of
the nucleus and penumbra (Fig. 99), which give the
spot the appearance as if a number of streams of

Fig. 99.

Solar Spots after Capocci ;

Furrows in the Penumbra,

some luminous matter had broken through the dam

formed by the penumbra, to fall into the abyss of
the umbra. Even the umbra itself is often crossed
by one or more broad luminous bands, called bridges ,

by which it is divided into several portions (Figs.

96, 98, 101).
Besides the dark spots, and chiefly in their imme-
diate neighbourhood, bright places make their ap-
pearance on the sun’s surface, which have been
called faculce . They are generally the attendants of
solar spots, and are especially to be seen at the
270 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
extreme edge of the penumbra when the spot has
reached the sun’s limb that they are not the effect
:

of contrast between the dark spot and the neigh-

bouring brightness is proved by the circumstance
that every spot not accompanied by facuke, and
is

that very frequently isolated faulem are to be seen

Fig. ioo.

Faculse in the neighbourhood of a Spot after Chacomac.

which are almost always the precursor of a coming

spot.
The facube, like the spots, vary considerably in
form ;
generally they are round and concentrated,
but often they have the appearance of long stripes
of light (Fig. ioo), disposed like veins, converging
from all sides towards a spot.
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 271

The wreathed faculae are almost always followed

in a few days by the appearance of a group of spots;
among the vein-like waves of light visible in many
places, more especially towards the sun’s limb, there
is first developed a dull scar-like place out of which
the spots are formed, sometimes singly, sometimes
in groups ;
and not unfrequently the formation of a
spot may be predicted from the increased intensity
of light at that place on the sun’s disk.
When a spot is observed near the sun’s limb in

the midst of the surrounding faculae, it is difficult to

avoid the impression that the spot lies in a hollow

between bright overhanging mountains ;
and it was
observed by Secchi on the 5th of August, 1865,
that the faculae when they reached the western
limb of the sun appeared like small projections and
irregularities upon the sharply defined limb of the
sun.
Although the real connection between the faculae
and the spots is not yet fully understood, it may be
safely concluded from these observations that the
spots lie deeper in the solar surface than do the
faculae, and that these faculae are mountainous ele-

vations of the luminous matter forming the photo-

sphere, by which the spot is surrounded in a wide
circuit as by a wall.
A representation of a group of solar spots observed
and drawn by Nasmyth on the 5th of June, 1864, is
given in Fig. 101, in which all the details character-
istic of a spot are to be recognized — the. black umbra,
the penumbra in a variety of forms, composed of
72 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the “ leaves ” directed towards the umbra, and the

surrounding luminous surface of the sun presenting
Fig. ioi.

Group of Solar Spots observed and drawn by Nasmyth, 5th June, 1864.
 THE SOLAR SLOTS. 273

its usual granulated appearance. This surface is

called the photosphere, a name given without reference

to' any particular theory as to its physical consti-
tution or structure. The photosphere is entirely

covered with pores, or small spots, less luminous

than the other parts where they congregate, and
;

become conspicuous by forming a black umbra and

shaded penumbra, they constitute the ordinary solar
spot where the portions of greater brilliancy than
the surrounding parts of the photosphere congre-
gate,they form the faculce, and these generally
accompany the spots or precede their formation.
If a solar spot be watched in the telescope from
day to day, or from hour to hour, it will soon be seen
to change in form ;
it increases or diminishes, or
completely vanishes away, while new spots make
their appearance. In the process of disappear-
ing the dark umbra first gradually contracts until
it becomes the dusky penumbra
invisible, leaving

perceptible forsome time longer. Not unfrequently

a spot breaks up into several spots, and occasion-
ally agroup unites to form one, and sometimes even
as was observed by Weiss, on the 12th of March,
1864, and by Haag on the 13th, 15th, and 16th of
April, 1869, one spot is seen to pass over another,
partially covering it, and then withdrawing from it.

In all these changes the spots exhibit an amount

of mobility displayed in general only by liquid or
vaporous masses.
The great changes which sometimes occur in a
solar spot are shown in Fig. 102, representing four
18
 ;

274 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

drawings of the large spot, more than 46,000 square
miles in area, that appeared in 1865. The draw-
ings are numbered in order of date. No. 1 shows

Fig. 102.

'mt
r m

- •
- , r -
c: W* , ,
imm
if. f >"tV
!

»Jr

«sm ,,

« * 4
. V'T
The great Solar Spot of 1865. (From 7th October to 16th October.)

the form of the spot on the 7th of October, when it

was first visible on the eastern (left) limb of the sun

 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 2 75

Nos. 2 and 3 as it appeared on the 10th and 14th

of October (central view), when a bridge had been
already formed across the nucleus and No. 4 as it
;

was seen on the 16th of October.

The formation and changes in the configuration

of a spot may often be watched during the course of

observation, and it not unfrequently happens that
the appearance of a group of spots is so entirely
changed from one day to another that it can no
longer be recognized in the new form it has
assumed. An example of this is given in Figs. 103

Fig. icn.

Solar Spot of 30th July, 1869.

and 104, consisting of drawings of the same group

of spots observed by Secchi at noon on the 30th and

3 ist of July, 1869.

On the other hand, there are spots presenting
276 SPECTR UM A NA L YS1S .

scarcely any change which preserve nearly the same

form for many days together. Spots of this kind
are of the highest value to the astronomer, as they
afford the only means of ascertaining the time of
Fig. 104.

Solar Spot of 31st July, 1869.

the revolution of the sun upon its axis, the position

of this axis, and its inclination to the earth’s orbit.
If a spot be observed even for a short time, it will

soon be remarked that it apparently advances on

the sun’s disk from east to west —that is to say,
from the left to the right limb of the sun : in an
inverting* (astronomical) telescope the motion will
appear to be in the opposite direction, namely from
right to left.

* In an astronomical telescope the highest point of the sun’s

disk appears as the lowest, and the lowest appears to be the
highest ;
in the same way the eastern limb appears to the right,
and the western limb to the left of the observer.
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 2 77

The form of a spot on its first appearance on the

eastern limb of the sun is that of a small dark streak
the length of which is much greater than the breadth.
For the first few days it appears to move but slowly

towards the middle of the sun’s disk ;

its speed
afterwards increases from day to day till it has ac-
complished half the journey across the disk. The
motion then slowly diminishes until the spot again
assumes the form of a narrow streak, and disappears
at the opposite (western) limb of the sun. It not
unfrequently happens that the same spot which has
been observed to disappear on the western limb has
in the course of about fourteen days been seen to
reappear on the eastern limb, and in the lapse of
another fourteen days has disappeared a second
time on the western limb, a phenomenon that proves
beyond a doubt that the spots are connected with
the surface of the sun, and that the sun itself has a
revolution upon its axis. If the time required for the
earth’s motion round the sun be allowed for in this
revolution of the spot, the result will show according
to Spörer a mean time of rotation for the sun
amounting to twenty-five days, five hours, thirty-
eight minutes.
Kirchhoff, whose views Professor Spörer, one of
the most industrious observers of solar spots, has in
the course of his investigations adopted with in-

creasing confidence, considers these forms to be

cloud-like condensations in the sun’s atmosphere,
which are produced by the loss of the solar heat by
radiation, in the same way as the aqueous vapours
27 8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
of the earth’s atmosphere are formed into mist and
cloud. When such clouds arise over the bright
and glowing surface of the sun, they obscure
the light of the sun at that spot, and it is but
natural that these cloudy masses, so irregularly
formed, should also become further condensed, or
be dispersed with the same amount of irregularity,
according as they come in contact with cooler or
warmer streams of gas.
Those physicists who differ from Kirchhoff in

their views of the physical constitution of the sun,

and consider, with Faye, that the actual nucleus of
the sun is a non-luminous ball of gas, entertain
a different theory of the nature of the solar spots,
regarding them as rents or openings in the bright
photosphere surrounding the dark ball of gas through
which this dark nucleus is seen.
The elder and younger Herschel have both re-

corded observations of a depression or notch in

the sun’s limb when a spot has been disappearing

round the edge of the sun. Jf the idea has been
once entertained that a solar spot is a cavity or
funnel-like depression in the luminous photosphere,
it is difficult to resist the optical illusion arising from
the fact that a dark spot on a bright background
always conveys the impression of a hole.
Fig. 105 shows a spot observed and drawn by
Secchi at Rome, on the 5th of May, 1857, which
resembles a gigantic whirlpool or a funnel, into the
interior of which the substance of the photosphere
appears to be rushing with an eddying motion.
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 279

Warren De la Rue has taken two photographic

pictures of the same spot at an interval of two clays,

and if these pictures be placed together and looked

at through a stereoscope, the spot exhibits the form

Fig. 105.

of a funnel with remarkable exactness. Other

photographic pictures taken of similar spots when
at the extreme edge of the sun, also convey the idea
of the existence of real depressions in the photo-
sphere.
The opinion that the solar spots are funnel-shaped
depressions in the outer stratum of the sun’s en-
velope, or photosphere, finds support not so much
from observations of this kind as from the different
appearances they present in their apparent motion
across the sun’s disk, without any actual change
occurring in their form, size, or grouping.
Were a spot to make its appearance upon the
28 o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
surface of the sun, and become visible on the eastern
limb, the preceding or western part of the penumbra
would first come into view, owing to the sun’s rota-
tion from east to west ;
then the western portion of
the umbra would appear, and the umbra itself would
gradually increase from west to east; finally, the
most eastern portion of the penumbra, that which
was furthest from the line of sight, would be re-
vealed. In the same way, on disappearing round
the western limb of the sun, the preceding or
western part of the penumbra would first become

invisible, the western penumbra would then gra-

dually decrease, after which the umbra would di-
minish in the direction of west to east, and finally
the following or western part of the penumbra
would entirely disappear from view.
In reality, however, the exact contrary is observed.
On the appearance of a spot at the eastern limb,
the eastern portion of the penumbra is first visible,

then follows the umbra in the form of a dark

streak, which gradually widens in the direction
of east to west, till at length when the umbra is
wholly visible, the western side of the penumbra
begins to appear. On the disappearance of the
spot at the western limb of the sun, the eastern
portion of the penumbra, that which is turned to-
wards the centre of the sun’s disk, first diminishes,

and the umbra again contracts into a narrow

streak, while the western side of the penumbra
has scarcely at all decreased. Only when the
umbra is entirely lost to sight does the western
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 281

penumbra begin to diminish, and finally dis-

appear.
Fig. 106.

The Changes in the Appearance of a Spot caused by the Rotation of the Sun.
282 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
In Fig. 106 the drawings marked I represent
the varying phases through which a spot surrounded
by a penumbra usually passes from the moment of
its first appearance on the eastern limb of the sun

until it disappears again at the western limb. They

show that the theory of the spot being above the
surface of the sun, as a cloud in the solar atmosphere,
or being on the surface itself, is untenable ;
the phe-
nomena observed, however, can be at once explained
by the supposition that the spot is a conical-shaped
depression in the outer surface of the sun (the
photosphere), which expands from the inside, and
contains in its deepest recesses the cause of the
dark umbra, while its sloping sides are composed
of what appears to us as penumbra. The drawings
marked II represent such a conical-shaped cavity
in a globe shown in perspective in the same posh
tions as those occupied by the spot on the sun’s
disk in the first set of drawings. It is needless to
remark that the size of the spot in reality bears

no such proportion to the size of the sun as for

the sake of clearness has been adopted in the
drawings.
We cannot any further follow the reasons for or
against these hypotheses concerning the cloud-like
or funnel-formed appearance presented by the solar
spots, without first becoming acquainted with the
results which spectrum analysis has already furnished
in connection with these mysterious phenomena.
William Huggins, whose invaluable labours in the

province of stellar spectrum analysis will be discussed

 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 283

hereafter, made an examination of the spectrum of

a solar spot on the 15th of April, 1868, and then
found, in accordance with the previous observations
of Secchi and Lockyer, that, notwithstanding the
darkness of the spot, the continuous solar spectrum
did not disappear, but that several dark lines in-
creased in breadth and intensity ,
as shown in Fig. 107
for the double D-line. New lines did not appear in

the spectrum formed by the light of the umbra of a

spot, but no single line was missing from the normal
solar spectrum ;
bright lines were scarcely ever to

Fig. 107.

The D-lines in the Spectrum of a Solar Spot.

be seen. These phenomena cannot well be recon-

ciled with Faye’s hypothesis that a spot is formed

by the eruption of streams of gas from the interior

of the sun, by which the bright photosphere is
pushed on one side, and the dark ball of gas com-
posing the nucleus of the sun exposed to view ;
for
how can the persistence of the continuous spectrum
be explained if by the rending of the photosphere a
dark body be exposed which can yield no light for
284 SPECTR UM ANAL YSIS.
the formation of a spectrum? According to Faye’s
theory, a solar spot must either show no spectrum, or
if the inner gaseous portion of the sun emit any light
it must yield a spectrum composed of bright lines ;
neither of which is the case. The continuous spec-
trum crossed by the Fraunhofer lines proves that the
umbra allows a considerable portion of the sun’s
ordinary light to pass through it, and the widening
of the dark lines shows indisputably that the spot
occasions an increased absorption of the light arising ,

from the condensation of the same vaporous sub-

stance which produces the dark absorption bands in
the ordinary solar spectrum.
More significant are the recent investigations of
Secchi. In examining with his great spectroscope
the neighbourhood of a large spot, he saw groups of
three, four, or six cloudy bands, equally distant from
each other, appear in the red and orange of the
spectrum. These bands usually disappeared when
the slit of the instrument was directed away from
the spot on to the clear disk of the sun ;
their appear-
ance in was always a sure sign of
the spectrum
the proximity of a spot even when it was not itself
within the field of the instrument. On the 6th of
January, 1869, Secchi was surprised to observe
the same bands on the clear disk of the sun, the
cause of which was soon apparent by the passage
of a cirrus cloud over the sun, and on a closer
examination these bands were seen to show them-
selves in all parts of the disk ;
as the cloud passed
away, the bands disappeared from the spectrum.
 THE SOLAR SPOTS . 285

It was thus proved that aqueous vapour had some

share in producing the phenomena of the cloudy
bands, and this was demonstrated still more un-
equivocally by another observation made in the
beginning of February, when Secchi, observing
the sun through a tolerably thick fog, noticed that
these bands were visible on every part of the disk,
but decidedly more prominent in the vicinity of the
spot. Secchi concludes, therefore, that the absorp-
tive power
in the sun producing these bands is

intensifiedby the absorptive action of the aqueous

vapour contained in the earth’s atmosphere where ;

the earth’s mist and the solar spot coincide this

action is increased ;
the cause of the absorption in
the sun in the neighbourhood of the solar spots is

therefore the same as that which is present in a fog,

— namely, aqueous vapour; consequently it seems
proved that aqueous vapour exists in the atmosphere of
the sim in the vicinity of large spots.
%

Secchi also carefully analysed the fine group of

solar spots which appeared in the middle of March,
1869, with a spectrum apparatus consisting of a
powerful telescope and three very widely dispersive
prisms, and arrived at the following results :

1 . Several dark lines which were very narrow and

well defined on those parts of the sun free from spots
appeared swollen and widened in the spectrum of the
spot ;
other lines were fainter, and not so sharply
defined at the edges, as in the spectrum of other
parts of the sun.
* [This result appears to the Editor to need confirmation.]
 286 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
2. Most of the exceedingly fine dark lines scarcely
visible in the solar spectrum appeared very dark and
broad in the spectrum of the spot.
3. The relative intensity of the bright portions
was considerably altered in the spot : while some
lost much in brilliancy, others retained their full

intensity.

4. The apparent loss of brilliancy in the bright

portions was produced more by the increased width
of the dark lines than by an actual diminution in the
light. The widening of the two lines D, and D 2 ,

forming the sodium line D, for example, was so great

that the space between them seemed to have almost
quite disappeared, while in places away from the
spot these two lines were widely separated.
Similar observations were made on a spot visible
from the nth to the 13th of April. The spot had a
double oval umbra, and a large penumbra, and was
surrounded by a number of smaller spots. The two
principal portions of the umbra were separated by
a very narrow and very bright bridge which dividing ,

the spot into two parts, extended through the

whole of the penumbra from one end to the other.
The interior of the umbra appeared as if filled with
rose-coloured veils, twisted confusedly and spread
about in every possible way.
Under very favourable atmospheric circumstances,
Secchi was able to confirm all the foregoing spec-
trum observations of a spot, both with regard to the
widening of the dark lines, and the conversion of
the fine lines into cloudy bands. The lines most
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 287

affected were those numbered 719*5 and 864 in

Kirchhoffs spectrum they were at least three times
;

as black and broad on the spot as in other places,

though the edges were still sharply defined.
When the slit of the spectroscope was placed at
right angles to the bridge of the spot, so that the
light of the bridge, the umbra, and the penumbra
fell simultaneously upon the prism, Secchi saw in

the field of the instrument three kinds of spectra at

the same moment, each sharply separated from the
other, asshown in Fig. 108, where they are repre-
sented with the Fraunhofer lines and KirchhofTs
numbers.
No. 1 : the ordinary solar spectrum given by the
luminous bridge, except that the hydrogen lines

Ha= C, Hß = F, Fly near to G were bright in-

stead of dark.
No. 2 : the spectrum of the umbra with the dark
lines widened and intensified, some new striped
bands and some bright double lines in the green ;

the bright hydrogen line of the adjoining spectrum

of the bridge No. 1 projected for some distance into
the spectrum of the umbra, a phenomenon which was
observed also in the C-line by Pvayet on the 12th
of April, 1870.
No. 3 : the spectrum of the penumbra in which
the hydrogen lines were not visible ;
they did not
appear either as dark lines or as bright lines, but

were altogether wanting.

Besides the thickening of the dark lines, several
absorption bands made their appearance also in the
 1

SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
HBHHHHH Fraun spectrum of the um-
- .. .
,
- '

w [
Lines.
bra : one in the red
near C towards B ;

r
1
another near D, and
a very dark zone

Fig.
n :: ~
half-way between
and D.
space was
A wide
seen
dark
C

in
108.
the green, and it is

—
ill specially deserving
Spectrum
of notice that several

i
bright lines made
of
M 1523
the * 1650
their appearance
upon dark back-
~
'
~
this
Solar

ground, two and two

Spot
together, at mode-
of
1 rate distances from
1
-

3th
each other, and so
brilliant that their
April,

light had not ap-

1869,
parently suffered any
absorption ;
a dark
observed

& 2854
band was also visible
by in the blue near F.
Secchi.
Other dark lines

become wider and

W/glm
darker in the umbra
ills
of a spot besides the
1 I! two already men-
j •'j
Sun’s
tioned belonging to
Bridge
Penumbra

Disk
calcium 719*5 and
864 of Kirchhoffs
 THE SOLAR SPOTS . 289

scale : this phenomenon has been observed with

remarkable distinctness in the neighbouring group
of iron, in the group between the lines 1207 and
1241 (Kirchhoff), as well as in that group extending
on both sides of the line 1421. Secchi has identi-
fied a number of these lines with those of iron ;

they were all more influenced by the absorptive

action of the substance of the spot than the two
D-lines of sodium, which, though also considerably
widened, had lost the sharpness of their edges :

the magnesium lines b scarcely underwent any

change in the spectrum of the spot.
Lockyer found in a spot which he observed on the
20th of February, 1869, that the magnesium as well
as the barium lines were increased in breadth, and he
agrees with Secchi in the opinion that this widening
of the Fraunhofer lines which takes place in the
spectrum of a spot arises from an increased absorp-
tion in those substances out of which the spot is

composed, and that in general the spots are deep

recesses in the surface of the solar body, filled with
concentrated masses of those substances (iron, cal-

cium, barium, magnesium, sodium, hydrogen), the

lines of which undergo an increase of breadth and
intensity in the spectrum, and over which floats the

lighter hydrogen gas.

Professor C. A. Young, of Dartmouth College,
Hanover (America), also found, when investigating
with the spectroscope a large group of spots on the
9th of April, 1870, that the hydrogen lines C and F
were reversed in the umbra, —appearing bright.
19
290 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

C was very bright, F much fainter ;

the remaining
hydrogen lines,H-y (2796 Kirchhoff) and H $ or
h (3365*5 K.), were not reversed, but appeared
as somewhat lines. He remarked also that
finer

many dark had become wider and darker,

lines

while others remained unchanged, among which

were a B, E, 1472 (K.), the
,
lines b , 1691 (K.), and
G. The two sodium lines D r
and D 2 ,
as well as
850 (iron), were evidently widened, but not to any
considerable extent.
The lines most affected by the increased absorp-
tion in the substance of the spot were as follows :

864 (Ca.), 877 (Fe.?), 885 (Ca.), 895 (Ca.), 1580 (Ti.),
1599 (Ti.), 1627 (Ca.), and 1629 (Ti.) The lines of
0
titanium which were identified by Angstrom’s map
were very prominent, and this was the more remark-
able as they are not visible in the ordinary solar
spectrum ;
the same observation was made with
regard to the calcium lines.

The results of the spectrum observations of

Secchi, Lockyer, and Young, important and valu-
able as they are, remain as yet too isolated and
unconnected with telescopic observations of the
spots and faculse to yield material sufficient for ex-
plaining the nature of these forms. This much,
however, may be regarded as certain, that the phe-
nomena of the increase in the width and intensity
of the Fraunhofer lines, as well as the appearance
of new dark bands in the spectrum of the umbra,
are produced by the increased absorptive power exercised
by the substances of which the spot is formed .
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 291

When the white light of the sun’s nucleus which

has already suffered absorption from the absorptive
stratum passes through the vaporous matter of a
spot, it undergoes a yet further absorption from the
additional matter which the spot contains. As,
therefore, the lines of calcium and iron are consider-
ably affected in the spectrum of a spot, the sodium
lines in a smaller degree, and to some extent those
of magnesium, it may be concluded that the
substance forming the solar spots is composed pre-
eminently of vapours of calcium, iron, titanium,
sodium, barium, and magnesium, and that these
substances occur in layers of varying thickness,
and in very different proportions.
That hydrogen gas constitutes an important ele-
ment in the formation of the spots is shown in the
most unequivocal manner by the spectrum. The
hydrogen lines are most affected in the parts that
lie close to the umbra, in the bridge when one is

formed, and in the penumbra. In the spectrum of

the bridge (No. 1) the three characteristic lines

H 0 H ß, H y,
,
are very bright, in the spectrum of
the penumbra (No. 3) they are often entirely want-
ing, while in the spectrum of the surface of the sun
and of the umbra (No. 2) they appear as the well-
known dark Fraunhofer lines C, F, and the one
near to G.
An explanation * of this phenomenon is offered by
the supposition that hydrogen gas breaks forth from

* [The Editor reminds the readers of the book that he is not

responsible for the views and explanations of the Author.]
19 A
29 2 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
time to time from the interior of the incandescent
solar nucleus. Owing to its extreme lightness, this
gas would rise in enormous pillars of flame (pro-
minences) over the absorptive vaporous stratum of
the photosphere, and, in consequence of the coding
ensuing from expansion, would enter into a variety
of chemical combinations, especially with oxygen ;

the uncombined part would then flow to the side,

while that in combination with oxygen (steam) and
the other solar substances would form gaseous or
vaporous masses, which, from their nature as well
as from their continued cooling, would be heavier
than the hydrogen gas, and would sink down from
their greater gravity. It is to be expected that the
stream of gas on rising would carry up with it a
quantity of those substances that exist in the sun’s
nucleus and the surrounding stratum of absorptive
vapour (the photosphere); if these substances, them-
selves incandescent, were present insufficient quan-
tities in the luminous hydrogen gas, their charac-
teristic lines would be seen as bright lines in the

spectrum of the pillars of flame. During the recent

total eclipses, many such lines were in fact observed,
together with the bright hydrogen lines, in the
prominences, a description of which will be given
further on ;
they can now be observed daily, some-
times in great numbers, upon the sun’s disk.
When the force of the gas eruption has somewhat
subsided, and the chemical combinations ensue,
producing vaporous precipitations of many kinds,
the formation of the spot begins. The heavier
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 293

portions of these precipitations sink down, and form

the umbra of a spot at the place of greatest conden-
sation, while the parts which are less dense con-
stitute the penumbra. The vaporous umbra, how-
ever, though apparently quite black, is yet able to
transmit a considerable amount of sunlight ;
indeed,
according to Zöllner’s measurements, the black
umbra of a spot emits four thousand times as much
light as that derived from an equal area of the full
moon. This statement is fully confirmed by the
results of spectrum analysis, for even the blackest
umbra yields a spectrum exhibiting all the details
of full sunlight.
Where the spot is broken through by the over-
flowing masses of the photosphere, a bright band
is formed, called a bridge which extends across the
,

whole of the penumbra. The rays of light emitted

by the luminous hydrogen as it flows to the edges
of the spot from the neighbouring parts of the
bridge, and breaks over the absorptive stratum of
the bridge, are not further absorbed, and illuminate
the dark Fraunhofer lines C, F, and one near G
these lines, therefore, in the spectrum of the bridge
(No. 1) are reversed from dark to bright. In the
umbra of the spot the free hydrogen is no longer
present in sufficient quantity or at a sufficiently
high temperature for its lines H a, ß, y to over-
power the dark Fraunhofer lines C, F, and the one
near G, or even to weaken them perceptibly ;
on
the other hand, the intensity of the light and the
temperature of the hydrogen in the parts belonging
 -

294 SP.ECTRUM ANALYSIS.

to the penumbra, are sufficient to cause its three

bright lines coincident with the dark lines C, F, and
the one near G, to be of the same intensity as the
neighbouring parts of the spectrum, and therefore
they become invisible. In the spectrum of the
bridge (i) these lines are generally bright, in that
of the umbra (2) they remain dark, while they are
frequently entirely wanting in the spectrum of the
penumbra.
The various remarkable changes which the lines
of hydrogen, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and
iron suffer in the spectrum of the umbra, seem to

show that in the cloud-like and vaporous substances

constituting the spot, the new combinations are
disposed in layers according to their specific gravity.
Thus hydrogen gas occupies the highest stratum ;

aqueous vapour, magnesium, and sodium follow in

thinner layers below ;

and the heavier vapours of
calcium, titanium, and iron form the lowest and
densest stratum, the base of the spot.
The formation of a spot will accordingly immedi-
ately follow an eruption of hydrogen ;
the spot
itself is a dense, cloudy, luminous mass, probably of
a semi-fluid consistency, composed of many con-
stitutents — according to Zöllner, a kind of scoria —
which sinks by its gravity a certain depth into the
photosphere, or outer portion of the sun, and par-
tially intercepts the light from the lower stratum
of the photosphere, therefore presenting to us the
appearance of a dark mass projected upon the disk
of the sun, in the same way as the exceedingly
 THE SOLAR SPOTS. 295

intense light of the oxyhydrogen lime-light appears

blackwhen seen against the sun.
The enormous dimensions of these dense masses
of vapour, which extend sometimes in all directions,
account for the length of time the spots continue
visible, not unfrequently remaining during several
rotations of the sun. Their disappearance is to be
explained partly by the substance of the photosphere
flowing into the cavity of the spot, partly by the
complete subsidence of the vapours into the nucleus
of the sun, where, in consequence of the enormous
heat, the compound substances which may exist in
them are broken up into their original elements.
These conjectures are by no means intended to
afford a complete explanation of all the phenomena
of a solar spot. Though it certainly is of the
highest interest for us to acquire a knowledge
of the physical nature of that heavenly body
whence we derive light, heat, motion, and life, we
must yet be cautious of receiving for truth what is
only the result of speculation, especially as the
theories on this subject rest on isolated observations
which are too unconnected to point to any certain
conclusion. The suggestions here thrown out are
only intended, therefore, to throw some light upon
the results hitherto obtained by the spectrum obser-
vations of Secchi, Huggins, Lockyer, and Young,
and by affording an unconstrained interpretation of
them to bring them into harmony with the pheno-
mena observed during the total solar eclipses of
1868 and 1869.
296 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

49. Total Solar Eclipses.

The reason why our knowledge concerning the
nature of the sun is still so imperfect that it is scarcely
possible to decide between the diametrically opposed
theories of Kirchhoff and Faye, is that the remark-
able phenomena occurring on the sun’s limb are
so completely overpowered by the blinding light of
the solar nucleus or photosphere that they remain
invisible even in the most powerful telescopes. It

is not sufficient to get rid of the sun’s rays by

the interposition of an opaque screen, because the
diffused light of the sky cannot be eliminated by
this means, and this light even is so intense as to
conceal the faint light of the sun’s appendages. It

is quite otherwise, however, during a total eclipse of

the sun ;
then the moon covers the whole of the
sun’s disk, and includes a large tract of the earth’s
surface in the cone of its shadow, revealing to the
observer, who is no longer hindered by the light
of day, a display of phenomena round the sun
which can be seen in no other way, and the study
of which is peculiarly fitted to throw light on the
nature and physical constitution of the sun.
When at the commencement of a total solar
eclipse the moon in her course from west to east
passes over the disk of the sun, the observer per-
ceives by the use of a simple dark glass the first
contact of the moon’s disk on the west that is —
to say right —
side of the sun if he employ an ;

astronomical telescope, the image is reversed, and

the eclipse appears to begin at the left side. If,
 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES. 29 7

however, he continue to observe it by direct vision

only, the moon is seen to advance over the sun's
disk from west to east, and the obscuration in-

creases until the whole of the sun is covered, and

the last rays disappear from the sun’s eastern limb.
Between this moment, the commencement of total

darkness and that when the following edge of the

moon touches the sun’s western limb, where at

the same instant the solar rays reappear and the

total darkness is at an end, are comprised the few
precious moments for the sake of which costly ex-
peditions are prepared, and the interest of learned
and scientific men of every nation greatly aroused,
since in these moments a unique opportunity is af-
forded for the investigation of the central body of
our system, and the successful use of this oppor-
tunity is entirely dependent upon the weather, for a

momentary veil of cloud or a fleeting whisp of

vapour may render unavailing all the trouble and
expense incurred.
We will not suffer ourselves to be detained by a
description of those changes that pass over the
landscape as the darkness advances, nor dwell upon
the deep impression which the sudden disappearance
of the last rays of the sun, and the equally sudden
re-appearance of the light, make both upon men and
animals.
The diameter of the cone of the shadow thrown
by' themoon towards the earth, amounts at the
spot where it touches the earth’s surface on the
equator during the time of totality to about 122
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
miles : as, however, the moon, which throws the
shadow, only completes its course in the heavens

round the earth from west to east in one month,

and the earth which receives the shadow accom-
plishes its revolution from west to east in one day,
it follows that the motion of the moon’s shadow is

very much slower than that of the earth’s surface.

It therefore happens that the earth appears to run
away from under the moon’s shadow, or that the
moon’s shadow seems to run over the earth from
east to west. From an elevated position the shadow
of the moon is seen to approach with enormous
rapidity, and the sensation as though a material
substance, such as a terrific cloud of smoke, were
rushing over the earth’s surface, fills the uninitiated
spectator with fear and dread. A few minutes before
thecommencement of the totality, the brightest stars
become visible, and the sharply defined black’ edge
of the moon appears surrounded on all sides by a
very narrow but very brilliant ring of light of silver
whiteness, which is called the corona. From the
corona faint rays of light, irregular in length and
breadth, stream out in all directions, surrounding

the moon’s disk like a glory, whence this crown of

rays is usually designated the glory (gloires,

aigrettes) or halo.
Fig. 109 is taken from a very carefully prepared
drawing by Dr. B. A. Gould, and represents the
total eclipse of the 7th of August, 1869, as it ap-
peared to the unassisted eye at Des Moines in

North America.
 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES. 299

When the total darkness has commenced, the

prominences make their appearance, which are cloud-
like masses of a rose or pale coral colour, disposed
either singly or in groups at various places on the
moon’s limb.
They pierce the corona in the most wonderful
forms, sometimes as single outgrowths of enormous
height, sometimes as low projections spreading far

Fig. 109.

Total Solar Eclipse of 7th August, 1869.

along the moon’s limb. The prominences are

generally first seen on the eastern (left) side of the
3oo SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
sun, where at the commencement of the totality
the moon only grazes the sun’s edge, and the
space immediately surrounding the sun is yet un-
covered ;
in proportion as the moon advances to
the east (E), the space immediately surrounding the
western parts (W) of the sun becomes free, and the
prominences are then seen also on that side in

greater number, and developed with much greater

distinctness.
There remains now no longer any doubt that
these remarkable phenomena belong to the sun, and
are great accumulations of the luminous gaseous
material by which the solar body is wholly sur-
rounded ;
it cannot therefore greatly astonish us
that their forms have been seen to change even
during the short duration of the totality ;
that
which calls much more for wonder is enormous
the
height to which these pillars of gas extend beyond
the limb of the sun, a height which in some in-

stances exceeds 90,000 miles.

50. Photographic Pictures of Total Solar

Eclipses.

Besides the important observations of the first,

second, third, and fourth contacts, especially needed

by astronomers for a more precise determination of
the diameters of the sun and moon, and the direction
of the moon’s course, careful attention is also given
during a total eclipse to the corona and halo
(Corona nebst Strahlenkranz), and especially to the

prominences. The telescope was formerly the ex-

 PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF ECLIPSES. 301

elusive means of observation :

photography was first

made use of at the great solar eclipse of i860, in

Spain, where it was employed with very good results
by Secchi and De la Rue at different stations.

It will in future be extensively applied to the

record of important eclipses, since photographic
pictures taken of the sun through the telescope at
different periods of observation give a faithful

transcript of the phenomena taking place ;

and
when the pictures are taken at rapidly succeeding
intervals, and at stations far removed from each
other, they afford when collected together a vivid
picture of the whole course of the eclipse, as well
as of the phenomena which has occurred during the
totality.

The apparatus needed for astronomical photo-

graphy is as follows: 1, an astronomical telescope ;

2, a driving clock to carry the telescope in a direc-

tion contrary to the revolution of the earth, at such
a speed that a star placed on a wire or in the axis of
the instrument should not alter its position notwith-
standing the motion of the earth on its axis, and that
the telescope, without any interference on the part
of the observer, should follow precisely the apparent
motion of a star or any other object in the heavens:
3, the photographic apparatus, which in its con-
nection with the telescope consists only of a con-
trivance for holding the slide containing the pre-
pared plate in the place where the image is formed
by the object-glass, and upon which the eyepiece is
usually directed ;
this slide is so arranged that the
302 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

light may be admitted on to the glass plate for

either the fraction of a second or for a much longer
period, according to the will of the observer.

Fig. iio.

Browning’s Photographic Telescope.

This contrivance must be fixed at the upper or

lower end of the tube, according as the telescope is
 PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF ECLIPSES. 303

a reflector or a refractor, — that is to say, whether

the image be formed by a mirror or a lens.

I11 Fig. no is shown the photographic reflecting

telescope made by Browning for the Indian Govern-
ment, with which Colonel Tennant took photographs
of the eclipse of the 18th of August, 1868, at Gun-
toor. The tube AA is constructed of iron, in three

pieces, connected together by the two rings C, C, and

contains at the lower end the concave mirror B, of
silvered glass (Fig. hi). By means of two projecting
screws, this mirror can be easily so adjusted that
the rays reflected from it to the plane mirror m n ,

and thence to the opening R, shall there form a

Fig. hi.

Path of the Rays through the Telescope.

small sharp image of the object to be observed, the

sun for instance.
The telescope AA is attached to the declination
axis, and is counterbalanced by the weight D ;

close to this counterpoise is fixed the declination

circle, by which the angle the tube makes with the
direction of the pole is measured.
The hour circle E is fastened to the polar axis
G G, and registers the right ascension on the fixed
vernier Ft. On the under side of this circle are
three friction wheels, two of which are shown in the

drawing, by which the friction of the polar axis

394 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

placed parallel to the axis of the earth, is so reduced

that a weight of 9 lb. hung at D on the declination
axis is sufficient to set in motion the movable part
of the instrument, weighing about 5 cwt. The
weight of the instrument is counterbalanced by the
massive weight N attached to the end of the polar
axis, and the telescope, counterpoise D, and the
circle E, with its driving screw, are thus held in
equilibrium. The polar axis G G carries the driving
wheel I, made of gun metal, which is set in motion

Fig. i i 2.

Eyepiece Tube of the Photographic Telescope.

by means of an endless screw placed underneath ;

the axle bed S of this screw can be moved aside to

allow it to be placed either in or out of contact with
the teeth of the driving wheel I, a contrivance
requisite for enabling the observer to turn the tele-
scope by hand in any direction, and fix it on the
object to be observed when this has been accom-
:

plished, and the screw S is pushed back into the

toothed wheel I, the telescope can only be moved
 PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF ECLIPSES. 305

as the clock drives it. The works are enclosed in

the square bronze case T, and are propelled by
means of the driving weight U ;
the governing balls
K serve to regulate the clock which sets in motion
the endless screw, and turns the driving wheel I and
the polar axis G G.
The solar rays falling parallel on the mirror B,
the diameter of which is g\ inches will, as shown in

Fig. hi, be reflected so as to unite at the focus

of the mirror, distant 5 ft.
9 in. Intercepting the

Fig. i 13.

Slide of the Photographic Telescope.

rays close in front of the focal point is placed the

diagonal mirror mby which the converging
n,

rays are reflected sideways, and thrown into the

eye-tube R. The rays unite somewhat beyond the
tube R to form an image which is a point when
the luminous object has no sensible diameter, but
as the sun subtends an angle of about 3 2', its image
formed at the focus is somewhat more than three-
quarters of an inch in diameter.
20
3°6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
The eyepiece tube R serves for the reception of
the photographic slide, and for this purpose con-
tains a tube c (Fig. 112), which is entirely closed
from both light and dust by means of two springs f y

and which can be moved and out by the use of

in

the powerful screw d. At the end of this inner tube C

is the slide e e (Fig. 113), which holds the sensitive
plate prepared for the reception of the photographic
image. The construction of this dark slide will be
easily understood from the drawing. When the
opaque shutter b has been pushed in so as to cover
the four fine silver wires, the prepared plate is laid
upon the silver ledges fixed at the corners, and the
door a shut : the slide is then inserted at the end of
the tube c (Fig. 112), the shutter b drawn out, and
the plate exposed to the action of the light ;
after
a suitable exposure, 0 is again pushed in, and the
slide taken away, and replaced in the telescope by
another containing a newly prepared plate.
In order to avoid delay during the short duration
of totality, six dark slides with as many sensitive
plates were prepared beforehand for photographing
the phenomena. To secure the perfect definition
of the cross marked by the four silver wires on each
plate, the purpose of which was to show the exact

position of the sun’s axis upon each photographic

picture, the wires were placed at a distance of only
of an inch from the surface of the prepared plate,
without however interfering with the action of the
exceedingly thin shutter b, which moved up and down
with safety between the wires and the plate, touching
 PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF ECLIPSES. 307

neither the one nor the other. The focus required

for the plate, —that is to say, the distance the tube c

(Fig. 1 1
2) had to be withdrawn from R R, —was as-
certained by previous trials; for this purpose a round
sliding shutter was constructed at the back of the
door a (Fig. rio), which when open allowed of a
view into the interior of the dark slide on to the
ground glass.
The two pictures represented in Fig. 1 14 are
faithful copies of the photographs taken by De la

Fig. i 14.

Total Eclipse of 18th July, i860. (Photographed by De la Rue.)

Rue at Rivabellosa, in Spain, on the 18th of July,

i860 : the first shows the appearance of the eclipse
at 3h. om. 40s. ;
the second at 3h. 3m. 50s., G.M.T.
The corona appears as a soft gentle light round the
intensely black moon the prominences stand out
;

conspicuously in different parts of the corona, and

among them one at the upper left side assumed the
form compared by De la Rue to a Turkish scimitar,
and reached the enormous height of 70,000 miles.
20 A
3°S SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The rays of the halo emanating from the corona ap-

peared with great beauty in the telescope and to the
unassisted eye, but the light was too faint to make
any impression on the photographic plates.

Since these pictures were taken, spectrum analysis

has entered the service of astronomy, and has been
rendered, mainly by the labours of Kirchhoff, so in-
dispensable in all investigations of the sun that the
spectroscope forms now an important part of the
requisite apparatus for observing the phenomena of
a total solar eclipse. When it is remembered that
astronomers have now in addition the self-regis-
tering electric chronograph for recording time, as
well as the newly-invented photometer (by Zöllner)
for measuring the amount of light, it may be sup-
posed that for the efficient use of so many delicate
instruments, and the observation of so many
phenomena, several experienced astronomers, pho-
tographers, and physicists are required at each
station, and therefore the outfitting of an expedition
for observing a total solar eclipse is both a difficult

and expensive undertaking.

51. The Total Solar Eclipse of the i8th of

August, 1868.

This eclipse afforded a remarkable combination

of advantageous circumstances, and excited con-
siderable interest from the fact that it could be well
observed from many stations widely separated ;
and
also that the duration of totality being 6m. 50s., was
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 309

very nearly the greatest that can ever occur in an

eclipse of the sun.
A total solar eclipse is a phenomenon of rare
occurrence at any fixed spot ;
the last visible in
London took place in 1715, and the first in this

century to be seen at Berlin will not occur till the

19th of August, 1887, while in Paris there will not
be one during the whole of the nineteenth century.
The eclipse of the 18th of August, 1868, offered suf-
ficient inducement therefore to assemble the scientific

men of all nations for its observation, and it might

perhaps be asserted that it excited the interest of all

nations in a higher degree than any other astrono-

mical phenomenon of this century. The zone of total
darkness passed over the southern part of Asia from
Aden, across Hindustan, Malacca, Borneo, Celebes,
etc., in a breadth of 138 miles, and expeditions fur-

nished with efficient and costly instruments were sent

out by the North German Confederation, Austria,
France, and England, under the superintendence of
well-known astronomers.
The zone of totality from Aden to Torres Straits
is represented in Fig. 115, in which the various
stations are marked : the central dark line denotes
the middle of the shadow where the duration of
totality was greatest. According to a calculation
previously made by Dr. Weiss, of Vienna, the sun
rose eclipsed in that region of Abyssinia where
the Blue Nile begins its northward course. The
nucleus of the shadow grazed Gondar with its

northern edge, passed over the lake of Zaka, and

3io SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
by the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb to Aden, the first

station marked in the map ;

then it crossed the
Arabian Gulf to southern India, where the districts

Jamkandi, Beejapoor, Moolwar, Guntoor, Masuli-

patam lay near the central line, and the duration of

totality varied from 5m. 10s. to 5m. 45s. In the Bay

of Bengal and in the Malay peninsula (Wha Tonne)

the duration of total darkness increased till in the

Gulf of Siam it attained its maximum of 6m. 50s.

 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 31 r

The zone of totality passed then through the

southern point of the Anamba Islands, over the
northern portions of Borneo and Celebes, and
through the middle of the Molucca group. The
cone of shadow passed further over the southern
bay of New Guinea, the northern point of Australia,
and finally over the Pacific Ocean to the New Heb-
rides, where the sun must have set while still eclipsed.
1. The North German Confederation sent out
two expeditions, one of which, consisting of Dr.
Thiele from the observatory at Bonn, and the
Berlin photographers Drs. Vogel, Zenkler, and
Fritsch, selected Aden as a station; while the other,
with Prof. Spörer of Anclam, Dr. Tietjen of Berlin,
Dr. Engelmann of Leipzig, and Koppe of Berlin,
repaired to Moolwar, in the Bombay presidency,
four miles south of Beejapoor.
2. The Austrian expedition, under Dr. Weiss, Dr.
Oppolzer, and a naval officer, Lieutenant Rziha,
remained Aden with the first
at division of the
North German Confederation.
3. France also sent out two expeditions: the
first was under the superintendence of Janssen, an
observer greatly experienced in spectrum investi-
gations, who selected the station of Guntoor;
the second, comprising Stephan, director of the
observatory at Marseilles, and among others the
physicistsRayet and Tisserand, and the engineer
Hall, was sent farther east, and stationed them-
selves at Wha Tonne, a small place near the sea,
in the peninsula of Malacca.
312 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

4. The English expeditions were also admirably

prepared ;
the one under the conduct of Captain
Herschel took up its position on the western coast
of southern India, at Jamkandi, in the neighbour-
hood Belgaum
of another detachment, under
;

Capts. Haig and Tanner, was stationed at Beejapoor;

while a third, superintended by Colonel Tennant,
and equipped especially for photographic purposes,
occupied a locality further east at Guntoor, where
Janssen also was stationed.
5. The Jesuits at Manilla, in the Philippines,
fitted out a small expedition, consisting of Fathers
Fauro, Nonell, and Ricart, stationed at Mantawa-
loc-Kekee, a coral island at the entrance of the
Gulf of Tomini or Garontola, where in company
with Captain Charles Bullock, of H.M.S. Serpent,
the eclipse was observed with good results. This
0
station was in o° 32' 50*1" south latitude and 123
27 27*5" east longitude from Greenwich.
Besides these very complete expeditions, furnished
with every requisite instrument for scientific in-

vestigation, there were many private individuals,

some possessed of very good telescopes, who hap-
pening to be in the line of totatily observed the
eclipse with praiseworthy zeal, and obtained some
good results. Among these was Capt. Rennoldson,
who crossed the line of shadow in mid-ocean in the
steamer Rangoon, and the four sketches he took
during the totality were among the first pictures pub-
lished of the eclipse. The eclipse was observed also
by the governor of Labuan, Mr. J. Pope-Hennessy,
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 313

on the west coast of Borneo, in company with Capt.

Reed and others, and the account he gave of the
phenomena of the eclipse, with the readings of the
barometer and thermometer during its course, is

of the greatest interest. At Adoni, a town near

Bellary, in 15° 37' north latitude and 77° 20 east
longitude, Lieut. Warren, possessing a good tele-

scope, watched the phenomena of the eclipse with

care, and has published his observations, including
the variations of the thermometer. The Dutch
doubtless sent an expedition to the zone of totality
from their settlements in the islands of the Archi-
pelago, but no published account of their proceed-
ings has yet appeared.
With the purpose we have in view, we must pass
over the results of the various expeditions as far as
they are purely astronomical, such as the measures
in position and height of the prominences, and the
observations of the polarization of light in the
corona, as well as those that relate to the variations
of light and heat, the changes in the density of
the atmosphere, etc., in order to dwell in
-
detail
on those phenomena registered by photography and
spectrum analysis, since they are of such high im-
portance that their full significance cannot as yet
be fully realized.

Photographic pictures of the eclipse of the 18th

of August, 1868, were taken by the following expe-
ditions :

1. The North German expedition at Aden, under

Drs. Vogel, Zenker, Fritsch, and Thiele.
34 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
2. The English expedition at Guntoor, under Col.
Tennant.
3. The expedition of the Jesuits from Manilla, at
Mantawaloc-Kekee.
The results obtained by Dr. Vogel, the first on
the list, shall be narrated in his own words ;
he
wrote as follows, from the steamer in which he and
his party returned to Suez :
“ We rose early, by four
o’clock on the morning of the 18th of August.
About nine-tenths of the sky was overcast. In a
spirit of resignation we commenced our prepara-

tions. The task before us consisted of taking

. . .

as many pictures of the phenomena as possible

during the three minutes, the duration of totality at
Aden. For this purpose we had regularly drilled
ourselves in the use of the photographic telescope,
like so many artillerymen at a gun. Dr. Fritsch
prepared the plates in the first tent; Dr. Zenker
undertook the insertion of the dark slide into the
tube ;
Dr. Thiele attended to the exposure of the
plate in the telescope, which by means of the clock
followed the course of the sun with such precision
that its image remained immovable upon the pre-
pared plate and I developed the pictures in the
;

second tent. We had proved by experiment that

it was possible in this way to take six pictures in

three minutes. The decisive moment came nearer

and nearer ;
to our great joy the clouds we had
been watching with so much anxiety began to break,
and the sun, already partially eclipsed, appeared
occasionally as a crescent. A strange light over-
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 315

spread the landscape, something- between sunlight

and moonlight. The chemical action of the light
was exceedingly small. . . . The crescent kept
diminishing, —the breaks in the clouds seemed to
increase ; —we began to hope. The minute before
totality, which commenced at 6 h. 20 m., flew
rapidly by. Dr. Fritsch and I hastily crept to our
tents, and remained there, seeing unfortunately
nothing of the totality under these circumstances.
Our work began. The first plate was exposed five
and ten seconds, to test the right amount of expo-
sure. Mohammed, our black servant, brought me
the first dark slide with the plate that had just been
exposed. I poured the developing solution of iron
over it, looking eagerly for the expected image.
My lamp at this moment went out. ‘Light Light
’

called —
! !

I ‘ Light !’
but no one heard ;
every one had
enough to do. I caught at the outside of the tent
with one hand, —holding the plate in my left, —and
happily found the oil lamp which I had placed there
lighted in case of accident then I saw the small ;

image of the sun appearing on the plate (Fig. 116).

The dark edge of the moon was surrounded by a
range of remarkable elevations at one side, while
on the other there was an extraordinary horn
or protuberance. Both phenomena were perfectly
analogous in the two pictures on the same plate.
My delight was great, but it was no time for re-
joicing. The second plate was soon brought me, and
a minute later the third was also in my tent. ‘
The
sun is coming !
9
called out Zenker, and the totality
3 16 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

was over. All seemed but the work of a moment,

so rapidly had the time flown. The second plate
gave in developing only faint traces of an image,
and showed peculiar markings this was explained ;

by thin passing clouds which had almost entirely

interrupted the photographic action. The third

Fig. ii6.
w

TsU't <2

Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868. (Observed at Aden.) (Picture 1.)

plate (Fig. i t
7) , taken during the third minute of
totality, showed two successful pictures, with promi-
nences on the lower limb, as seen in an inverting
telescope. The fourth picture (Fig. 1
18) was taken
at the last moment of totality, and exhibited yet
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 317

more plainly the prominences that had already ap-

peared on the western limb of the sun.”
By uniting in one drawing (Fig. 119) the various
photographic pictures taken during the totality, a
very correct conception may be formed of the way
in which the prominences were arranged round
the sun’s limb at the time of the eclipse. The

E
Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868. (Aden.) (Picture 2.)

chemical action of the light of the corona was not

sufficiently powerful to leave any impression on the
prepared plate during the short time of exposure ;

but through the telescope, and even with the un-

assisted eye, this phenomenon was seen at every
station in all its glory.
The great prominence on the eastern limb of the
3i8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

sun had an elevation of about one-fourteenth of the

sun’s diameter, or about 60,000 miles.
In the various drawings of the totality, more or
less carefully executed, which have been contributed
by different observers, the prominences are very
differently represented both as to size and position.
After rejecting those unworthy productions prepared

Fig. i 18.

/
/ . .

\ \
\
\

/
E
Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868. (Aden.) (Picture 3.)

for sale which are finished merely for effect according

to the fancy of the artist, the chief cause of these
discrepancies will be found to arise from the fact
that the sun’s disk assumes a different position with
respect to the horizon according as it is observed
at sunrise, noon, or sunset. The same prominence
therefore appears to occupy a different position with
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 319

respect to the horizon in a picture taken early in the

morning at Aden to that in which it appears in one
taken at midday at Celebes. Another cause of
discrepancy is to be found in the difference of time
(about seven hours) between the extreme ends of
the central line of totality or zone of observation,

Fig. 1
19. /W

'

Union of the Prominences in one drawing.

one of which was at Aden and the other at Celebes,

and during this time great changes may have oc-

curred in the position and size of the prominences.
When it is remembered also that the image of the
eclipsed sun appears inverted in an astronomical
telescope, the upper part being seen below, and the
320 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

right side reversed to the left, it will easily be un-

derstood that the various drawings of the eclipse
present different appearances according to the place
whence the phenomena were seen, and whether ob-
served by the unassisted eye or by an inverting
telescope.
Fig. 120.

(Guntoor, 18th August, 1868.)

When the sun at noon has reached its greatest

altitude, the highest point is the true north, the
lowest point the true south. Standing face to the

sun, the east lies 90° from the north point to the left,

and the west as many degrees to the right. A

glance at Fig. 120 will show this more clearly; sup-
 PI. VII

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE. (India,) A

1868.Au.0usl 18.

1
Guntoor ( Col Tennant) Commencement of Totality.

Feme ofExposure' 5 Sec.

Guntoor Col L Tennant) Towards the end of Totality.

Time, of Exposure / Sec.

HANHART 11 TH
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 321

posing the sun’s circumference to be divided into

360°, and the north point reckoned as o°, the point of
due east lies 90° to the left of north, the south point
180 0 and the west 270°.
,

If the sun be observed at any other time of day,

a vertical line represented by the cross-wires forms
the apparent north and south line, the upper end
of which is called the apparent north point, and the
lower end the apparent south point. It is therefore
easy for astronomers to calculate the true north for
any time and place from the apparent north by
means of the latitude and the time of observation,
as well as to determine by the use of a telescope
provided with a suitable micrometer the angle which
the apparent north and south line makes with any
other line drawn from the centre of the sun to its

circumference. If therefore this angle, —that is to

say, the apparent position of any particular object
on the limb or disk of the sun, a prominence or a
solar spot for instance,- — be measured and reduced
to the true north and south line, and the angle
thus determined, or the true position be drawn out
upon a diagram of the sun’s disk, divided into
degrees ( vide Fig. 120), the correct place which
the object occupied on the sun will then be
found, whatever the position of the sun in the
heavens may have been at the time of obser-
vation.
Fig. 109 gives a picture of the total eclipse of
the 7th of August, 1869, taken at Des Moines at
five o’clock in the afternoon, at which hour the
322 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

apparent north point was considerably removed from

the true north.
As the disk of the sun was never during any part
of the totality concentric with that of the moon, a
further correction is necessary for transferring the
angles measured with the circumference of the moon
to that of the sun. The angle of position for the
great prominence (Figs. 1 1 6 and 120) was about
8o°. To assist in estimating the positions, the four
true points of the sun are given in Fig. 116 and
following pictures of the eclipse.
The photographs obtained by Col. Tennant at

Guntoor appear at first sight to have been less suc-

cessful than those taken at Aden. He exposed six

plates, in all of which the prominences were suffi-

marked to allow of the photographs

ciently well
being compared one with another. Plate VII. ex-
hibits exact copies of these photographs, published
with the co-operation of Warren De la Rue ;
the
upper picture shows the eclipse at the commence-
ment of the totality, and the lower one immediately
before its cessation. In all the pictures the same
large prominence appears which is to be seen in

the photographs taken by the German expedition,

while the configuration of the smaller prominences
also seen in each plate presents a different appear-
ance in every picture.
Warren De la Rue has superposed magnified
copies (something more than two inches in diameter)
of Tennant’s six original photographs, and by a
careful estimation of the sun’s centre and the exact
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 323

coincidence of the large prominence in all the pic-

tures, has composed a drawing (Fig.
120) which
not only gives a representation of the prominences

Fig. 121.
W,

Total Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, at Mantawaloc-Kekee.

that made their appearance during the course of the

eclipse, but also shows clearly by the first and second
inner contacts the beginning and the end of the
324 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
total darkness. In the figure the shaded disk I, I

represents the sun ;

II, II denotes the moon’s disk*
at the moment of second contact 2 (first inner con-
tact), when the totality began, and the large promi-
nence A appeared on the sun’s eastern limb ;
III, III

is the moon’s disk at the third contact 3 (second

inner contact); the drawing also gives the position
of the sun’s axis, the direction in which the moon’s
centre was travelling from west to east, and indicates
by the dotted lines over the prominences a peculiar
faintglimmering light which appeared on the eastern
side, and was invisible in the telescope on account
of the brilliancy of the corona and prominences, a
phenomenon the nature of which, unknown as yet,
may perhaps be discovered at some future eclipse.
The spots drawn on the sun’s disk are those which
were photographed at the Kew observatory on the
day of the eclipse. The corona and the halo are
both wanting in these photographs.
The expedition of the Jesuits from Manilla did
not arrive at the place of observation, owing to an
accident to the machinery of the vessel, till the
evening of the 17th of August, the day before the
eclipse, so that no photographic experiments could
be previously made on the spot selected as a station.

The eight instantaneous pictures of the principal

phases of the eclipse were successful ;
but of the
four plates exposed during the totality, the second
only, which was exposed twelve seconds, showed
* For the sake of clearness, the disk is drawn a little larger than
it was in reality.
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 325

any trace of the corona. This loss was fortunately,

however, repaired to some extent by immediately
tracing upon the focussing glass of the camera
the image of the totality as it appeared upon the
smoothly ground glass, and permanently fixing the
drawing thus made.
Fig. 121 gives a view of the totality as it was
seen at Mantawaloc-Kekee during the last 2m. 25s.,
therefore just before the reappearance of the sun’s
rays. “ Scarcely had the last ray of sunlight dis-

appeared,” writes Father F. Fauro in reporting the

results of this expedition to Secchi, in Rome,*
“ when the magnificent corona or aureola burst into
view, as by enchantment, round the black edge of
the moon. The form that it assumed is shown in
Fig. 1 2 1, but the colour was beyond the power of
any artist to paint. All observers agree that it

resembled mother-of-pearl or pure unpolished silver,

but far more beautiful and more intensely brilliant.

The corona consisted of three principal divisions :

the first was a narrow circle of intense white light,

forming an even band round the edge of the moon ;

the second extended further out, gradually diminish-

ing in intensity, but preserving a tolerable regularity
of form ;
the third was composed of a very large
number of rays which possessed various degrees

* The full account is in “ Natur und Offenbarung,”

to be found
1869, p. 145, and “Wochenschrift für Astronomie
also in the
und Meteorologie” (Halle, 1869), in papers communicated by
Professor Heiss, from the “ Bulletino meteorologico dell ’Osserva-
torio del Collegio Romano.” (Vol. vii., No. 12.)
 326 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
of intensity, and radiated with great irregularity,
some reaching to a distance equal to more than
double the diameter of the moon. The aspect of
the rays changed slightly from one moment to
another, and it deserves special notice that a some-
what brighter line was seen to cut obliquely through
the lower (?) stratum of rays. This line represented
a ray of light which made its appearance five minutes
after the commencement of the totality, and re-
mained visible as long as the darkness lasted.
From the communications received from the
various expeditions, it seems conclusive that the
halo of the corona presented a different appear-
ance at each station ;
but as the drawings of this
phenomenon were made from estimations taken
merely by the eye, their accuracy is not sufficient
to warrant any conclusions being deduced from
them. We shall enter more fully upon this sub-
ject when we come to speak of the spectroscopic
observations of the corona, and the various theories
that have been propounded as to its nature.
With regard to the inner portion of the corona,
the observations made at all the above-mentioned
stations concur in this —that all light was not ex-
tinguished during the totality, but that immediately
after the disappearance of the sun (contact 2) the
intensely black disk of the moon was surrounded
by a very white and brilliant narrow ring of light,

* Similar phenomena were observed by Mazette and Dalbiez, at

Perpignan, during the total eclipse of 1842 ;
and by Stenglein, at
Pobes, in the eclipse of the 18th of July, i860.
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 327

from which the pale red prominences projected at

various places. The Austrian observers, as well
as the French observers Stephan, Tisserand, and
Janssen, speak very decidedly of the formation of
an intensely bright and very narrow ring of light
immediately round the edge of the moon ;
there is,

Fig. 122.

E
Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, observed from the Steamer Rangoon.

therefore, scarcely any doubt that the lower part of

the corona belongs to the sun, and that this close

appendage of the sun is highly luminous but that the

,

intensity rapidly diminishes at a little distance from the

edge.
328 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
1 he observations of the total solar eclipse of the
1 8th of July, i860, in Spain
when the prominences
were photographed (Fig. 114), as well as examined
telescopically by many eminent astronomers, left
scarcely any doubt that these remarkable forms are
of a gaseous nature, and belong, not to the moon,

Fig. 123.

J
Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, observed at Wha-Tonne by Sfephan.

but to the sun. The eclipse of the 18th of August,

1868, afforded an opportunity for acquiring com-
plete certainty on this subject.
At the same instant that the corona started into
view, the prominences also became visible on the
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 329

eastern limb of the sun, precisely at the spot where

the last rays of light disappeared at the commence-
ment of the totality. The first of these prominences,
to the left of the vertical line (Fig. 116) was of an ex-
traordinary height, and shone with an intense rose-
coloured light ;
the other prominence at the right

Fig. 124.

Solar Eclipse of 18th August, 1868, observed at Mantawaloc-Kekee.

side of the vertical line was of a similar colour and

of equal brilliancy, but was neither so high nor so
beautiful in form.
Fig. 122 shows the great prominence as observed
from the steamer Rangoon at the beginning of total

darkness, when another prominence, much less in

330 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
height, but spreading much further along the sun’s
limb, made its appearance almost simultaneously
upon the opposite side.

Fig. 123 represents the prominences as they

were drawn by Stephan during the course of the
totality at Wha-Tonne.
Fig. 124 is in connection with the more com-
plete picture of the totality shown in Fig. 12 1, and
merely represents the prominences as they were
observed at Mantawaloc-Kekee by the Jesuits from
Manilla 2m. 25s. before the reappearance of the sun.
In explanation of this picture, we give an abstract
of Father Fauro’s communication to Secchi.
The breadth of the great prominenee a was i° 40',
0
that of the second one ß amounted to 9 at the base.
Scarcely had these prominences made their appear-
ance when a third prominence 7 broke out from
the western limb of the sun, and gradually increased
in size and beauty as the moon passed over the
sun from west to east (vide Fig. 120). The pheno-
menon of the gradual disappearance of the promi-
nences from the eastern side, and the simultaneous
increase and extension of those on the western side,
was distinctly seen by all observers. The height of
the two prominences « and ß, the moment they
appeared in view, was respectively 3' 10" and F 15",

and on repeating the measurements after an in-

terval of 3' 10", when the totality was about half

over, their height was found to be 2 J2 and o' 18".*

* One second =450 miles.! As a rule, one second of the measured

f [More accurately,!" is equal to 445 miles.]

 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1868. 331

The prominence 7, which was seen at first with diffi-

culty,was gradually disclosed as the moon passed
on, and when fully visible presented the appearance
of a long chain of mountains. It terminated very
abruptly to the left, as if suddenly cut off, while
towards the right it gradually diminished in height
until it was lost behind the dark disk of the moon
at the spot where the corona exhibited the greatest
amount of irregularity.
In the same picture, Fig. 1 24, a fourth pro-
minence § is seen to the left of 7 ;
it was com-
pletely separated from the other prominences, and
presented the appearance of a cloud :
* the colour

was neither so brilliant nor so uniform as that of

the others, and it exhibited some dark streaks
similar to those observed in other prominences ;

0
its breadth amounted to 5 30'. Finally, a small
prominence * made its appearance half a minute
before the end of the totality, to the right of the
chain of rose-coloured peaks ;
it was perfectly de-
tached, and bore a great resemblance to 3 .

The colour of the prominences was described in

very different terms by the various observers it ;

was designated by most of them as pale red, by

some as scarlet, by others again as rose-red or
pale coral red, and by Tennant as white.

angle of an object seen upon the sun from the earth may be
reckoned roundly at 100 German geographical miles, and one
minute of the arc of the sun’s circumference as 122 miles.
* In later observations by Zöllner, Lockyer, and Young, to
which we shall have occasion again to refer, the same forms are
repeatedly exhibited.
 ;

332 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

52. The Total Solar Eclipse of the 7TH of

August, 1869.
This eclipse was likewise invisible in Europe
the zone of totality stretched from Alaska, where
the eclipse began at noon, over British America
and the south-west corner of Minnesota, then
crossed the Mississippi near Burlington (Iowa),
and passed through Illinois, Western Virginia, and
North Carolina, reaching the Atlantic Ocean in the

neighbourhood of Beaufort.
The event excited the most lively interest among
astronomers and photographers throughout the
whole of North America, and occasioned the equip-
ment of a number of scientific expeditions, which
were also supplemented by the valuable labours of
many private individuals. The observers were in

almost every instance favoured with the finest

weather, and their efforts were rewarded by a large

collection of photographic pictures, and many
valuable spectroscopic and other observations.
That portion of the zone of totality which traversed
the inhabited parts of the United States was studied
everywhere with telescopes, spectroscopes, and
other instruments of observation, so that the whole
of this tract of country became one vast observatory.
Although the duration of totality was less than in
the eclipse observed in India (1868), yet the pheno-
menon was attended on the whole with many more
favourable circumstances ;
the heat was less intense,
the places suitable for observation were much more
conveniently situated, and the sun’s altitude was
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 333

not so great as in the eclipse of 1868. The most

important points of investigation had reference to
the scrutiny of the prominences by means of photo-
graphy and the spectroscope, the examination of
the nature of the corona, and the search for planets
between Mercury and the Sun.
The most complete expeditions were those sent
out from Washington, one from the Nautical Al-
manac Office, the astronomical department being
under the charge of Professor Coffin, while the
photographic arrangements were conducted by
Professor Henry Morton, of Philadelphia : another
expedition was despatched from the United States
Naval Observatory, under the superintendence of
Commodore B. F. Sands.
The first expedition, under the guidance of Pro-
fessor Morton, selected stations in the State of Iowa,
as follows :

1. Burlington, where the observers were Professor

Mayer, and Messrs. Kendall, Willard, Phillipps, and
Mahoney, together with Dr. C. A. Young, Professor
of Dartmouth College (Hanover), well known as an
experienced spectroscopist, and Dr. B. A. Gould, to
whose charge the photographic department was
committed
2. Ottumwa, where Professor Himes, and Messrs.

Zentmayer, Moelling, Brown, and Baker, were

stationed
3. Mount Pleasant, occupied by Professor Morton,
and Messrs. Wilson, Clifford, Cremer, Ranger, and
Carbutt, as well as by some other Professors, in-
 334 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
eluding Pickering, who were desirous of making
astronomical observations on the physical phe-
nomena of the eclipse.
Stations selected by the second expedition :

1. Des Moines (Iowa), where Professor Newcomb

undertook the observation of the corona and the
search for intermercurial planets, Professor Hark-
ness the spectroscopic investigations, and Professor
Eastman the meteorological department. Several
other gentlemen skilled in solar photography asso-
ciated themselves with these observers.
2. Bristol (Tennessee), where Bard well, who
undertook the observation of the corona, and other
observers were stationed.
Besides these important expeditions, furnished
with the most admirable and complete means of
observation, several scientific men were engaged at
various points in the zone of totality, either in
observing the astronomical details of the eclipse, or
in investigating the prominences, the corona, and
their spectra. Among these may be mentioned
Dr. Edward Curtis, who at Des Moines obtained no
fewer than 1
19 pictures of the different phases of the
eclipse ;
W. S. Gilman, by whom some most valuable
observations were instituted at St. Paul Junction
(Iowa) upon the connection between the solar spots,
the faculse, and the prominences; J. A. Whipple, who
with Professor Winlock and several assistants pro-
cured at Shelbyville (Kentucky) eighty photographic
pictures, six of which were taken during the totality,

one of them exhibiting a complete and magnificent

 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 335

corona ;
as well as Professor G. W. Hough, Director
of the Dudley Observatory, who in company with
nine fellow-observers recorded all the details of the
-eclipse at Mattoon (Illinois).

Out of the mass of materials afforded by the ob-

it will only come within
servations of this eclipse
our province to communicate those results which
have reference to the physical constitution of the
sun, and were obtained partly by photographic
delineation, and partly by the help of the spectro-
scope. Here, as in § 51, the phenomena of the
eclipse as exhibited in the telescope and on the pho-
tographic plates will first be described, while the
details of the prominences and the corona revealed
by the spectroscope will be deferred to a future page.'
The course of the eclipse and the photographic work
carried on at Mount Pleasant, where the totality
lasted two minutes, forty-eight seconds, is described
by Wilson nearly as follows :

“ For some days prior to the eclipse the sky was

overcast and threatened rain, but the 7th of August

was bright, without a cloud, such a day as had not
occurred for months, and the sun shone with re-
markable clearness and warmth. The moment of
first contact arrived ;
the first plate was already
placed in the tube ;
Professor Watson signalled to
us the moment for exposure by a motion of the hand
the instantaneous shutter was opened and closed,
and the first picture was taken. We thus commenced
a series of pictures taken at intervals of five or ten
minutes till the commencement of totality, after
 336 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
which the series was continued on the re-appearance
of the sun till the termination of the eclipse. Dark-
ness came on with the totality, but not the darkness
of night ;
still it rendered reading impossible. The
amount of light upon the landscape was scarcely
equal to that of bright moonlight, yet it was sufficient
for us to pursue our work. An instant before the
commencement of totality the thin crescent of the
sun was still quite dazzling ;
then the light went out
as from an expiring candle.
“ There, between heaven and earth, hung face to
face the two great luminaries, sun and moon, a large
black round spot encircled by a brilliant ring of deep
gold-coloured light, interrupted here and there by
the brighter spots of the flesh-coloured prominences
of irregular size and form, and surrounded by the
magnificent corona, which shot out rays in every
direction, faintest where the prominences were most
conspicuous, but enveloping the whole with a glory
which was marvellously beautiful, as if the Creator
were about to show His omnipotence in this wonder.
The phenomenon resembled a gigantic image from
a magic-lantern received upon the heavens as a
screen. Four plates were exposed, when suddenly
the full significance of those words was realized,
‘
Let there belight, and there was light,’ for a

mighty flood of brilliant light gushed forth like

the rushing, foaming waters of Niagara. The sun
came forth like a conqueror from a battle with the
Titans, and was greeted with acclamations by the
assembled spectators.”
 PI. VIII

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Jf

North America.)

1869. Auöust . 7.

Biirlmgtori ( I owa)Co mm encement of Totality

Tune ofExposure 5 Sex.

Burlington (-IowaYTowards the end of Totality.

Tune ofExposure- 7 Sex-.
M&H.KANHART LtTH.
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 337

The three pictures of the totality taken at Mount

Pleasant were not remarkably sharp, as the telescope
was not furnished with a clock movement much :

better results were obtained by the observers

stationed at Ottumwa and Burlington at Ottumwa ;

forty negatives were taken, four of which were

during the totality ;
and of the forty pictures ob-
tained at Burlington, six were taken while the
totality lasted; so that the expedition under Morton
contributed thirteen pictures of the totality, several
of which were of great excellence.
A picture of this magnificent spectacle has been
already given in Fig. 109, showing the prominences
and corona after drawings made by Dr. Gould ;
the
photographic plates, which were exposed for the
brief space of from five to sixteen seconds, give
only faint traces of the corona, on account of its

light being too weak to produce in so short a

time any chemical action on the prepared plates.
Plate VIII. contains correct copies of the two
photographic pictures taken at Burlington at the
commencement of the totality and immediately
before its termination. In the upper picture the
first prominences are just becoming visible on the
eastern limb of the sun, while those on the western
limb are still covered by the moon ; by the further
advance of the moon from west to east, the eastern

prominences are shown in the lower picture to be

gradually disappearing, while those to the west are
being revealed with increasing distinctness.
Fig. 125 unites in one picture all the prominences
22
333 .
SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
as they appeared on the sun’s limb during the
course of the totality, whether as single and
isolated flames, or in less definite forms as wide-
spread luminous masses, arranged according to the
measures obtained and the estimations made of
their angles of position (p. 321). The prominences
are numbered from 1 to 12, beginning at north

Fig. 125.

N 12

7 th August, 1869.)

and passing by east and south to west; among

them Nos. 4, 5, and 8 are especially remarkable
from their form and height. No. 4, called
“ the

eagle,” rose to a height of 82k “a ne- No. 5,

bulous cloud of flame” extending from B to C,

attained a height of 136"; while No. 8, compared
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 339

u
to head of an albatross,” measured 75" in
the
height,whence it may be calculated that the actual
height of these prominences must have been re-
spectively 37,000 miles, 6 [,000 miles, and 34,000
miles.
In the photographic pictures there was to be
seen a glow of light of indefinite form (represented
in Fig. 125 by an irregular dotted line), which
extended from the point N towards the east
nearly as far as S, and attained a maximum ele-

vation of 2' 15" about half-way between the pro-

minences 2 and 4, and again at a few degrees south
of 5. In the vicinity of the prominences 3 and 5,

near the points where the luminous appendage

had attained its greatest elevation, several tongues
of vivid flame, separated one from another, rose
high above the lower portions of the mass of light.

The white nebulous cloud of light between B and

C attained a height of at least 64,000 miles. A
similar luminous cloud was seen in the pictures
along the western side, extending from south to
north ;
it reached a maximum height between the
prominences 11 and 12, and at the point N was
cut off almost perpendicularly.
The dotted circle within the moon’s edge shows
the proportional size of the sun, as well as its

position in the middle of totality. The arrow marks

the direction of the moon’s course ;
but the fact
that the disks of the sun and moon were never
perfectly concentric during the eclipse, has not
been disregarded in the drawing.
22 A
34o SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

In the photographic pictures the bases of the

prominences, with the exception of No. 4, project
within the circle formed by the moon’s edge, as
shown in Fig. 125. The explanation of this re-
markable phenomenon was thought to be found
in the circumstance that the photographic telescope
by following the motion of the prominences by
clockwork, kept their image immovable on the
photographic plate, while the image of the moon,
owing to its angular motion being different to that
of the sun, continued to advance over the plate.
Dr. Curtis, however, has strikingly shown by pho-
tographing from an artificial eclipse in which the
moon was represented by black paper, notched
for the prominences and corona, that this pro-
jection of the prominence-images on the disk of the
moon is caused by a kind of photographic irradiation
on the prepared plate, and is therefore an entirely
mechanical action which always occurs where an in-

tensely bright object is in immediate contact with a

dark one, and the duration of the action of the light
(time of exposure) has exceeded the proper limit.
The eclipse of 1868 observed in India, though
furnishing so many valuable details concerning the
prominences, was almost without results with respect
to the corona. The various observers of the eclipse
in America were all the more eager, therefore, to
examine the details of this remarkable phenomenon,
its form, its spectrum, and especially its connection

with the prominences.

The photographs of short exposure (from one to
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 341

seven seconds) show the corona only in its brightest

parts close to the edge of the sun ;
still they give, es-
pecially those taken at Ottumwa, a tolerably distinct
image of it, with nearly the same form as it pre-
sented to the unassisted eye. The curved path of
the rays, and the varying intensity with which they
stream out from the different points, can be dis-
tinctly traced in these pictures. The most brilliant

rays agree strikingly in position with the light of

those prominences which have the form of a pointed
flame, while where the prominences resemble rounded
masses a shadow seems cast upon the corona. It

is clearly evident from these pictures that the corona

does not move along with the moon during the
totality, but that it remains concentric with the sun.
It becomes more and more covered at the eastern
edge in proportion as the moon advances, and in
the same proportion is gradually revealed on the
opposite side.
In order to obtain a complete photographic pic-
ture of the entire corona in all its parts, not only
must the time of exposure considerably exceed that
requisite for the intensely bright prominences, but
the image of the corona must not be magnified
before falling on the photographic plate. J. A.
Whipple, of Boston, accordingly arranged his tele-
scope for photographing the corona at Shelbyville
(Kentucky) in such a manner that the prepared

plate was placed in the main focus of the object-

glass, and he employed forty seconds as the time
of exposure. In this way a picture was obtained
 342 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

in which the prominences appeared only as bright

spots, while the inner ring of light, as well as the
outline of the whole corona, and the peculiar curve
of its rays, are clearly shown. Fig. 126 is an exact
copy of this picture, with the exception that in the

original the light fades away more gradually, and

the rays are not so sharply defined.
When the corona is observed through a large
telescope, only a small portion of it can be seen at
once, and the instrument must be gradually turned

Fig. 126.

Photographic Picture of the Corona, 7th August, 1869.

round the entire limb of the moon in order to obtain

a general view of the whole. Professor Eastman,
who instituted observations of this kind at Des
Moines, has published two pictures of the corona,
one of which, represented in Fig. 127, was taken at

the commencement of the totality, and the other

just before its termination. The instant the totality
began, the corona made its appearance as a light of
silvery whiteness, with an exceedingly tender flush
of a greenish-violet hue at the extreme edges, and
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 343

not the slightest change was perceptible during the

totality in the colour, the outline, or the position
of the rays — an observation confirmed by Professor
Hough at Mattoon (Illinois), by Gill, and by several
others.
Fig. 127.

The Corona of the Eclipse of 7th August, 1869, at Des Moines.

The corona appeared to consist of two principal

portions : the inner one, next to the sun, was nearly
annular, reaching an elevation of about i', and in

colour of a pure silvery whiteness ;

the outer por-
tion consisted of rays, some of which grouped
themselves into five star-like points, while the
344 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

others assumed the appearance of radiations, and

were the most sharply defined; the corona was
scarcely visible between the prominences a and b.

The star-like rays attained a height equal to half the

diameter of the sun.
Fig. 128.

Gould’s Drawing of the Corona of 7th August, 1869 (4h. 58m.)

Dr. B. A. Gould observed the corona with the

unassisted eye at Burlington, and made three com-
plete drawings of it during the totality, at intervals

of one minute. In Figs. 128 and 129 two of the

pictures are given, one representing the corona
at the commencement of the totality, at 4h. 58m.,
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1869. 345

and the other at 5h., immediately before its termi-

nation. These pictures by Gould appear to be
opposed to the observations cited above, that the
corona preserved the same appearance throughout
the totality, inasmuch as they seem to show some

Fig. 129.

Gould’s Drawing of the Corona of 7th August, 1869 (5h.)

evidence of change. This observer therefore main-

tains that owing to the long exposure of forty
seconds, the sharp photographic picture (Fig. 126)
does not represent the corona, but another lu-

minous atmosphere of the sun —the chromosphere.

346 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
Against this opinion of Gould’s, it must first

of all be remarked that it is not possible to draw

a correct picture of the corona in all its details
merely by the unassisted eye, without the aid of
instruments of measurement, for which reason all

the drawings of the various observers made merely

by the eye differ one from the other, and from the
photographs ;* then, again, the photographic picture
taken by Whipple that has been alluded to, cannot
possibly represent the chromosphere, since this ap-
pendage of the sun, as will be seen further on, is

not higher than io" (4,450 miles), j* while the rays

of light in the photograph attain a height of 10'

( 2 77,000 miles). Dr. Curtis has, after a very com-

plete and searching investigation, arrived at the
conclusion that Goulds three drawings of the corona
are not perfectly accurate, and that his views as to
the variability of the corona, and his explanation of
Whipple’s photograph, cannot be justified ;
but that,
on the contrary, the corona did not change its form
during the whole period of total darkness, and that
the photograph referred to could represent nothing
else but the corona.

53. The Prominences and their Spectra.

In the total eclipse of the 18th of August, 1868,
the spectrum of the prominences was observed by
* [The differences between the pictures of the corona made by
different observers are often greater than can be accounted for by
the reasons given in the text.]
t [The whole question rests upon the meaning assigned to the
word chromosphere. See note at the beginning of § 56.]
 PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA. 347

Herschel at Jamkandi, by Haig at Beejapoor, by

Tennant and Janssen at Guntoor, by Rayet and
Hall at Wha Tonne, and was found by these ob-
servers to consist of a few bright lines, from which
they concluded that these forms are composed of
luminous gases of which hydrogen gas is the chief
constituent. The spectrum of this gas is charac-
terized, as is well known, by three bright lines

(Frontispiece No. 7), of which the first, red ,

is

coincident with the Fraunhofer line C ;

the second,
greenish-blue ,
coincides with the line F ;
while the
third, dark blue ,
lies in the vicinity of the line G
(vide Fig. 69, No. 2).

Fig. 130 contains, in addition to the two com-

parison spectra No. 1 (the principal lines of the solar
spectrum), and No. 2 (the principal lines of hydrogen
gas), the spectra of the prominences Nos. 3, 4, 5,
and 6, as observed by Rayet, Herschel, Tennant,
and Lockyer.
Rayet, who preferred to keep his direct-vision
spectroscope pointed exclusively to the great promi-
nence, and employed the instrument in all positions,
perceived nine bright lines, consisting of those
corresponding to the dark lines B, D, E, b, F,
G, of a green line between and F, and a blue one
b

near G (No. 3). These lines appeared very bright

upon the dark background, so that their position
could be determined with ease. The bright lines
D, E, F were seen in the inverting telescope of the
spectroscope to be prolonged downwards below
the rest, as finer and fainter lines, and were thus
343 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
turned away from the sun’s limb, a phenomenon
which seems to indicate that a portion of the mass
of glowing- gas composing the prominence stretches
Fig. 130.

Solar Spectrum.

Hydrogen.

Prom :
— Spectrum
Rayet.

Prom :
— Spectrum
Herschel.

Prom :
— Spectrum
Tennant.

Prom :
— Spectrum.
Lockyer.

New D and Clines.

Secchi & Lockyer.
Widening of the F
lines.

Prom : — Spectrum
Janssen.

Various Spectra of the Prominences.

far upwards into the sun’s atmosphere in a state of

extreme rarefaction.
Herschel (No. 4) made use of a spectroscope
 PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA. 349

and for
specially constructed for these observations,
themeasurement of the spectrum lines. At the first
glance the spectrum of the prominence appeared as
a spectrum of three very brilliant lines, of which
the orange line coincided with D, while the red line
was not coincident with either B or C, nor did the
blue line coincide with F.
Tennant (No. 5) employed a spectroscope similar
to that used by Huggins in his investigations on
the spectra of the nebulae and the fixed stars. The
spectrum of the prominence appeared to him as a
spectrum of five bright lines, three of which were
in exact coincidence with C, D, and b ,
while the
greenish-blue line lay very near to F, and the dark
blue line near to G. Time did not allow of a more
accurate measurement of these two doubtful lines,
but from the observations of Rayet it is almost
certain that the first of them was actually coincident
with F, and the other with the hydrogen line H 7,
near to G.
first telegraphic announcement
Janssen sent the
to Europe that the spectrum of the prominences
consisted of bright lines, and that therefore these
remarkable forms are enormous columns of lumi-
nous gas, of which hydrogen constitutes the chief
element. In readiness for the observation, the slit

was held close to the advancing limb of the moon,

at a tangent to the point where the last rays of the
sun would disappear. With the extinction of the
last rays, two new spectra started suddenly into view,
each consisting of five or six bright lines (Fig. 130,
 350 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

No. the lines were red, yellow, green, blue, and

8) ;

and the two spectra, which were separated by

violet,

a dark space, were exactly coincident line for line.

When Janssen left the spectroscope to look for a
moment through the finder, or small telescope, he
saw that both spectra belonged to two magnificent
prominences which shone out at the black edge of
the moon to the right and left of the point where
the last ray of sunlight had disappeared. One of
these attained a height of 3',and resembled the
flame of a furnace as it breaks forth vehemently
under the influence of a powerful blast ;
the other
presented the appearance of an extended chain of
snow mountains, which seemed to rest on the moon’s
limb, and glowed as if illuminated by the red light
of the setting sun. As the principal lines of the
spectrum coincided with the Fraunhofer lines C and
F, Janssen declared at once that hydrogen gas
forms an important element in the constitution of
the prominences.
From the circumstance that the space between
the spectra of the two prominences was dark,
Janssen was brought to the conclusion that the
results of his investigations were not in accord-
ance with Kirchhoff’s theory. He imagined that
the space between these prominences must have
been filled with what Kirchhoff had assumed to
be the solar atmosphere, and therefore that this

space, instead of being dark in the spectroscope,

ought to have yielded a spectrum of bright lines.
As this was not the case, then, Kirchhoff’s theory
 PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA. 351

that the white light of the solid or incandescent

solar nucleus was partially absorbed by the glowing
vapours of an atmosphere, had become untenable
this absorption could not, therefore, have taken
place outside the photosphere or light-giving por-
tion of the sun, but necessarily within it, and
had been produced by the glowing vapours from
which the condensed solid or liquid particles of
the cloud-like mass of the actual photosphere were
formed.
In reply to this objection of Janssen’s, it may be
remarked that though he obtained no spectrum
from the immediate neighbourhood of the sun, it

was to be attributed to the very narrow setting of

the slit he employed, for the sake of seeing the
bright lines of the prominences distinctly, which was
too narrow to allow of a spectrum from the other
much fainter portions of the sun being received at
the same time. Rziha, as well as Tennant, obtained
indubitable though faint spectra from the immediate
neighbourhood of the sun. Janssen’s observations
seem, therefore, only to strengthen the conclusion
arrived at by the other observers, that the light of
the prominences is much more intense than that of

the solar atmosphere, even when in closest proximity

to the sun’s limb, or than the corona.
If all the spectrum observations of the pro-
minences made on the 18th of August, 1868, be
collected together, and those of least importance
be set aside, the following results are obtained :

1. The spectrum of the prominences consists of

 —

352 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

some bright lines of intense brilliancy, among

which the hydrogen lines Ha = C, Hß = F, and
H y, near to G, are especially noticeable.
2. The prominences are masses of luminous gas,
principally luminous hydrogen gas ;
they envelop
the entire surface of the solar body, sometimes in
a low stratum extending over exceedingly large
tracts of the sun’s surface, sometimes in accumu-
lated masses rising at certain localities to a height
of more than 80,000 miles.
In the eclipse of the 7th of August, 1869, observed
in America, the spectra of the prominences were
investigated by Professor Harkness at Des Moines,
as well as by Professor Young at Burlington, who
devoted himself with especial attention to this work.
Professor Harkness employed an ordinary simple
spectroscope, consisting of a single prism of 6o°,
to which had been added a micrometer in prepara-
tion for the eclipse. Owing to the small dispersive
power of such an instrument, the measures taken
of the distances between the lines of the spec-
trum as compared with Kirchhoff’s scale, can make
no claim to great accuracy. Harkness compared
the divisions of his micrometer by means of the
principal Fraunhofer lines, with the millimetre
numbers of the same lines in Kirchhoff’s map, and
marked the bright lines seen in the prominences
given in Fig. 127 by the following numbers of
Kirchhoff’s scale :

Prominence a gave approximately the lines :

693, 1007, 1497 (Kirchhoff).

 PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA .
.353

Prominence c gave approximately the lines :

693, 1007, 1497, ,

2069.
Prominence e gave approximately the lines :

693, 1007, 1497, 1611, 2069, 2770.

Prominence /gave approximately the lines :

693, 1007, 1497, , 2069, 2770.

If these readings, though only approximately

correct, be compared with Kirchhoff’s numbers for
the most important of the Fraunhofer lines given
in p. 236, it will be found that the bright lines
observed in the prominences may very probably
have been as follows: 694 = 0 (Ha), 1017 = D,
(beyond D 2 ), 2080 = F (H ß), 2796 =H 7, as well
as the line 1474 (instead of 1497) less refrangible
than E. Whether an error had occurred in the
measurement of the position of the green line 1611
(between E and b), or whether this line be identical
with that observed by Winlock in the spectrum of
the Aurora Borealis marked 1680 in Huggins’ scale
(1608, Kirchhoff), must still be left in doubt. Ac-
cording to these observations, therefore, it appears
that the bright lines in the various prominences
vary in number, but not in position, and that
hydrogen gas is the principal constituent of the
prominences.
The observations and measurements made by
Young were much more accurate and complete :

he was provided with an instrument consisting of

0
five prisms of 45 each, the lateral surfaces of 2\ and

3b inches, and the method by which this compound

spectroscope P was connected with the telescope A,
a comet-seeker of 4 inches aperture and 30 inches
554 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
focus, is shown in Fig. 13 1. The collimator C
was furnished with an adjustable slit one-eighth of
an inch in length, through one-half of which the
prism of comparison introduced into the instrument
the light of any terrestrial substance rendered
luminous in the electric spark, or of a Geissler’s
tube ;
by means of the conducting wires L, the
platinum electrodes could be placed in connection
with an induction coil. Immediately in front of
the slit there was placed at S a divided disk, in

Fig. 131.

T
Young’s Telespectroscope.

the centre of which was a circular opening one-

eighth of an inch wide, a contrivance by means of
which the image of the sun could be kept exactly
on the and any portion of the solar image
slit,

directed upon it at will. The dispersive power of

the five prisms amounted to 8o° between the lines
A and H, and the total deviation for the D-line
nearly to 165°. The prisms were so adjusted one
with another, and the plate P carrying them secured
to the telescope A in such a manner by the bolts
b, b, that all lines occupying the middle of the field
 PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA. 355

of view should be in the most advantageous posi-

tion ;
the field of view included at the same time
the lines D and E. By means of the micrometer
screw T, the telescope E, turning upon a pivot,
could be directed upon any of the lines of the
spectrum ;
the eyepiece was furnished with a micro-
meter, M.
The solar spectrum appeared about an inch and
three-quarters in width, and 45 inches in length,
and showed all the lines contained in Kirchhoffis
map. The readings of the instrument Fig * * 32 -
^
had been compared with Kirchhoff’s
maps by repeated measurements at

forty- two intervals between the prin-

cipal lines along the whole length of
the spectrum from A to G.
Before the commencement of total-

ity, the slit 5 ^ (Fig. 132) was placed

on the limb MN of the sun, in a per-
pendicular direction to the tangent ac ,

at that point where, by the advance

of the moon on to the sun’s disk (in n
S he
an inverting telescope at the left side) promh™nces
the first contact would take place. With such
an arrangement the spectrum consists, as will be
described more in detail hereafter, of two halves in
juxtaposition, one of which is the very intense solar
spectrum abed and ,
the other the very faint spec-
trum aefc of the diffused atmospheric light ren-
dered extremely pale by the powerful dispersion of
the, light. Both spectra are crossed equally by the
356 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
Fraunhofer lines, as shown in. Fig. 133, where the
portion of the spectrum between B and C is more
fully represented. When the one half of the slit

happens to fall upon a prominence, /, the bright

lines of the luminous gases in the prominence im-
mediately appear upon the faint spectrum of the
atmosphere, especially the hydrogen lines Ft a (red)

upon C, Ft ß (green) upon F, and H7 (blue) near

G, as well as the bright lines of the other in-
candescent substances that may be present in the
prominence.
Fig. 133.

Young’s Observation of the Prominence- Spectrum.

Before the moon’s entrance on the sun’s disk,

Young observed, as he directed the telescope upon
the line C in the spectrum, a very bright red line,

m, upon the dark spectrum of the sky, forming an

exact prolongation of the dark line C of the solar
spectrum, an evidence that at this spot the sun was
surrounded by a stratum of luminous hydrogen, the
height of which, reckoned by the length of the line
m ,
must have been from 5,000 to 12,500 miles.
 PROMINENCES AND THEIR SPECTRA. 357

Now it is evident that the moon in its approach

to the sun must first pass over this stratum of
hydrogen. The observer notices the entrance of
the moon upon this stratum, and her progress over
it by the shortening of the bright red line m, and
he is able to determine with great accuracy the
moment of first moon and sun by
contact of the
noticing the time when this line disappeared com-
pletely. The same phenomenon may be observed
if, instead of the line C, the F-line be brought into
the field of view, but the red line Ha is better
suited for this observation than the greenish-blue
line H ß.
This plan of observation employed by Young
had already been devised in theory by Faye,
who had suggested method as an accurate
this

means of observing the first contact of the moon,

Venus, or any other planet, with the sun’s limb.
Shortly before the commencement of totality, the
slit was directed on to the prominence marked
d in Fig. 127, and the line C brought into the field
of view. When the totality began, the red line H«
became exceedingly intense, but owing to the
slight elevation of the prominence it did not extend
across the whole width of the spectrum. No bright
lines were perceptible either between C and A or
between C and D. Immediately beyond the second
sodium line (D 2 ) appeared the orange-coloured line

D 3
on 1017*5 of Kirchhoff’s scale, which was followed
immediately by two faint yellowish-green lines, es-

timated at 1250+20 and 1350120 (Kirchhoff).

358 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
The green line following at 1474 (K.) was very
bright, though fainter than C and D 3 ;
it crossed
the whole breadth of the spectrum, and remained
visible without undergoing any change when the slit

was turned from the prominence to the corona,

while the line D 3
disappeared. Proof was thus af-

forded that this line did not belong exclusively to

the spectrum of the prominence, but also to that of
the corona. Young is of opinion that the two pre-
ceding faint lines remained also unaffected, and
therefore belonged equally to the spectrum of the
corona, which was observed simultaneously with
that of the prominence.* While the slit was directed
upon the prominence e (Fig. 127), the magnesium
lines b were not visible, so that no bright lines were
perceived by Young at this part of the prominence-
spectrum. The greenish-blue line F (H ß) was
truly splendid, wide at the base, and terminating
above in a point ;
it was followed by a blue line at

2602 + 2 (K.) almost as bright as the green line

1474, by the hydrogen line H y, near G at 2796

third
(K.), and by the very distinct but much less
finally

bright hydrogen line h (H S) at 3370*1 (K.)

The nine bright lines observed by Young in the

spectrum of the prominences are given in their

natural colours in Plate IX., No. 1, annexed to

the solar spectrum according to KirchhofPs scale

* [Young, in a Note on the Solar Corona published May, 1871,

,

says, “ I
have experienced some annoyance during the past year
at seeing these lines in several publications put upon the same
footing as 1474. I was never at all confident as to their coronal

character.]
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359

given above, and they afford an accurate repre-

sentation of the spectrum of a prominence as it

appears during the totality of a solar eclipse. The

upper half of the picture, that is to say the solar
spectrum, is of course invisible at such a time, and
in its stead a faint continuous spectrum without a
trace of any dark —belonging, without doubt,
lines

to the corona — appears adjoin the spectrum of

to
the prominence. If the bright prominence-lines as
observed by Young be tabulated in their order of
succession from red to blue, they will be found to
correspond with the following numbers of Kirchhoft’s
scale :

1. 694 . . . C = Ha.
2. 1017-5 • • b> 3 (belonging neither to hydrogen nor
sodium).
3. I250±20^
4. 1350 + 201 Apparently belonging to the corona.

5 -
*474 )

6. 2080 . . . F = Hß.
7. 2602+2 (observed also by Capt. Herschel between F and G
during the eclipse of the 18th of August, 1868).
8. 2796 . . . H y.
9. 3370-1 . . h = H8.
The spectroscopic observations of the prominences
during the eclipse of 1868, given in p. 352, have
been fully confirmed by the observations of 1869,
when further results were obtained, the import of
which will be more attentively considered in the
following section.

54. The Corona and its Spectrum.

In the eclipse of 1868 the observers were too
much occupied with the spectroscopic investigations
 360 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
of the prominences to pay any adequate attention
to the examination of the corona. The few ob-
servations that were obtained, some of which were
made by Rziha at Aden, and some by Tennant
at Guntoor, are in complete agreement as to the
sudden disappearance of all the dark lines from
the spectrum on the commencement of the totality,
and as to the fact that the light of the corona
gave only a faint continuous spectrum. Tennant
admits that this spectrum might also have con-
tained faint lines which he was unable to perceive,
because in order to ensure seeing something he

had employed a rather wide opening of the slit,

and consequently some of the lines may have run
one into the other.
The eclipse of 1869 has furnished many valuable
details on the spectrum of the corona, throwing
much light upon its nature, and fully confirming
the previous observations that its spectrum is free
from dark lines.

Pickering, Harkness, Young, and others are

agreed that with the extinction of the last rays
of the sun all the Fraunhofer lines disappeared at
once from the spectrum. The small instruments
employed by Pickering and Harkness, in which
the field of view was large, exhibited a spectrum
obtained at once from the corona, the promi-
nences, and the sky in the neighbourhood of the
sun. These instruments showed during the totality

a faint continuous spectrum, free from dark lines,

but crossed by two or three bright lines.

 THE CORONA AND ITS SPECTRUM. 361

Young, whose spectroscope consisted of five

prisms (Fig. 13 1), observed the three bright lines in

the spectrum of the corona which are represented

in Plate IX., No. 2, where they are drawn in the

colours in which they appeared according to Kirch-

hoff’s millimetre scale introduced above. These lines
were 1250+20, 1350 + 20, and 1474. It has been
already explained in p. 358 why the last and brightest
of these lines is thought to belong to the spectrum
of the corona, and not to that of the prominences
and it seems probable that the other two lines
belong also to the light of the corona, from the fact
that they are both wanting in the spectrum of the
prominences when observed without an eclipse.

But what invests these three lines with a peculiar

interest is the circumstance that they appear to

coincide exactly with the first three of the five bright
lines observed by Prof. Winlock in the spectrum
of the Aurora Borealis (Plate IX., No. 3). These
lines of the Aurora were determined by Winlock
according to Huggins’ scale ;
if these numbers be
reduced to Kirchhoff’s scale, the position of the lines

will be found to be 1247, 1351, and 1473, while the

lines observed by Young were registered as 1250,
1350, and 1474. Now if it be borne in mind that
Young found the positions of the two fainter lines
more by estimation than by measurement, the coin-
cidence between the bright lines of the corona and
those of the Aurora Borealis will be found to be
very remarkable. The brightest of these lines, 1474,
is the reversal of a strongly marked Fraunhofer line
362 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
which has been ascribed both by Kirchhoff and
0
Angstrom to the vapour of iron.
What, then, is the nature of the corona, this
magic circle of rays of silvery whiteness, which
surrounds like a halo the black disk of the moon at
the time of a total eclipse, and invests the whole
phenomenon with an indescribable charm ? It has
been thought that while the inner bright circle of
light closely surrounding the moon’s limb belonged
to the solar body itself, the rays streaming from the
luminous ring were merely the rays of the sun
reflected from the dark and uneven surface of the
moon, and brought by a sort of refraction into the
earth’s atmosphere, whence they were reflected to
the eye of the observer.
In opposition to this theory is the fact that,

whereas the halo ought then to pass through great

changes by the advance of the moon during the
totality, no such changes were noticed by any of
the observers, Gould excepted, nor were they to be
traced in any of the photographs taken during the
totality ;
in addition, it would not be difficult to
prove geometrically that none of such rays as might
be reflected from the moon’s limb could possibly
reach the small terrestrial zone of the totality.

The light of the corona cannot be that of reflected

sunlight, since none of the dark Fraunhofer lines
are contained in its spectrum. A comparison of
several of the photographic pictures leads further
to the conclusion that in proportion as the moon
advanced, the corona around the eastern limb of the
 THE CORONA AND ITS SPECTRUM. 363

sun became gradually covered, while on the west it

was more and more revealed the ring of light did
;

not therefore move with the moon, but remained

invariable during the whole of the totality. If it be
also taken into consideration that, as shown by the
careful investigations of Professor Pickering, the
light of the whole surrounding sky almost up to the
edge of the corona was polarized, while that from
the corona itself was not polarized, the conclusion
will be arrived at that the corona is self-luminous ,

and belongs to the sun ,

and therefore is not to be
regarded as an optical phenomenon caused by the
combined action of the sun’s rays, the moon, and
the earth’s atmosphere.
From the bright lines in its spectrum, it is pro-
bably of a gaseous nature, and forms a widely diffused
atmosphere round the sun. If this were the case,
even its most remote particles would be a hundred
times nearer the sun than the earth is, and would
therefore receive ten thousand times the amount of
heat. Such a temperature would suffice to resolve

every known substance of our planet either into a

state of incandescence or into a gaseous form.
It has been supposed, from the coincidence of
the three bright lines of the corona with those of
the Aurora Borealis, that the corona is a permanent
polar light existing in the sun analogous to that of our
earth. Lockyer, however, justly urges against this
theory the fact that, although the brightest of these
three lines, which is due to the vapour of iron,* is

* [This line is coincident with one of the faintest of the nurae-

 -

364 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

very often present among the great number of

bright lines occasionally seen in the spectrum of
the prominences, it is by no means constantly
visible, which ought to be the case were the corona
a permanent polar light in the sun. A yet bolder
theory is the ascription of such a polar light in the
sun to the influence of electricity, which has been
proved, as is well known, by the agitation of the
magnetic needle, and the disturbance of the electric
current in the telegraph wires, to play an important
part in the phenomena of the Aurora Borealis.
In the present state of our knowledge on this

branch of science, the question as to the nature of

the corona still remains unanswered : the solution
of this problem must be reserved till, by the careful
observation of future total eclipses, fresh data shall
be collected, which may either confirm the theories
already received, or else suggest new ones in their

stead.

[The Total Eclipse of Dec. 22, 1870.

The following account of the observations of this

eclipse is taken from the Report of the Council of
the Royal Astronomical Society to the Fifty-first
Annual Meeting of that Society : —
“ As this eclipse would be total at several places

within easy reach of England, namely, the south

of Spain, Sicily, and the north coast of Africa, it

rous lines usually seen in the spectrum of iron, but it cannot on

this account be considered certainly to show the presence of the
vapour of iron.]
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 365

appeared to the Council an occasion on which they

should take steps to assist observers, and, if neces-
sary, organize an expedition provided with suitable
instruments for attacking the important problem
which still remained unsolved, — the extent and
nature of the Coronal Light. At the meeting of
the Council held in March, the Council resolved
itself into a committee to consider the preparations
to be made for the observation of the Solar Eclipse

of Dec. 22. In the following month this committee

united itself with a committee appointed for a
similar purpose by the Royal Society. At a meet-
ing held by this joint committee on June 16 it was
resolved that the Government be solicited to grant
two ships for conveyance of observers to Spain and
Sicily, and also a sum of money for the preparation

and transport of instruments. To this application,

which was made, in accordance with former usage,
to the Admiralty, an unfavourable answer was re-
ceived on August 10. Absence from town of some
members of the joint committee, and other circum-
stances, prevented any further steps being taken
until November 4, when the joint committee met,

and resolved that an application for means of transit

for the expedition and for a pecuniary grant in aid

of the funds voted by the Royal and Royal Astro-

nomical Societies should be made to the Lords Com-
missioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury. To this
renewed application a favourable reply was returned
by the Government, who placed H.M. Troop-Ship
‘
Urgent ’
at the service of the expedition for the
366 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

conveyance of observers and instruments to Spain

and Africa, and the sum of ^2,000 in aid of the
travelling expenses of the overland party to Sicily,
and for the preparation and transport of instru-

ments.
“ At this late moment, a few weeks only before

the expedition should leave England, the greatest

energy was needed to organize a party of observers,

and procure the special instruments needed for the

proposed observations. A small organizing com-

mittee was appointed, which met almost daily up
to the departure of the expedition. The successful
and very complete arrangements ultimately made
were due in great measure to the unflagging zeal
of the secretary, Mr. Lockyer, and of the assistant-
secretary, Mr. Ranyard
and the Council wish here
;

to state how much in is owing to

their opinion
the valuable suggestions and assistance afforded by
Prof. Stokes. The opticians, Mr. Browning, Mr,
Grubb, Mr. Ladd, and Mr. Slater, afforded very
valuable assistance to the expedition by the pre-
paration and loan of instruments, for which they
deserve the grateful thanks of the Society.
“ Distinct observing parties, in charge of Mr.
Lockyer, Rev. S. J. Perry, Capt. Parsons, and Mr.
Huggins, were appointed for the four stations,

Sicily, Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Oran. Prof. Tyndall

accompanied the Oran party as an independent
observer.
“ Lord Lindsay, taking with him several skilled
observers and a very complete photographic
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 367

apparatus, went to Cadiz independently, at his own

expense.
“ Besides these English expeditions,
there was an
American expedition, with Prof. Peirce at its head,
consisting of two parties, one in Sicily, under
Prof. Peirce himself, and one in Spain, under Prof.
Winlock. Independent observations were taken by
Prof. Newcomb at Gibraltar, and by a party con-
sisting of Profs. Hall, Eastman, and Harkness, in
Sicily.

“At no former eclipse have preparations been

made on so complete a scale, or the work to be
done so skilfully divided among observers trained
to carry out efficiently the parts assigned to
them.
All the parties were prepared to attack the corona
by the several methods of the spectroscope, the
polariscope, photography, and eye-drawings. With
favourable weather it was not too much to expect
from these expeditions a searching and almost ex-
haustive examination of the coronal light by these
different methods of attack.
“ The weather was not propitious ; at all the
stations the sky was more or less obscured by
clouds. On the African continent, where there had
been grounds for confidently anticipating a cloudless
sky, the English party and M. Janssen, who had
escaped with his instruments from Paris in a balloon,
at Oran, and Drs. Weiss and Oppolzer at Tunis,
saw nothing of the eclipse at the time of totality,
though the earlier phases were visible at Oran.
“At Cadiz and in Sicily successful photographs
368 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

of the totality were obtained by Lord Lindsay, Mr.

Willard, of the American expedition, and Mr. Bro-
thers. At these stations, and also at Estepona,
some observations were obtained of the spectrum
and polarization of the corona.
• “ Although the gain to our knowledge of solar

physics is much less full and decided than doubtless

it would have been if the observers had been
favoured with a cloudless sky, the new information
which comes to us from the eclipse is very valuable,
and well repays the large amount of thought, time,
and money which were so freely bestowed upon the
preparations.
“ The present time is too early for a complete
analysis of the different observations with a view to
eliciting from them the new teaching which they
may contain of the extent and nature of the coronal
light, still it may not be undesirable to give a short
account of some of the more important observations.
“ In the last Annual Report, in the account of
the Eclipse of August, 1869, attention was called
to the two apparently distinct portions besides the
prominences in the light seen round the Moon
during totality. The American pictures showed
similar indications of brighter portions near the
Sun’s limb, within which the eruptions of hydrogen
forming the prominences take place, to those which
were visible in the photographs taken by Mr. De la

Rue in i860, and by Col. Tennant and Dr. Vogel

in 1868. A distinction between different portions of
the coronal light was observed as early as 1706 by
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 369

MM. Plantade and Capies at Montpelier. *

As soon
as the Sun was eclipsed there appeared around the
Moon a very white light forming a corona, the
breadth of which was equal to about 3'. Within
these limits the light was everywhere equally vivid,
but beyond the exterior contour it was less intense,

and was seen to fade off gradually into the sur-

rounding darkness, forming an annulus around the
Moon of about 8' in diameter.’ In 1842 M. Arago
considered this distinction to be sufficiently marked
to sanction the subdivision of the corona into two
concentric zones, the inner zone equally bright and
well defined at the outer border, while the exterior
zone gradually diminished in brightness until it was
lost in the surrounding darkness.
“ The observations of the eclipse of last December
confirm these earlier descriptions as to the apparent
subdivision of the coronal light, though the breadth
of the inner zone varies considerably as described
by different observers. In our future remarks we
shall restrict the word corona to the inner brighter
ring, and for the faint exterior portion use the term
halo.
“ It may conduce to clearness in our interpreta-

tion of those observations which appear to differ

from each other, if we consider that the imperfect
transparency of our atmosphere must cause a scat-
tering of a portion of the light of the corona seen
through it, and form a more or less brightly illu-

minated screen between the eye and the eclipsed

Sun. This atmospheric light will interfere especially
24
370 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
with the observer’s appreciation of the form and
extent of the faint halo. There may exist at least
three distinct sources of the light seen about the
Sun, in addition to the prominences, the corona, a
solar halo overlapping the corona or beginning at
its exterior limit, and an atmospheric halo produced

by the scattering of the light by our atmosphere.

The corona and solar halo would probably not alter
greatly in the short time between observations of
the same eclipse at different stations, but the scat-
tering of light would be peculiar to each station,
and be mixed up with the effect of haze or light
cloud present at the time. It is possible that without
the Earth’s atmosphere, some scattering of light
may arise from the imperfect transparency of inter-

planetary space, not to speak of the possible

existence of finely divided matter more densely
aggregated in the neighbourhood of the Sun. It

may be that in these and some other considerations

will be found the key to the interpretation of the
widely different descriptions of the solar surround-
ings which come to us from different observers.
“ Prof. Watson observing at Carlentini describes a
bright corona about 5' high ;
observations at Cadiz
give a breadth of about 3' ;
Lieut. Brown observing
with Lord Lindsay found the inner zone which he
saw defined in its outer margin to vary from 2 to 5'

in breadth ;
Mr. Abbatt at Gibraltar at about 5'

high. Some of the observers describe the exterior

contour of the corona to be affected by the pro-
minences bulging out over the loftiest of these. In
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 371

the photographs a defined zone is also seen, in —

Lord Lindsay’s photographs and the one taken
by Mr. Willard, it extends rather more than i'. In
the photograph by Mr. Brothers the height of the
brighter zone varies from 3' to 5'.

44
We will now speak of the photographs of the
totality, which are very instructive.
44
The photographs taken at Cadiz by Lord Lind-
say were obtained by placing the sensitive surface
at the focus of a silvered glass mirror 12- inches in
diameter and 6 feet focal length, giving an image
of the Sun about three-quarters of an inch in

diameter. The other photograph, taken near Cadiz

by Mr. Willard of the American expedition, was
obtained at the focus of an achromatic object-glass
of 6 inches diameter, specially corrected for actinic
rays.
44
Mr. Brothers, at Syracuse, employed a photo-
graphic object-glass of 30 inches focal length and
4 inches diameter, lent to him by the maker, Mr.
Dallmeyer.* This lens gave a brilliant image of
the Sun about three-tenths of an inch in diameter,
which was received upon a plate 5 inches square.
The camera was mounted on the Sheepshanks equa-
toreal, belonging to the Society.
44
The photograph taken at the commencement of
totalityby Lord Lindsay had an exposure of twenty
seconds. It shows around the Moon’s advancing limb
a bright corona extending about T from the Moon’s
* These lenses are constructed by Mr. Dallmeyer for photo-
graphic copying.

24 A
372 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

limb, in which the prominences are distinctly marked,

and outside this a halo of faint light diminishing
rapidly in brilliancy, with indications of a radial
structure which can be traced as far as 15' from
the Moon’s limb. On the other side of the Moon,
where it overlaps the Sun sufficiently to conceal
the prominences and the bright corona, the halo is
almost absent . It may be suggested that such por-
tion of the halo as appears around the advancing
limb of the Moon has its origin on this side of the
Moon. As a pure speculation, the explanation may
perhaps be hazarded, that the true solar halo, as
some spectroscopic observations would suggest, was
less powerfully actinic than the scattered light of the
prominences and corona, in which the halo on the
one side of the Moon only as seen on the plate may
have its origin.
“ The photograph taken by Mr. Willard was ex-
posed during a minute and a half, and therefore
must contain mixed up several successive appear-
ances. The prominences are distinctly shown, and
a defined corona of rather more than T in height.

In the halo there are indications of portions of un-

equal brightness, and a radial structure, but the
most remarkable feature is a V-shaped rift or dark
space in the halo on the south-east, beginning from
the outer boundary of the bright corona ;
a second
similar dark space is faintly traceable on the south.
The same dark gaps are also recorded in an eye-
# are
sketch by Lieut. Brown. Similar dark rifts

* [Subsequent comparisons of Mr. Wellard’s photograph with

 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 373

also shown in Mr. Brothers’ photograph taken

at Syracuse, a representation of which is given in

Plate X. # The photograph taken by Mr. Brothers

is very valuable, since it shows the halo extending
towards the north-west, about two diameters of
the Moon, and on the east and south about one
diameter; the halo, therefore, is not concentric with
either the Sun or Moon, but extends to the greatest
distance in the direction from which the Moon is

moving. It shows in many parts traces of a radial

structure.The stronger light about the Moon is
much broader on the west and north-west, and as-
sumes a somewhat stellate appearance, with rays gra -

dually softening down, as if combed out into the

fainter halo. This photograph was taken in eight

seconds, from the 93rd to the 101st second after the

commencement of totality, and therefore presents a
true representation of the different phenomena at the
time —that is, as regards their relative actinic power,
which may possibly differ in a sensible degree from
the relative brightness they present to the eye. The
eye-sketches made at different stations show remark-
able differences, especially in the form of the outer
part of the halo ;
some represent it as consisting ol

that taken by Mr. Brothers leave little doubt of the absolute

agreement in position of these dark rifts or gaps. Professor
Young remarks, “ If this be so, it certainly bears very strongly in
favour of those theories which assign a purely solar origin to the
whole phenomena.”]
* The thanks of the translators are due to Mr. Brothers for his
kind permission to introduce this drawing, and also for the care
he has taken in correcting the proofs.
374 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

separate rays, others give to it an almost true geo-

metrical contour ;
in some of the Spanish sketches
a tendency to assume a roughly quadrangular form
can be detected, while in most of the Sicilian draw-
ings there is a tendency to an annular form.
“ We pass to the spectroscopic observations of
the corona and halo.
“ Prof. Winlock, using a spectroscope of two
prisms on a five and a half inch achromatic, found
a faint continuous spectrum. Of the bright lines,
the most persistent was 1474 Kirchhoff. This
bright line, and the continuous spectrum without
dark lines, were followed from the Sun to at least
20' from his disk. Prof. Young estimates the least
extension of this line to a solar radius.
“ Capt. Maclear, observing with a direct-vision
spectroscope attached to a four-inch telescope, saw
a faint continuous spectrum and bright lines in posi-
tions about C, D, E, and F to a distance of 8' from
the Moon’s limb, and also the same lines, but much
fainter, on the Moons disk. This observation would
seem to show, as has been already suggested, that
some of the light from the true surroundings of the
Sun is scattered by some medium between the eye
7

and the Moon, and therefore the distance from the

Moon to which these lines can be traced does not
imply necessarily an equally great extension of the
true halo.
“ Lieut. Brown, of Lord Lindsay’s party, saw only
a continuous spectrum without bright lines, from
4*' to 25' from the Moon’s limb. Mr. Carpmael,
 ,.P1 .XI.

Solar Prominence observed, by Zöllner.

1869.Auövst 29. Pos .160°

10 '
eopoo.

N° 1. Enalbshy miU*S N°2.

1
22™ Time 1I
K 20™
Tim&. IQ*
vp ui09 h1 e fifo 3tm -i mZ 'Zd°0 3 ™1
ST-pUL 'lpT]J)V.Z[
‘’fr oK CoN
000 '09 OS’ 0 *! Of OZ OL

cOS ,0/ socJ 8^ Z PO 6991

ouriO^Ac|_ p^AaQsqo oju^innoaj auj_o ;

IDT Id
 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 375

observing at Estepona, saw three bright lines in the

spectrum of the corona. He considers the one in

green to correspond with 1359 Kirchhoff.
“ The observations with the polariscope show that
a portion of the coronal light is polarized ;
and
though the result as to the plane of polarization are
interpreted differently by different observers, there
seems reason to suppose with Mr. Ranyard and Mr.
Peirce that the light is polarized radially, showing
that the corona and halo may possibly reflect solar

light as well as emit light of their own.

“ There is one observation made by Prof. Young
which is of so much importance that it will be well
to give an account of it in Prof. Langley’s words:
“ 4
With the slit of his spectroscope placed longi-
tudinally at the moment of obscuration, and for one
or two seconds later, the field of the instrument was
filled with bright lines. As far as could be judged,
during this brief interval every non-atmospheric line
of the solar spectrum showed bright ;
an interesting
observation confirmed by Mr. Pye, a young gentle-
man whose voluntary aid proved of much service.
From the concurrence of these independent observa-
tions we seem to be justified in assuming the pro-
bable existence of an envelope surrounding the
photosphere, and beneath the chromosphere, usually
so called, whose thickness must be limited to two or
three seconds of arc, and which gives a discontinuous
spectrum consisting of all, or nearly alt, the Fraun-
hofer lines showing them, — that is, bright on a dark
ground.’
 —

376 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

“ Rapid and imperfect as this early sketch must
necessarily be of the observations of the last eclipse,
it shows a distinct and important gain to our
knowledge of solar physics/’
Prof. Young considers it to be shown by the
observations of this eclipse that “ one important
element of the corona consists in a solar envelope of
glowing gas reaching to a considerable elevation,”
at least to 8' or io'on the average, with occasional
prolongations of double, that extent, and it may turn
out to have no upper limit whatever. He states,
“ There was an important difference between the
behaviour of the hydrogen line and that of 1474.
At the edge of the chromosphere there was a sudden
and very great falling off in the brightness of the

former, while no such boundary was observed for

the latter ;
the line grew regularly and continuously
more faint as the distance from the sun increased,
until it simply faded out.” Prof. Young says, “ I

have no hesitation in affirming that the corona as it

appeared to me in December was a very different

phenomenon from what I saw the year before, and
far more complex.” He considers the spectrum of
the corona to consist of at least four superposed
elements :

“ 1. A continuous spectrum without lines either

bright or dark, due to incandescent dust — that is,

particles of solid or liquid meteoric matter near the

sun.
“ 2. A true gaseous spectrum, consisting of one

(1474) or more bright lines, which may arise: from

 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF 1870. 377

the vapour of the meteoric dust, but more probably

from a solar atmosphere through which the meteoric
particles move as foreign bodies.
“3. A true sunlight spectrum (with its dark lines),
formed by photospheric light reflected from the
solar atmosphere and meteoric dust. To this re-

flected sunlight undoubtedly is due most of the

polarization.
“ 4. Another component spectrum is due to the
light reflected from the particles of our own atmo-
sphere. This is a mixture of the three already
named, with the addition of the chromosphere spec-
trum for while at the middle of the eclipse the air
;

is wholly shielded from photospheric sunlight, it is

of course exposed to illumination from the promi-

nences and upper portions of the chromosphere.
“ 5. If there should be between us and the moon,
at the moment of eclipse, any cloud of cosmical
dust, the light reflected by this cloud would come
in as a fifth element.”
Mr. Proctor (Monthly Notices, vol. xxxi., p. 184)

considers that we have evidence of vertical dis-

turbance, with reference to the sun’s globe, in the
objects which surround the sun, and that these are
not of the nature of concentric atmospheric shells.
The observations, he remarks, of Zöllnerand Respighi
show that the prominences, as respects their first

formation, are phenomena of eruption. The velocity

with which the gaseous matter of the prominences
must pass the photosphere must be in many cases
at least 200 miles per second, and its initial velocity
378 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

probably not less than 300 miles per second. Dense

gaseous matter flung out with the hydrogen would
probably retain a velocity of, say, 240 miles per
second, and reach a height exceeding that indicated
by the greatest extension of the radiations observed
last December. From an examination of the ori-
ginal negative taken by Mr. Brothers, Mr. Proctor
considers that this photograph favours the view that
the coronal radiations are phenomena of eruption.]

55. The Telespectroscope, and Method of ob-

serving the Spectra of the Prominences
in Sunshine.

As early as October 1866, Mr. J. Norman Lockyer

communicated to the Royal Society a method for
observing the spectrum of the solar prominences
at any time when the sun was visible, but his
labours were unproductive, owing to the insufficient
dispersive power of his instrument.*

* [Though to Mr. Lockyer is due the first publication of the idea

of the possibility of applying the spectroscope to observe the red
flames in sunshine, as a matter of history it should not be passed
over that about the same time, the same idea occurred quite in-

dependently to two other astronomers, Mr. Stone of Greenwich,

and Mr. Huggins. These observers were however unsuccessful
in numerous attempts which they made to see the spectra of the
prominences, for the reason probably that the spectroscopes they
employed were not of sufficient dispersive power to make the
bright lines of the solar flames easily visible. When the position

of the lines was known, Huggins saw them instantly with the same
spectroscope (two prisms of 6o°) which he had previously used in
vain.
It does not seem that Janssen was aware of Lockyeds suggestion
in 1866, or that he had seen the following description of the
'/ ... .
 e

S o] ar P roinin en-c es ob s

The a-n^les of position are reckone

 .

oL hy Respipl'ii in 1870 PL XIII.

.
7
f . T . . ?
•L Dijiwwters
an 0? to 360 ? North round by East HA/1HART LITH
 PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE. 379

In observing the solar eclipse of 18th, August

1868, Janssen was surprised by the remarkable
brilliancy of the prominence-lines, and exclaimed
as the sun reappeared and the prominences faded
away, “Je reverrai ces lignes la en dehors des
eclipses !
” Clouds prevented him carrying out his
intention on that day, but on the 19th of August he
was up by daybreak to await the rising of the sun,
and scarcely had the orb of day risen in full splendour
above the horizon than he succeeded in seeing the
spectrum of the prominences with perfect distinct-

ness. The phenomena of the previous day had

completely changed their character : the distribution
of the masses of gas round the sun’s edge was en-
tirely different, and of the great prominence scarcely
a trace remained. For seventeen consecutive days
Janssen continued to observe and make drawings of
by which
the prominences, it was proved that these
gaseous masses changed their form and position
experiments of Hugoins, published some six months before the
eclipse (February, 1868) in the Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society 88) “ During the last two
(vol. xxviii., p. :

years Mr. Huggins has made numerous observations for the purpose
of obtaining a view of the red prominences seen during a solar
eclipse. The invisibility of these objects at ordinary times is sup-
posed to arise from the illumination of our atmosphere. If these
bodies are gaseous, their spectra would consist of bright lines.

With a powerful spectroscope the light scattered by our atmosphere

near the sun’s edge would be greatly reduced in intensity by the
dispersion of the prisms, while the bright lines of the prominences,
if such be present, would remain but little diminished in brilliancy.
This principle has been carried out by various forms of prismatic
apparatus, and also by other contrivances, but hitherto without
success.”]
 —

38 ° SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
with extraordinary rapidity. Janssen’s paper com-
municating his discovery to the French Minister of
Education is dated from Cocanada, the 19th of Sep-
tember.
Lockyer, in the meantime, had caused some im-
provements to be made in his instrument, and only
received it again into his possession on the 16th of
October, 1868, long after the news of Janssen’s
discovery had reached Europe. On the 20th of
October the telespectroscope % was sufficiently in order
to allow of its being employed for observation, and
on the same day Lockyer wrote, in a communication
to the Royal Society, as follows :

“ I have this morning perfectly succeeded in ob-

taining and observing part of the spectrum of a solar
prominence. As a result I have established the
existence of three bright lines in the following posi-
tions (Fig. 130, No. 6): 1. Absolutely coincident
with C ;
2. Nearly coincident with F ; 3. Near D.”
This third line near D, always a very fine line, is

more refrangible by nine or ten degrees of Kirch-

hoff’s scale than the most refrangible of the two D-
lines (that is to say, it lies nearer to the green), and

is designated D 3
.

In a subsequent communication to Mr. Warren De

la Rue, Lockyer states that the prominences are
merely local aggregations of a luminous gaseous
medium which entirely envelops the sun, and that

* We designate by this expression the combination of a tele-

scope 'moved by clockwork, with a spectroscope of great dispersive

power.
 PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE. 381

the characteristic spectrum of the prominences could

be obtained on all sides of the sun. He estimates the
thickness of this gaseous envelope to be about 5,000
miles, and remarks that the pure spectrum of a pro-
minence consists of short bright lines, but that if the
slit of the instrument be directed on to the limb MN
of the sun as already explained in Fig. 132, and
kept perpendicular to the tangent a c of this spot, a
narrow stripe abed of the solar spectrum will be
seen fringed by the faint spectrum a efc of the air
and the prominence /. As in this way the bright
lines of the prominence are so closely joined to the

Fig. 134.

Sketch of a Prominence by means of its Spectrum Lines.

solar spectrum as to form prolongations of the

Fraunhofer lines, it is easy to ascertain with great
accuracy which of the lines coincide with the Fraun-
hofer lines and which do not. If the spectroscope
be directed according to this method to the extreme
edge of the sun, and the slit carried round the sun,
the spectrum of the prominences will be immediately
recognized ;
and as the lines appear only where
an accumulation of hydrogen is present, from the
greater or less length of these bright lines a drawing
of the form and position of the prominences round:
 382 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the sun may be made with almost the same accuracy

as during an eclipse.
A prominence thus observed and sketched by
Lockyer is shown in Fig. 134. As the length of the
bright lines depends upon the height of the promi-
nence upon which the slit of the spectroscope is

directed, and these lines appear only in the field of

the instrument when the light of the luminous gas
falls into the slit, it is easy to see that attention
need only be directed to one of these bright lines,

the bluish-green F-line for instance, in order to de-

termine the form of a prominence. If such a line
be observed to be of some length, a prominence is

then in view ;
and if the slit be turned slowly to the
right and to the left, the line will lengthen or shorten
according as the prominence is higher or lower ;
it

will also appear interrupted, divided, or as at the

point a isolated from the solar spectrum, according

as the prominence itself is interrupted or separated
from the sun’s limb.
Lockyer was undoubtedly the first to suggest the
possibility of observing thespectrum of the promi-
nences in ordinary sunlight, and to furnish a method
for the purpose; Janssen was the first to accom-
plish the fact. Under such circumstances it is

needless to discuss to whom the priority of this im-

portant discovery is due ;
the fame connected with
it is sufficiently great to be shared by these two
observers.
The possibility of observing the lines of the pro-

minences in bright sunshine lies in the difference

 PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE. 383

between the spectrum of the solar light and that of

the prominences; while the former is continuous,
crossed with the dark lines, #
the latter consists
merely of a few bright lines. If both spectra be
formed in the spectroscope at the same time, the
intense brightness of the continuous spectrum will
in an ordinary instrument completely overpower the
one consisting of lines, and prevent its being visible.

It has, however, been shown (p. 234) that by in-

creasing the number of prisms, the spectrum may

be greatly extended, whereby the continuous spec-
trum becomes considerably diminished in intensity,

and may, indeed, by the use of a sufficient number

of prisms, be rendered almost invisible ;
the light
of the prominences, on the contrary, consists of
very few colours, which, though becoming further
separated one from another by the increased dis-
persion of the light, are yet merely displaced, and
do not suffer any very perceptible loss of light, but
remain still visible in the spectroscope as very
bright lines. It therefore follows that by the use
of a spectroscope of highly dispersive power, the
dazzling light of the sun is modified, while the lines
of the prominences retaining their intensity, may be
observed even on the disk of the sun. The greater,
therefore, the dispersive power of the instrument, the
brighter will the coloured lines of the prominences
appear to be.
It was on these considerations that Lockyer based
his plan of observing the spectra of the prominences
in full sunlight by means of a telespectroscope (Fig.
3*4 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

135). For this purpose the slit of a highly disper-

sive spectroscope, dceh, firmly attached by the rods
a ab to an equatorially mounted telescope L T P,
driven by clockwork, is directed perpendicularly
on to the edge of the sun’s image formed in the

telescope. By moving the tube e of the spectro-

Fig. 135.

Lockyer’s Telespectroscope.

scope from end to end of the spectrum, and setting

the focus each time, the bright lines of the pro-
minences may be seen as prolongations of the dark
lines of the spectrum of the sun’s disk on a back-
ground of the exceedingly faint spectrum of the
 PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE. 385

earth’s atmosphere. In the picture, S is the finder,

g a handle for moving the telescope in declination,

d the tube containing the slit, h a .small telescope
for reading the divisions on the micrometer screw
head, partly concealed by the rod a a.

The telescope, an excellent refractor of 6 \ inches

aperture, and 98^ inches focal length, is driven

by clockwork. The spectroscope, constructed by
Browning with his well-known ability, is represented
on an enlarged scale in Fig. 136. The eyepiece is

25
386 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

separated from the telescope, and the small image

of the sun is therefore formed beyond the tube of
the telescope, and can, if necessary, be easily re-
ceived upon a screen. The slit of the collimator d
is fixed precisely on the edge of this image, and
the small telescope e so far turned round the pivot
m by the driving-screw n as to bring the dark line
C or F of the solar spectrum into the middle of the
field of view. The adjustment of the spectroscope
to the telescope allows of the slit being brought
either radially or tangentially on to any part of the
sun’s limb as required. The system of prisms C
consists of seven prisms of dense flint glass * of
0
45 each, and possesses a refracting angle of more
than 300° when a still greater dispersion is
:

needed, Lockyer employs an eighth prism of 6o°,

and in some special cases even makes use in

addition of a system of direct-vision prisms, which

is introduced into the telescope tube e.

Fig. 137, in connection with Fig. 132, will explain

more method of observing the pro-
clearly this
minences. S represents the solar image as formed
by the object-glass of the telescope pp the image ;

of the immediate neighbourhood of the sun, which

is rendered invisible owing to the overpowering
light of day. The slit s s is placed perpendicularly
to the sun’s limb, and is therefore in the direction
of the sun’s radius, so that one half falls on the sun’s
disk, while the other half extends beyond it on to
* The glass had a specific gravity of 3*91, a refractory index
of 1 *665, and a dispersive power of o'oj^2.
 p

PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE. 387

the surrounding envelope of glowing hydrogen (the

prominences). In spectrum 1, which is still bright,

though very much weakened by the great dispersion

of the light, the Fraunhofer lines are very strongly
marked. The other half of the field of view contains
the spectrum of the air 2, 3, which is extremely faint,

and which by a number of

sufficient increase in the

prisms may be very nearly extinguished. The spec-

Fig. 137.

trum 2 of the prominence stratum p appears upon

this spectrum inimmediate contact with the spec-
trum 1 of the sun’s disk, and it has been found by
observation that spectrum 2 consists of several
bright lines, among which the hydrogen lines are
at all times particularly brilliant, of which H« (red)

forms the exact prolongation of C, Hß (greenish-

25 A
 p

388 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

blue) the equally accurate prolongation of F, and

H y (blue) less refrangible than G (not represented
in the drawing); there is also to be seen the line
as yet unknown D 3,
immediately following the so-
dium line D 2.

In Plate IX., No. 4, is represented the spectrum

of the sun, and that of its immediate neighbour-
hood, as it usually appears in a large telespectro-
scope with a radial slit. In the latter spectrum,
besides the four bright lines of luminous hydrogen,
other bright lines are generally visible, being
the reversal of the Fraunhofer lines ;
among these,
the yellow line D 3
beyond D is usually present,
and frequently a green line due to iron, 1475
(Kirchhoff), besides the three magnesium lines 6 ,

and, according to an observation by Rayet, the two

sodium lines D 1
and D 2. From the circumstance
of the spectrum of the prominences, as well as that
of the gaseous stratum p immediately surrounding
the sun, being composed of coloured lines, Lockyer
has given to this gaseous envelope the name of
chromosphere .

The slit may also be placed in a position tangential

to the sun’s limb, as at s T ^ (Fig. 137), and the
light admitted either exclusively from the im-
mediate neighbourhood of the sun, namely, from
the chromosphere, or else in conjunction with that
from the extreme edge of the sun.
Instead of examining the direct image of the
sun as formed by the object-glass, a magnified
image may be obtained by drawing out the eye-
 PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE . 389

piece of the telescope and directing the slit on to

this enlarged image.

The telespectroscope employed by Prof. Young
(Fig. 13 1) is essentially of the same construction
as that just described used by Lockyer.
Merz, the celebrated optician of Munich, con-
structs direct-vision spectroscopes of great disper-
sive power, for the spectroscopic observation of the
prominences ;
they afford the advantage * of viewing
directly the object to be observed — as, for instance,

the sun’s limb, a prominence, or a spot, —and are

introduced into the telescope in place of the eye-
piece. Fig. 138 shows the interior construction of
such a spectroscope. The system of prisms P has
a dispersive power from D to H = 8° ;
the colli-
mating lens is placed at C ;
one half of the slit 5 5

adjustable by the screw S, is covered by the re-

flecting prism r, which receives the light used for
comparison, whether that of a flame or a Geissler’s
tube, from the side opposite to that where the screw
S is placed ;
L is a cylindrical lens employed for
stellar observations, but withdrawn for observations
on the sun. The telescope F, of which the object-
glasses have a focal length of four inches, and an
aperture of seven lines, is provided with the positive
eyepiece O of one inch, and furnished with a micro-
meter of points m m, with the necessary delicate
adjustments. By means of the screw g, the tube F,

* [There is no advantage in this ;

on the contrary, the position
of the observer is less convenient, especially when the sun is

high.]
390 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

under pressure of the opposing spring f can be so

far turned towards either side as to be fixed on any
part of the spectrum from the extreme red to the
violet.

In this form the instrument acts as an ordinary

highly dispersive spectroscope, particularly when
it is screwed into the place of the eyepiece of a
telescope in order to observe the spectrum of a
faint object, such as the moon, the planets, or the
brightest of the fixed stars.
When the instrument is required for the observa-
tion of the solar prominences, its dispersive power

Fig. 138.

Merz’s simple and compound Spectroscope.

must be doubled by the introduction of a second

direct-vision system of prisms similar to that marked
P between the collimating lens C and the first sys-
tem of prisms. In this compound form the instru-
ment shows very distinctly in a clear atmosphere
the fine nickel line between the two sodium lines
Dj and D 2.
To assist in directing the instrument

on to any part of the sun’s limb, a divided position

circle is attached within the tube at the part where
it is screwed on to the telescope.
According to Carpmael, one of Browning’s direct-
 PROMINENCE-SPECTRUM IN SUNSHINE . 391

vision system of seven prisms, similar to that con-

tained in the spectroscope described in page 119,
suffices, when combined with the two-inch object-
glass of a good telescope, to show in sunlight the
two bright prominence-lines Ha and H ß. When
the instrument is so mounted as to be turned
with convenience on to the sun, a blue glass is

placed before the slit, so as to exclude all but blue

light from the spectroscope. When the image of
the sun formed within the telescope passes over the
slit, and the slit is placed in the right position, the
bright greenish-blue line Hß will be seen as a
prolongation of the F-line of the solar spectrum.
By substituting red glass for blue, the red line Ha
will be seen in a similar manner as the prolongation
of the line C.
Immediately upon the arrival of the news by
telegraph of Janssen’s discovery, Secchi, at Rome,
began a series of spectrum investigations of the
prominences. He employed a spectroscope of two
excellent flint-glass prisms of highly dispersive
power, capable of showing the fine Fraunhofer lines
situated between B and A, and placed it in com-

bination with an excellent equatorial. Even on

the first attempt, as the narrow slit was fixed on the
sun’s limb, the lines C and F were observed to be
reversed in the spectrum of the air, and appeared
therefore as bright lines.
Secchi then carried the slit completely round the
disk of the sun, placing it alternately in a direction
parallel and perpendicular to the sun’s limb. He
392 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
observed that the bright line C (red) was every-
where visible; with the slit in a position perpen-
dicular to the sun’s limb, this line was always from
" 0
10 to 15" in length, excepting in a zone of 45 on
each side of the equator ;
in this region, where the
solar spots and faculae are known to abound, this
line was four times its ordinary length. In many
places the C-line was separated from the sun’s limb :

when the slit was placed at a tangent to the limb,

this line always appeared as a bright line crossing
the entire spectrum, and sometimes was cut up in
single pieces when the slit was removed from the
sun’s limb, but always appeared complete and un-
broken when the slit was again brought in contact
with the limb of the sun.
This proves what the observations of solar eclipses *
and the researches of Lockyer had already shown,
that the stratum of glowing gas (the chromosphere)
surrounding the sun is really continuous, though
distributed very unevenly. Where a bright line
attains the height of 60" or more in the spectrum, it

proclaims the existence of a prominence in that

* [Professor Swan, discussing his observations of the total solar

eclipse of July 1851, wrote (April 1852) :
“ Obviously the simplest
view that can be taken of this phenomenon is to regard the red
fringe and the red protuberances as of the same nature ;
and all the
observations will then confirm the idea that the matter composing
those objects is distributed all round the sun.” Professor Grant in his
“ History of Physical Astronomy” (date of preface March 2, 1852),
expresses a similar opinion. Leverrier in i860 wrote: “The
existence of a bed of rose-coloured matter, partially transparent,
covering the whole surface of the sun, is a fact established by the
observations made during the totality in the eclipse of this year.”]
 ;

THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 393

place, and where a bright line is broken into frag-

ments, it is an indication of the presence of isolated
masses of glowing gas, — of solar clouds at a con-
siderable height above the sun’s surface.

56. The Chromosphere and its Spectrum.

By the term chromosphere is designated that
luminous, gaseous envelope by which the sun is

entirely surrounded.* As already mentioned, its

spectrum consists of a number of bright lines,

* [This term was used originally to denote the red flames and
stratum of red light connecting them. Recently it has been sug-
gested to extend it to the whole of the light surrounding the sun,
which gives a spectrum of bright lines. At the present time, how-
ever, it is more important than ever to be able to distinguish with
precision the different objects which make up the sun’s surroundings.
Professor Young writes :
“ One important element of the corona
consists in a solar envelope of glowing gas reaching to a consider-
able elevation. For this envelope the name of ‘leucosphere has ’

been proposed; seems a suitable term and well worthy of adoption.

it
’
It has been objected to on the ground that chromosphere 4

covers the whole bright-line region around the sun but when the ;

latter name was first proposed, there was evidently no idea that

above the envelope of hydrogen there lay another from twenty to

a hundred times as extensive, and it would be very convenient to
restrict it to the lower hydrogen stratum, and retain the new term
for the more elevated mass of gaseous matter.”
Mr. Proctor suggests that “ the relation between the prominences
and the layer of coloured matter at a lower level, is such as to
render the term Sierra, employed by those who discovered the
layer, altogether more appropriate than chromosphere, which seems

to imply that the coloured layer forms a spherical envelope. I see

no reason why the fine word Sierra should not be restored to its
place in our books of astronomy, and the brighter and fainter pacts
of the corona should not be called corona and glory or else the
Astronomer Royal’s mode of describing them might be adopted, and
one called the ring formed corona the other the radiated corona
,
394 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
among which those of hydrogen are always present,
and are especially noticeable from their length and
brilliancy. If during the observation the slit of
the spectroscope be placed radially, as in Fig. 137,
so that, while one half extends over the sun’s limb,
the other half falls on the chromosphere, the double
spectrum of the sun and chromosphere will then be
received as shown in Plate IX., No. 4. So great a

Fig. 139.
He

c
The Spectrum ot the Sun’s Disk (below) and that of the Chromosphere (above)
near the C-line.

power of dispersion is requisite in a spectroscope

suited to this purpose, in order to subdue the
spectrum of diffused daylight formed at the same
time, that only a small portion of the spectrum of the
chromosphere can be in the field of view at once, and
therefore the telescope must be brought in various

directions on to the system of prisms, in order to

examine the different sections of the entire spectrum.
Figs. 139, 140, and 141 represent, after Lockyer’s
 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM . 395

drawings, those portions of the spectrum which are

usually observed, since they are those best suited for
the examination of the prominences and the chro-
mosphere, and for noticing the changes occurring
in them. Fig. 139 shows that part of the solar spec-
trum which includes the C-line, together with the
similar portion of the chromosphere exhibiting the
hydrogen line H a, equally broad and somewhat

Fig. 140.

D1 D2
The Spectrum of the Sun’s Disk (below) and that of the Chromosphere (above)
near the D-line.

pointed at its termination. Fig. 14 1 exhibits the

F-line and solar spectrum in its immediate neigh-
bourhood, and above it the hydrogen line Hß
of the chromosphere : this line is spread out at the
base, and terminates above in an arrow-shaped point,
while the line H «, on the contrary, remains as a rule
of the same width throughout as the C-line. Fig.
140 represents that portion of the spectrum beyond
396 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the double sodium line D, where about midway

between two very fine dark lines of the solar spec-

trum the yet unknown line D 3

is situated in the
spectrum of the chromosphere.
While the red line H« is always brilliant and
easily seen, the greenish-blue line H ß, though also
very bright, is yet much fainter and frequently also
much shorter than Ha. The F-line, as well as its
corresponding line H ß, is subject to a variety of

Fig. 141.
Hy*

The Spectrum of the Sun’s Disk (below) and that of the Chromosphere (above)
near the F -line.

changes, such as becoming inflated, bent, widened,

twisted, and broken up, —a full description of which
will be found in § 57.

Besides these bright lines constantly occurring

in the spectra of the prominences and the chromo-
sphere, there appear from time to time in various
places of the spectrum many other bright lines,

very marked and brilliant, among which is a line

 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 397

in the red between B and C, but nearer to C * (Fig.

130, No. 7), another in the green between E and F
(Fig. 130, Nos. 3, 5, 8), the iron line 1474 (K.), the
magnesium lines, etc.
In the same way the third hydrogen line H7
(blue) near G (Fig. 130, No. 2; Frontispiece
No. 7), No. 2796 (K.), appears very brilliant under
favourable circumstances ;
and when the air is trans-

parent and free from vapour, and a high prominence

is present, there is also seen the fourth hydrogen
line H 3 (blue, 3370*1 K.), which coincides pre-
cisely with the dark line marked h by Angstrom, of a
wave-length of 0*0004101 1 of a millimetre ;
this line

was seen by Rayet with great distinctness on the

30th of April and on the ist and 20th of May, 1869.
The red line near C does not correspond with any
of the dark Fraunhofer lines.
The remarkable yellow line D 3
(Fig. 140) is seen
as constantly in every part of the circumference of
the sun’s disk as the hydrogen lines ;
the luminous
gas to which it is due must therefore, like hydrogen,
form a constituent of the chromosphere. Lockyer
has been unable to find any corresponding dark line
in the solar spectrum for this line, notwithstanding

the most careful micrometric measurements, and

the most painstaking comparisons with the maps of
Kirchhoff and Gassiot.
* [Professor C. A. Young, on December 21, 1870, saw in the
spectrum of a very bright but small prominence on the N.W.
limb of the sun, the line below C, which he had seen twice before,
but had often looked for in vain. It is the reversal of the dark line,

656, of Kirchhoff’s map.]

 —

39 ^ SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The position of this line has been determined by

Rayet, as well as by Lockyer and Secchi. If with
Rayet the distance between the sodium lines D, and
D 2 be taken as the unit, then the distance of the line
D 3
from D = 2*49.
2
If the wave-lengths of the lines
D, and D be taken
2 at 590*53 and 589*88 millionth
of a millimetre, then the wave-length of the line D 3

will be 588*27 millionth of a millimetre. The posi-

tion of this line in KirchhofPs scale is according to
Young 1017*5, according to Rayet 1016*8.
A series of observations upon this line has lately
been instituted by Lockyer, who in conjunction with
Frankland had previously ascertained, by compari-
sons with the spectrum given by a tube filled with
hydrogen, that it could not be attributed to hydrogen
gas. The results obtained were as follows :

1. With the slit tangential to the sun’s limb, the

line D 3
appeared bright at the lower part of the
chromosphere, while at the same time the C-line
was dark in the same field of view.
2. In a prominence over a spot on the sun’s disk
the lines C and F were bright, while the yellow line
D 3
was invisible.

3. In a prominence which burst forth under high

pressure from the sun the motion indicated by
change of the wave-length (§ 57) was less for the

line D 3
than for either C or F.
4. In one case the C-line appeared long and con-
tinuous, while the line D 3,
though of equal length,
was broken and interrupted.
It follows from this that the line D 3
is certainly
 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 399

not occasioned by hydrogen gas, and its source is

therefore at present still undiscovered.

The reversal of the sodium lines D, and D 2 ( vide

Plate IX., No. 4) has been observed by Lockyer,

and subsequently also by Rayet, in the spectrum of
the chromosphere ;
that is to say, they have been
seen as bright lines. With a tangential slit, Rayet
saw both these lines dark upon the sun’s limb; at
the base of a magnificent prominence 3' high, which
appeared to rest upon the sun’s limb, both these
lines were still dark and fading away, though
already somewhat fainter when nearly two- thirds
;

from the base they had entirely disappeared, but by

a slight displacement of the slit they were dis-
covered in the lines. At the
form of bright yellow
summit of the prominence they were again dark
lines.

The four magnesium lines b lf b2 , b 3 b4 * are seen

,

not unfrequently as bright lines in the spectrum of

the chromosphere, but almost always as very short
lines, which seems to show that the vapour of mag-
nesium does not rise to any great height in the

chromosphere. When these bright lines are visible,

the first three, bz ,
b2 ,
b3 ,
appear of about equal
length, while the fourth line, < 54 , is much shorter
(Plate IX., No. 4). It has been found by Lockyer
and Frankland that a similar phenomenon to that
observed in the chromosphere is to be noticed in

the spectrum of terrestrial magnesium when formed

* [Three only of these lines belong to magnesium, b 3 consists of
lines of nickel and iron.]
4oo SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

by the passage of the electric spark through the air

between electrodes of and the poles too

this metal,

far separated to allow of the spectrum extending

from one pole to the other, but each pole sur-
rounded by a luminous vapour of magnesium. In
observing at a short distance the spectrum of this
luminous gaseous envelope, the most refrangible of
the three magnesium lines that made their appear-
ance was always the shortest, and shorter still were
several other lines which have not been observed as
yet in the spectrum of the chromosphere. Of the
many iron lines occurring as dark lines in the solar
spectrum, only a few appear as bright lines in the
spectrum of the chromosphere; among these, the
line 1474, so often referred to, which shows itself as

a short green line, is that most frequently observed.

At certain times, when powerful eruptions from
the interior of the sun extend into and even beyond
the chromosphere, the spectrum of the latter be-
comes very complicated. Phenomena of this kind
have been frequently observed by Lockyer with a
tangential slit. This position offers the advantage
of viewing at one time a much larger extent of the
sun’s limb, or chromosphere, than can be obtained
by a slit placed radially, although the latter position
is advantageous when the object of the observer is

to watch the changes occurring in the chromosphere,

or to observe especially the form and height of the
prominences. When the slit is placed tangentially
upon the sun’s limb, so that portions of the sun and
chromosphere are visible at the same time to an
 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 401

equal height in the slit, the spectra of the sun and

chromosphere are no longer seen side by side, but
are partially superposed, the one obscuring the
other. An instance of this is given in Fig. 142, as

observed by Lockyer in that portion of the spectrum

containing the C-line, when the slit encountered a
prominence ;
the dark C-line was completely an-
nihilated, and replaced by a bright band. The F-
line, as shown in Fig. 143, was differently affected.

Fig. 142.

C
Covering of the dark C-line with H a.
In the spectrum of the light emitted from the ex-
treme edge of the sun, the bright F-line Hß
appears to be of greater refrangibility than the
dark F-line itself, but at a short distance from the
sun’s limb the dark F-line in the spectrum of a
prominence was also completely replaced by the
corresponding bright line of hydrogen gas. Not
only the hydrogen lines, but also many other lines,
26
402 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

appear bright under similar circumstances in the

spectrum of the chromosphere, and on the 17th of
April, 1870, hundreds of such bright or reversed
Fraunhofer lines were observed by Lockyer at a
spot in the chromosphere where a prominence was
situated. The complications in the spectrum of the
chromosphere were most remarkable in the regions
more refrangible than C, and in those extending
from the line E to beyond b, and as far as the
neighbourhood of F the vapour of iron under
;

Fig. 143.

Partial covering of the dark F-line with H ß.

extreme pressure seems to be an important agent

in this phenomenon.
Among the most remarkable phenomena observ-
able in the bright lines of hydrogen gas seen in the
spectrum of the chromosphere is that of the widening

at the base and pointed arrow-like termination of

the greenish-blue line H ß, as well as the narrowing
 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM . 403

to a point of the other bright lines H a and D 3,

as represented in 139, and 14 1. The

Figs. 140,
causes affecting the width of the spectrum lines
have been pointed out in § 32 these have been ;

found to consist partly in the density dependent

upon pressure, and partly in the temperature of the
gas, yet according to some experiments made by
Secchi the temperature is found to exercise the
most important influence upon the width of the
lines. At a given temperature, and at a certain
degree of rarefaction, the spectrum of hydrogen
consists of the three characteristic lines H «, H ß,
H 7. With an increase of temperature the line FI 7

is the first to begin to widen on both sides, then

Hß becomes similarly affected, while Ha remains
unchanged, even when H7 has passed into a broad,
ill-defined violet band. When the gas is rarefied,

then H a is the first to disappear, while H ß re-

mains unaffected. On the other hand, it seems to

be proved from Secchi’ s experiments that with
the same density of gas a decrease of tempera-
ture is followed by a narrowing of the three lines,

and that with a given density there is a limit

to the decrease of temperature at which they will

entirely disappear. The pointed termination of the

brig-ht lines in the spectrum of the chromosphere
indicates therefore that the temperature of the chro-
mosphere decreases as it recedes from the sun, and,
at the same time, that the density of the hydrogen
envelope is greater at the base of the chromosphere
than in the higher regions.
26 A
404 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
The phenomena observed in the C- and F-lines
of the hydrogen gas in the chromosphere and pro-
minences do not, however, consist merely in the
widening of the lines and their pointed termination,

but also frequently in several other changes, such

as their becoming swollen out in several places and
assuming a twisted appearance, or being broken up
into separate pieces, —
phenomena which must be
regarded as an indication of violent eruptive or

Fig. 144.
11/S

V
Changes in the Line H ß after Lockyer.

stormy action taking place in the interior of the

gaseous mass. Among other observers, Lockyer has
made many observations of this kind, and he has
recorded the appearance presented by these lines.
An instance is given in Fig. 144, where the F-line
of the solar spectrum is accompanied by the cor-
responding bright prominence-line H ß, which, in

addition to the usual arrow-pointed termination,

 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 405

has assumed the form of a twisted wavy line, the

lower part of which spreads out over the sun’s disk:
the C-line of the same prominence remained in the
meanwhile unaffected, being neither spread out at
the base nor twisted in form.
A similar phenomenon in a very brilliant promi-
nence was noticed by Professor Young on the 19th
of April, 1870. The red C-line (H «) was remarkably
bright, so as to admit of its form being observed
with a tolerably wide opening of the slit, but in no
part was the line either twisted or broken. The
Fig. 145.

Changes in the Line H ß after Young.

F-line (Hß), on the contrary (Fig. 145), though

equally brilliant, was everywhere broken up into
pieces, and at the base was three or four times
wider than usual.
It will presently be shown in what manner the
displacement of a spectrum-line and the phenomena
depicted in Figs. 144 and 145 are connected with
the motion of the luminous gaseous mass to which
these lines in the spectroscope owe their origin.
When, however, as in these instances, only one of
the spectrum lines (Hß) is so affected, and the
406 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

other line (Ha) remains unchanged, it is scarcely

credible that the cause of this phenomenon is to
be found in the eddying motion of the gas
whence the light is emitted. Young is of opinion
that phenomena of this kind are to be attributed
to some local absorption by which a line (colour)
which is much spread out by the influence of pres-
sure and temperature is particularly affected. By
means of his powerful spectroscope, composed of
five prisms, Young was able to watch the above
phenomenon for half an hour at a time.
A series of similar but still more complicated
phenomena occurring in the bright spectrum lines
of a prominence, the causes of which will be dealt
with more in detail in § 57, were observed by
Lockyer in April 1870, when some sketches were
taken of them by an experienced draughtsman. In
this instance the phenomena were confined chiefly
to the red C-line, to which Lockyer directed his
attention almost exclusively.
When the air is exceedingly tranquil in the
neighbourhood of a large solar spot, or over a large
region in the sun’s disk, absorption bands are seen
to traverse the whole length of the spectrum (Fig.
107) crossing at right angles the Fraunhofer lines;
they vary in width and in depth of shade according
as a pore, a depression, or a completely formed
spot is found opposite the corresponding place in

the slit. Here and there in the brightest portions

of the spectrum there suddenly appears a lozenge-
shaped light (Fig. 146, No. 2) in the middle of the
 a

THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 407

absorption line. It is thought by Lockyer to be

caused by luminous hydrogen which is subjected to
a more than usual pressure, and this may therefore
possibly be the cause of those extremely bright
points which are to be observed in the faculse in
the neighbourhood of the sun’s limb.
Fig. 146, No. 1, shows the dark F-line at the

base of a prominence as observed with a tangential

slit. In it are to be seen two or three of those
lozenge-shaped stripes of light which are due ap-

Fig. 146.
I 2

F C
Reversal of the C- and F-lines.

parently to the greater pressure of the gas ;

they
were more elongated in the direction of the dark
line than was the case in the line C.
A precisely similar phenomenon was observed by
Young in both the D-lines. On the 2 2nd of Sep-
tember, 1870, he saw in the spectrum of the umbra
of a large spot near the sun’s eastern limb, the two
sodium lines D, and D 2 reversed, or as bright lines
in the manner represented in Fig. 147. The C- and
F-lines were also reversed at the same time, —
 4o8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

phenomenon which has been frequently observed in

the spectra of the solar spots (p. 290) with Young’s
new spectroscope, an instrument possessing a dis-
persive power equal to thirteen prisms of dense
flint glass.
The line D 3
was not visible in the umbra of the
spot, but showed itself distinctly in the penumbra
as a dark shadow. On the afternoon of the 28th of
September the following lines were seen, bright or
reversed, in the spectrum of the umbra of the same
spot, in the following order of brightness : C, F, D 3,

Fig. 147.

Young’s Observation of the Reversal of the D-lines.

2796 (K.), or H y b 3 ; ,
b l9 b 2 ;
D D x , 2 ;
h 9
b4 ,
and 1474
(K.) The cause of this phenomenon was soon
revealed by the appearance of two gigantic pro-
minences which were observed as brilliant objects

in the spectroscope on the sun’s disk ;

one extended
into the umbra of the spot, the other only as far as
the penumbra.
A simple method of illustrating the occurrence
of the simultaneous observation of the spectra of
the immediate appendage of the sun (the chromo-
sphere) and the sun itself has beeh devised by
 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 409

Lockyer. He noticed that the flame of an ordinary

tallow or Stearine candle is surrounded by an en-
velope of sodium vapour not ordinarily visible, but
which can be perceived immediately on the appli-
cation of the spectroscope by the existence of the
yellow sodium lines. If the slit of the instrument
be moved slowly from the side into the flame, at
the spot a little above the place where the wick
bends outward, the bright line D will at once
appear against a dark background : by a further
movement of the slit into the flame itself, a second
spectrum, the continuous spectrum of the flame, is

formed, and there will be seen side by side, in the

same field of view, the two spectra —that of the

flame, and that of the sodium vapour by which
it is enveloped. If the flame be agitated so as

to produce a flickering, the bright D-line may be

made to pass through similar changes to those ob-
served in the hydrogen lines of the chromosphere.
It may at first sight appear strange that the lines
of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon have never been
perceived either in the spectrum of the sun or in
that of the chromosphere, seeing that these sub-
stances are found in such abundance upon the
earth. In his large maps of the solar spectrum
0
(Plates IV., V., VI.), Angstrom has also included the
spectrum of the atmospheric air as obtained from
the electric spark, whence it may at once be seen
that the lines given by air, the components of which
are nitrogen and oxygen, are nowhere coincident
with any of the Fraunhofer lines. The non-appear-
4io SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
ance of the lines of any substance in the spectrum
of a self-luminous composite body in no way justi-
fies the conclusion that such a substance is entirely
absent.
o
From Angstrom’s investigations it appears that
the spectrum of the atmosphere is not visible when
the electric spark is formed in the free air between
the carbon points of a Bunsen battery of fifty ele-

ments, and can in general only be produced by the

employment of a Geissler’s tube filled with rarefied
airwhen the electricity is at a high tension * that ;

is to say, under circumstances that accompany an

extremely high temperature. In the same way the
spectrum of carbon cannot be obtained by the mere
incandescence of carbon in the electric current; the
spectrum thus produced consists partly of the con-
tinuous spectrum of the incandescent solid particles

* [The spectrum of the air is not seen when the electricity from
the battery passes between carbon points, because the voltaic arc
present under these circumstances consists of a bridge of the
vapour or fine particles of the substance of the electrodes over
which the electricity passes, and which by the resistance it offers

becomes vividly incandescent. When a spark, as that of an in-

duction can pass through free air the spectra of the gases of
coil, ,

the atmosphere are always visible, as is the case when an induction

spark passes between metallic electrodes, the spectra of the atmo-
spheric gases, oxygen and nitrogen (and the red line of hydrogen
from the aqueous vapour always present in ordinary air) being
then seen together with the spectrum of the metal employed. The
invariable presence of the atmospheric spectrum when a spark
passes through free air led Huggins to use this spectrum as a scale
of reference in hismaps of the spectra of the chemical elements.
The amount of carbonic acid gas present in the atmosphere
small
cannot be detected by the spectroscope.]
 1

THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 41

of carbon, and partly of the spectra of carburetted

hydrogen and of cyanogen. The heat of the voltaic
arc of flame (§ 10) is therefore insufficient to convert
carbon into a gaseous form.*
By applying these phenomena to the sun, we are
led with Angstrom to the conclusion that the tem-
perature of that luminary is on the one hand too
high to permit of such combinations as carburetted
hydrogen, cyanogen, etc., being formed, and, on
the other hand, too low to allow of carbon being
converted into a gaseous state, so as to form its

spectrum, or to produce the spectra of oxygen and

nitrogen.
Similar results have been arrived at by Wüllner,
Secchi, and Zöllner,*)* Wüllner by means of experi-
ment (p. 173), Zöllner by ingenious reasonings upon
the behaviour of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen
in the sun as affected by variations in their density,

specific gravity, and emissive power, founded upon

the supposition that the eruptive forms of the
prominences are to be regarded as the result of
hydrogen gas rushing to the outer surface from the
interior of the sun, and that the cause of these erup-
tions is to be sought for in the difference of pressure
to which the gas is subject in the interior, and on
the surface of the sun. Calculations made on this
hypothesis, taking into account the amount of hv-

* [See note in § 68.]

+ Zöllner, Ueber die Temperatur und physische Beschaffenheit

der Sonne. Bericht der Künigl. Sächs. Gesellseh. der Wissen-
schaften vom 2 Juni, 1870.
412 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

drogen presentin the sun, would lead us by analogy

to regard theamount of oxygen and nitrogen in that

stratum where the hydrogen spectrum begins to be
continuous as extremely small in comparison with
the amount of hydrogen. Those rays, therefore,
which are given out by a stratum of hydrogen
yielding a continuous spectrum, pass through so
small an amount of incandescent particles of oxygen
and nitrogen in coming to our eye, that the absorp-
tion they suffer is extremely small, and therefore
not perceptible. For this reason, even supposing
the sun to possess an atmosphere of nitrogen and
oxygen similar in density and temperature to its

atmosphere of hydrogen, the lines of nitrogen and

oxygen would still fail to be visible either as dark
Fraunhofer lines in the spectrum of the sun, or as
bright lines in the spectrum of the chromosphere.
It must not be concluded, therefore, from the ab-
sence of the lines of nitrogen and oxygen in both
these spectra, that these substances are not present
in either the sun or the chromosphere.
From all these observations the following results
may be deduced concerning the nature of the chro-
mosphere :

1. The body of the sun or its light-giving en-

velope the photosphere, is completely surrounded
by a gaseous envelope in which hydrogen consti-
tutes the chief element, and which is called the
chromosphere. Its mean thickness is between 5,000
and 7,000 miles.
2. The prominences are local accumulations of
 THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 413

the chromosphere, and therefore pre-eminently of

hydrogen gas, which appear to break forth from
time to time from the interior of the sun in the
form of monster eruptions, wayforcing their
through the photosphere and chromosphere. As
this gas on effecting* a passage rises with great
rapidity, it becomes quickly rarefied in a direction
away from the sun’s limb.
3. As in the spectrum of the chromosphere the
greenish-blue line H ß, coincident with the Fraun-
hofer line F, takes in general the form of an arrow-
head, the base of which rests on the sun’s limb, and
the widening of this line is caused by an increase
of pressure as well as by a rise of temperature,
therefore the pressure and the temperature of the
gas in the lowest stratum of the chromosphere
must be greater than in the upper part. From the
experiments undertaken by Lockyer, Frankland,
Wüllner, and Secchi, it appears that even in the lowest

stratum of this gaseous envelope the pressure is smaller

than that of our atmosphere, therefore that the gas of the
chrojnosphere is in a state of greater attenuation .

4. The greenish-blue line H ß, which under

normal conditions is of the same width as the lines
Ha and C, sometimes in a prominence swells out
in a globular form, and is twisted over the chromo-
sphere line (Fig. 144), the cause of which is pro-
bably the sudden and violent meeting or damming
up of streams of gas, and their consequent con-
densation.
5. The three characteristic lines of hydrogen Ha,
 —

414 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

H ß, Hy, as well as a fourth blue line, are all ob-
served with complete certainty in the spectrum of the
chromosphere and that of the prominences ;
in good
instruments, and under favourable atmospheric cir-
cumstances, the first two lines sometimes extend
into the spectrum of the regions underlying the
chromosphere, and thus cause the corresponding
Fraunhofer lines C and F to appear as bright lines
upon the sun’s disk. The yellow line D 3 of the
chromosphere is neither due to sodium nor to hy-
drogen, nor is the red line less refrangible than C a
hydrogen line ;
it has not yet been ascertained to
what substances they belong.
6. Under the chromosphere lies the luminous
cloud-like vaporous or nebulous photosphere ,
which
contains all the substances, the spectrum lines

of which appear as absorption lines in the solar

spectrum. These substances among which iron, —
magnesium, and sodium are especially prominent
often burst forth in a state of incandescence, and
are carried up to a certain distance into the chro-
mosphere and into the basis of the prominences,
though not in general to any considerable elevation.
Secchi has been led to believe from his observa-
tions during the total eclipse of i860, as well as
from those recently undertaken with his large
instrument, that the chromosphere does not imme-
diately rest on the sun’s limb, but is separated from
it by a very thin space of white light from 2" to 3"
in thickness (40,000 miles), which gives a continu-
ous spectrum. Secchi is of opinion that Kirchhoff’s
 *

THE CHROMOSPHERE AND ITS SPECTRUM. 415

assumed atmosphere of luminous vapours, in which

the white light of the sun suffers the selective
absorption producing the dark lines, is to be found
in this stratum of white light.

This view is opposed by Lockyer, who denies the

existence of this stratum of light separating the
chromosphere from the sun’s limb. According to
him, the photosphere, a very narrow stratum of
mixed luminous vapours which yield reversed
spectra of the Fraunhofer lines, forms the border
or upper surface of the solar nucleus upon which
the chromosphere or stratum of glowing hydrogen
gas immediately rests.

Kirchhoff’s theory that the solar nucleus is sur-

rounded by a very expanded, non-luminous, and
comparatively cool absorptive atmosphere, must
therefore give place to that of the glowing and
light-emitting photosphere being surrounded by a
luminous and intensely hot stratum of gas, the
chromosphere, the spectrum of which consists
mainly of that of hydrogen gas. Lockyer is of

* [Professor Young, in describing his observations of the total

solar eclipse of Dec.
22, 1870, says “ Professor Langley has so
:

well stated what we saw (see note on page 250) that it is not
necessary to repeat it ;
but I cannot refrain from putting on record
that the sudden reversal into brightness and colour of the count-
less dark lines of the spectrum at the commencement of totality,

and was the most exquisitely beautiful

their gradual dying out,
phenomenon possible to conceive, and it seems to me to have
considerable theoretical importance. Secchi’s continuous spectrum
at the sun’s limb is probably the same thing modified by atmo-
spheric glare ;
anywhere but in the clear sky of Italy, so much
modified, indeed, as to be wholly masked.”]
4i6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
opinion that from the extremely rarefied condition
of this gas, the existence of any other atmosphere
extending beyond it, as might be inferred from the
corona, is very improbable, and that the thickness of
the chromosphere would be indicated by the height
of its spectrum lines, the bright hydrogen lines
H a, H
(3, H
7 these lines being broad at the limb
;

of the sun, and running to a point at the top, lead

to the conclusion that the temperature of the chro-
mosphere at the height indicated by the termination
of the lines, is insufficient to keep hydrogen gas
in a state of luminosity. It has been ascertained
(p. 173) that an increase of temperature imparts
to hydrogen the power of widening its spectrum
lines, while, on the contrary, a decrease of tempera-
ture produces a narrowing of the lines. Now the
spectrum lines of a prominence are broad at the

base in the neighbourhood of the sun’s limb, and

terminate in a point (Figs. 140, 14 1) ; the tempera-
ture at the point must therefore be lower than at

the base. The envelope of hydrogen may mani-

festly extend far beyond the limit of the bright
lines without its existence being revealed to us by
the lines of its spectrum, and for this reason these
bright lines afford no sufficient measure for the

thickness of the chromosphere ;

it is much more
probable that, owing to a continuous decrease in

its temperature and density, the chromosphere

stretches out into space to a distance far beyond
our power of recognition.*
* [This seems the place to call attention to the valuable paper
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE .
417

57. Modes of Observing the Prominences in

Sunshine. Form of the Prominences.
As early as 1866, Lockyer attempted to observe
the prominences in full sunshine by means of a
Herschel-Browning spectroscope placed in combi-
nation with a telescope. The method he employed,
and which he laid before the Royal Society in a
special communication,* depends, as we have pre-
viously mentioned (p. 382), on the specific difference
between the light of the prominences and that of the
sun itself.

The light of an incandescent solid or liquid body

which passes through the slit of a spectroscope will
be spread out by the prism into a band of greater
or less length, and form a coiitinuous spectrum.
The light of a gaseous or vaporous body will by
the same means, on the contrary, be decomposed
into a few only, sometimes even into a very few,
bright lines.

In the first case, the greater the length of the

spectrum, the less will be its intensity in com-
by Mr. Johnstone Stoney published in 1867, in which he antici-
pated from theoretical considerations some of the results since
obtained from observation. See Abstract, Proceedings Roy. Soc.,
vol. xvi., p. 25,and vol. xvii., p. 1.]
* [In Lockyer’s communication to the Royal Society in October
1866, there was no statement of a method of observation or of
the principles on which the spectroscope might reveal the red
flames. His suggestion consisted only of the following question :

“ May not the spectroscope afford us evidence of the existence of

the ‘
red flames which total eclipses have revealed to us in the sun’s
’

atmosphere ;
although they escape all other methods of observation
at other times ? ” —Proceedings Royal Society, vol. xv., p. 258.]

27
 8

4 1 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
parison with that of the source of light; in the second
case, especially when the spectrum consists only of
a couple of lines, the intensity of each line is little

less than half that of the light itself.

If, therefore, an equal amount of light from two

self-luminous bodies, one of which is solid or liquid,
and the other gaseous or vaporous, enter the slit of
the spectroscope at the same time, the bright lines
of the latter will be more brilliant than the colour
of the corresponding portion of the continuous
spectrum.
Now by increasing the number of prisms, the
continuous spectrum may become so elongated,
and consequently diminished in light, that, as we
have already mentioned (p. 234), the once brilliant
solar spectrum may be reduced to the verge of
visibility, while the same amount of dispersion pro-
duces on a spectrum of lines from glowing gas only
an increase in the distance between the lines and no ,

considerable diminution of their brilliancy.

The reason why the prominences round the sun’s
limb cannot be seen through a telescope at any
time by screening off the intense light of the sun,
is owing to ihe extreme brilliancy with which the
sun illuminates the earth’s atmosphere, the particles
of which scatter so large an amount of light as
quite to overpower the fainter light of the pro-
minences, and prevent them making any sensible
impression on the eye.
In a total eclipse of the sun the light of this
atmosphere is so ccnsiderably reduced as to allow
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 419

the larger prominences beyond the limb of the sun

to be observed by the unassisted eye. The possi-
bility of reducing the glare of sunlight at any other
time without extinguishing the light of the pro-
minences rests on the circumstance already men-
tioned, that the light of the sun consists of rays of
every colour, and therefore produces in a spectro-
scope of highly dispersive power a long and faint
spectrum, while the light of the prominences, con-
sisting in general of only three or four kinds of
rays, remains even after the greatest dispersive
power still concentrated into the same number of
lines (Ha, Hß, H 7, D 3 ).
It was on these principles, first announced by
Lockyer,* that Janssen succeeded the day after the
eclipse of the 18th of August, 1868, in observing
That
the spectrum of the prominences in sunshine.
the method he employed was no other than that
suggested by Lockyer is evident from his own
communication to the French Academy, dated
Calcutta, the 3rd of October, 1868, in which he
expresses himself as follows “ The principle of the
:

new method rests upon the difference between the

spectrum peculiarities of the light of the prominences
and that of the photosphere. The light of the photo-
sphere, which is derived from incandescent solid or
liquid particles is incomparably stronger than that
of the prominences which is derived from gases.
On this account it has been impossible hitherto to
see the prominences except during a total solar

* [See note on page 378.]

27 A
420 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

eclipse. By the employment, however, of spectrum

analysis the circumstances of the case may be
reversed. In fact, by the process of analyzation the
light of the sun is dispersed over the whole range of
the spectrum, and its intensity becomes considerably
lessened. The prominences, on the contrary, furnish
only a few detached groups of rays which are bright
enough to bear comparison with the corresponding rays

of the solar spectrum. It is for this reason that the

lines of the prominences may be seen easily in the
same field of the spectroscope with the solar spec-
trum, while the direct images of the prominences are
invisible on account of the overpowering light of
the sun. Another circumstance very favourable to
this new method of observation lies in the fact that
the bright lines of the prominences correspond with
the dark lines of the solar spectrum: they can,
therefore, not only be more easily recognized in the
field of the spectroscope along the edges of the solar
spectrum, but also detected on the solar spectrum
itself, and their traces even followed on the very
surface of the sun.”
As soon as Janssen and Lockyer had succeeded
by this method in observing the spedru7n of the pro-
minences independently of a total eclipse, it became
a question whether it would not be possible not
merely to see the lines of the prominences, but also
to make their actual forms visible during sunshine.
The length of the bright lines of a prominence,
the line Hß for instance, corresponds with the
height of that part of the prominence which lies in
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 421

the direction of the slit, and it has been already

shown (p. 381) how by passing the slit over the
surface of the prominence, and mapping down the
varying height of the line H ß, Lockyer succeeded
in constructing the outline of a prominence.
Janssen, on the contrary, proposed to bring the
slit successively over every part of the surface of a
prominence by means of the quick rotation of a
direct-vision spectroscope, so that when the motion
was sufficiently rapid he might be able, owing to
the duration of the impression of light upon the eye,
to see the complete outline at one view. The same
idea occurred both to Lockyer and Zöllner : the
former, without interfering with the spectroscope,
merely gave the slit a rapid revolution in a direction
at right angles to that of the instrument ;
the latter
accomplished the same end by giving the slit an
oscillatory motion by means of a spring. But these
experiments, though giving promise of success, were
soon abandoned for other methods, partly on account
of the mechanical difficulties they entailed, partly
because it soon appeared that the object could be
far better attainedby a much simpler process.
Huggins had already been working for two years
in another direction. As the prominences were
pale red or pink in colour, it occurred to him that it

might be possible to see them fully during sunshine

if he could succeed by the intervention of coloured
glasses in eliminating the intense yellow, green, and
blue rays from the white light of the sun. Were this

accomplished, it was to be expected that the red light

 ;

422 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

of the prominences would alone pass unobstructed

through the glasses, and be no longer overpowered
by the remaining atmospheric rays, so that the forms
of the prominences themselves would be seen direct
by the aid of a telescope or an opera-glass.
After selecting with great care, by means of pris-
matic analysis, a number of coloured glasses and
fluids suitable for this purpose, Huggins examined
the sun by their aid, both by viewing it through
them directly, and also by projecting the image of
the sun upon a screen in a dark room, after the
white light had previously been sifted, so to speak,
by means of the system of coloured media A
This plan, however, failed in accomplishing its

* [In a note read before the Royal Astronomical Society in

1869, Huggins says “ Subsequently, when the Indian observations
:

had confirmed my suspicion that the prominences would give

bright lines, and also show their position in the spectrum, I tried
a large number of coloured media. The difficulty is to find two
media which by their combination shall absorb light of all re-
frangibilities except precisely that of the line C or the line F. If

even a small range of refrangibility besides that of the line selected

be allowed to pass, the scattered light of the atmosphere over-

powers and eclipses the prominences. The most promising of the
media which I tested were a solution of carmine in ammonia,
which cuts off very nearly all the light more refrangible than C,
and a solution of cholorophyll, which gives a strong band of ob-
sorption, taking away the brighter part of the light less refrangible
than C. Unfortunately, the chlorophyll band encroaches a little
upon C, and so weakens the light of the prominences. The
absorption band of chlorophyll, as Professor Stokes has shown,
can be moved a little in the spectrum by acids and alkalies, and
differs slightly in position in the chlorophyll of different plants

but I have not been able to degrade the band sufficiently to allow
light of the refrangibility of C to pass wholly unimpeded.’’]
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 423

object, and in the winter of 1868 Huggins resumed

his labours by employing as a medium a ruby-
coloured glass which permitted only the extreme
red rays of the spectrum to pass through. On the
13th of February, 1869, he first succeeded in bright
sunshine in seeing a prominence with sufficient
distinctness to determine its form and draw its

outline.
For this investigation he made use of a spectro-
scope in which a narrow slit had been introduced
between the prisms and the object-glass of the small
telescope, close in front of the latter.* This slit

admitted into the telescope only those rays of a

refrangibility exactly corresponding to that of the
line C. As the bright C-line (Ha) always occurs in
the spectrum of a prominence, Huggins knew that
when he saw this line visible in the instrument a
prominence was in the field of the slit : when he
wideiied the slit of the spectroscope so as to view the
whole form of the prominence, the spectrum became
so impure that the image could only be traced with
difficulty, and the neighbourhood of
light from the
the C-line became at the same time so intense as to
interfere injuriously with the susceptibility of the
eye. He then applied a deep ruby-coloured glass
to absorb the rays of a different refrangibility to that
of the C-line, when the prominence was seen in a
complete form with perfect distinctness. A sketch

* [The slit was placed in the focus of the small telescope, and
not before the object-glass. This mistake was made by Huggins
in his description of his observations.]
 424 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
of the prominence first observed by Huggins in this
manner is given in Fig. 148.

Simultaneously with Huggins, both Zöllner and

Lockyer were each working independently towards
the same end. Zöllner, already known to fame
by his “Photometrischen Untersuchungen,” and
well acquainted with the construction of every
kind of optical instrument, had in a treatise en-
“ Ueber ein neues Spectroskop,” etc.,* given
titled

expression to his ideas on the different modes of ob-

serving the forms of the prominences in sunlight,

Fig. 148.

Huggins’ first Observation of a Prominence in full Sunshine.

with a description of the experiments he had himself

undertaken in this direction. He came to the con-
clusion that the method of diminishing the light of
the earth’s atmosphere by a sufficient increase in
the number of prisms deserved the most decided
preference over the methods of a revolving slit or
an absorptive medium, but he was unable himself to
put this plan immediately into practice owing to the
incomplete state of the necessary instruments. The
* Berichte der K. Sächs. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu
Leipzig, vom 6 Februar, 1869.
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 425

mode of procedure which Zöllner considered as most

suitable consisted of a combination of Lockyer’ s prin-
ciple with the last method employed by Huggins,
namely, of first seeking out the spectrum line of a
prominence, and then opening the slit so wide as to
be able to see the entire prominence, or at least a
portion of it, through the aperture.
When Lockyer learnt, on the 27th of February,
1869, thatHuggins had succeeded in seeing the pro-
minences in sunshine by merely widening the slit the ,

same idea occurred to him which Zöllner had already

published on the 6th of the same month, but which
he had not been able to carry out practically, that
the diminution of the atmospheric light would be
much more completely accomplished by an increase
in the number of prisms than by the use of absorp-
tive glasses,* and that the prominences would cer-
tainly be seen in their whole extent if one of their
spectrum lines, the greenish-blue line H ß, or the
red line Ha, for instance, was brought into the field

of view of a spectroscope of great dispersive power,

and the slit then opened sufficiently to allow the com-

* [The author appears here not sufficiently to distinguish between

the experiments by Huggins to view the prominences by the
method of absorption, and those by the prismatic method, which
he was carrying on at the same time. In the method of the wide
slit, Huggins relied alone upon the prismatic method, and the ruby

glass was used for diminishing the glare, which was painful to the
eye, and prevented the forms of the prominences from being seen
with the small spectroscope employed, which was furnished with
only two prisms. With a spectroscope of greater dispersive power
the red glass is not necessary. The method is identical with that
adopted by Zöllner, and employed by Lockyer and Respighi.]
426 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

plete form of the prominence to be seen. The admir-

able telespectroscope (Fig. 136), furnished with seven
prisms, which was then complete and in his posses-
sion, confirmed after a few trials the correctness of
this view, and he was the first to succeed, without
additional mechanical help or the use of coloured
glasses, in observing the prominences at any time
when the sun was visible, and tracing their complete
outline. *

* [The Editor has on several occasions since February, 1869,

when he corresponded with Professor Maxwell on the subject,
attempted to apply to the sun the method of viewing an object by
monochromatic light originally employed by Professor Maxwell in
his experiments on colour. This method would permit a con-
siderable portion of the sun’s limb, or even the whole sun, to be
seen at once. Professor Maxwell, in a letter dated February 19,
1869, stated the general principle thus : “You make a spectroscope
consisting of a set of prisms and a lens on either side of them, and
a slit at the principal focus of each of the lenses. No light can get
through this combination except that which can pass from one slit to
the other, so that by adjusting the slits all light except that of one
bright line of the prominence may be cut off.” In applying this
method to the sun, a spectroscope of great dispersive power, pro-
vided with a long collimator, is attached to the astronomical
telescope so that the slit is placed at some distance within the
principal focus, thus causing the sun’s image to fall without the
collimating lens somewhere among the prisms. At the principal
focus of the small telescope of the spectroscope a second slit

is placed. With the aid of a positive eyepiece this telescope is

moved until the bright line, say C, of a prominence is seen to fall

between the jaws of this second slit. The eyepiece is then

removed, and the eye placed at the slit. Under these circum-
stances the observer sees the sun, or part of his disk, by means of
light of that particular refrangibility only. By moving the small
telescope the sun may be viewed by monochromatic light of any
desired refrangibility. The Editor has always found the false light
about the sun’s limb from the diffraction images caused by the first
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 427

By the same means Zöllner saw the prominences

for the first time on the ist of July, 1869. He has
published the results of his observations, and ac-
companied them by a series of highly interesting
drawings of some of the larger prominences, in

Fig. 149.

2 July, 3h. 20m. 1 July, 3h. 45m. 1 July, 6h. 45m.

S.W. limb. N.E. limb. Pos. angle = 76°.
Height = 38". Height = c. 120". Height = 35 to 40".

4 5 6

2 July, nh. 35m. 4 July, 9h. om. 4 July, 6h. 30m.

Pos. angle - 278°. S.E. limb. N.W. limb.
Height = c. 65". Height = c. 40". Height = 35".

Solar Prominences observed by Zöllner.

which their origin, development, and subsequent

disappearance are very clearly exhibited.

slit to render the prominences less distinct than when seen by the

method of using a wide and more than to counterbalance the

slit,

advantage of viewing at once a much larger portion of the sun’s

limb.]
 —

428 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

In Fig. 149 are given some of the most conspicu-

ous forms of these masses of flame, together with the
date of observation, the place of their appearance
on the sun’s limb, and their height in seconds (vide

note in p. 330). With regard to these forms, Zöllner

makes the following remarks :

“ The first prominence which I observed is repre-

sented in Fig. 149, No. 1. Over a conical mass of
extreme brilliancy projecting from the sun’s limb
there extends a cloud-like form of less intensity.
To the same type belong also the prominences
No. 4 and No. 6.
“ No. 4 was a very striking object from the sur-
prisingly beautiful cloud of cumulus form which
floated at some distance above the cone. The
cloud was remarkably soft in texture, and traceable
in its smallest details. The individual cumulus-like
elements of which it was composed appeared almost
like faintly luminous points.
“One of the most remarkable forms was that repre-
sented in No. 2. I could hardly trust the evidence
of my eyes as I perceived in it the lambent motion
of a flame. This motion was, however, slower in

proportion to the size of the flame than the corre-

sponding motion in the high flaring flames of great
conflagrations. The time required for the propaga-
tion of this wave of flame from the base to the
termination of the image was between two and three
seconds.”
It is in most cases a matter of indifference whether
the red line (H a) or the greenish-blue line (H ß) be
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 429

selected for this method of observation ;

the requisite
width of slit depends mainly upon the condition of
the atmosphere. If the observing telescope of the
spectroscope be fixed upon the C-line, and the nar-
row slit be so directed on to the limb of the sun that
the red line Ha appears in the field of view, on
widening the slit, the prominence will be seen of a
red colour ;
if, on the contrary, the F-line and the
line Hß be observed, the same form will be visible
in the colour of greenish-blue.
It will not perhaps be superfluous to mention that
even with the smallest opening of the slit a very
considerable portion of the sun’s surface is included
in the field of view. opening be not greater
If this

than n of an inch, and the image of the sun, as in

Lockyer’s instrument, be nearly an inch in diameter,
yet the rays passing through the slit would include
those emitted from a space on the sun’s surface of
about 3,300 miles in extent.
Each of the two methods described in § 55 of
observing the spectrum of the chromosphere and
that of the prominences possesses peculiar advan-
tages. If the object be merely to analyze the various
lines in the spectrum of the chromosphere, then the
magnified image of the sun is examined by means
of the narrow slit ;
but if, on the contrary, the forms
of the prominences are to be observed, the small
direct image of the sun formed in the principal
focus of the object-glass is made use of, and a
wider slit is employed.
When, as in Secchi’s equatorial, the direct image
430 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

of the sun is about i- inch in diameter, and the slit

of the spectroscope can be opened about ~ of an

inch, the whole of a prominence may be seen at
once if not exceeding 40" or 50" (18,000 or 22,000
miles). Prominences exceeding that height must
be observed piecemeal. Under such circumstances,
with a wide slit radially placed, it is not easy to
observe in the small image of the sun the thickness
of the chromosphere, even supposing it to extend to
some distance, while in the magnified image it may
readily both be seen and measured.
If the widened slit be placed tangentially that ,
is

to say in a direction parallel to the sun’s limb, the

stratum of the chromosphere appears as a very
bright red band ;
upon this line are seen small
elevations of a form resembling such flames as are
to be seen in the fields of an evening at harvest-time
when the stubble is being burnt. The prominences
are to be distinguished from the rest of the chromo-
sphere by their more vivid light, and in general by
their rising to a much greater elevation.
When the spectrum of the earth’s atmosphere has
disappeared in consequence of the powerful disper-
sion of the light, and the portion of the prominence
then in the held of view alone is visible through the
widely opened slit, the telescope or slit is moved
slowly forward, and luminous images of the most
wonderful forms flit before the eye, being just as
easily observed as during a total solar eclipse. In
describing some of these shadow forms Lockyer
writes “ Here one is reminded by the fleecy, infi-
:
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 431

nitely delicate cloud-films, of an English hedgerow

with luxuriant elms ;
here of a densely intertwined

Fig. 150.

Q io 11 12 13

Lockyer’s Observation of various Prominences.

tropical forest, the intimately interwoven branches

 432 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

threading in all directions, the prominences gene-

rally expanding as they mount upwards, and
changing slowly, indeed almost imperceptibly. . . .

As a rule, the attachment to the chromosphere is

narrow, and is not often single; higher up, the stems,

so to speak, intertwine, and the prominence expands
and soars upward until it is lost in delicate filaments,

which are carried away in floating masses.”

The various forms of the prominences may be
classified generally into two characteristic groups,
very aptly designated by Zöllner as vaporous or cloud-
like forms, and eruptive forms.
Through a small telescope the details of the out-
line and internal configuration of these forms are
less clearly visible. Some of these are represented
in Fig. 150, Nos. 1 to 13, as they were seen by
Lockyer through his telescope, when they appeared
as prolongations of the C-line of the solar spectrum
in the form of red flames. The upper part is the
spectrum of the sky immediately surrounding the
sun, reduced to the verge of visibility by the great
dispersive power of the spectroscope; upon this first
appeared the red line H
which on widening the
a,

slit assumed the form of the prominence visible at

that spot, represented in the drawings as white
upon a black background. some cases (No. 2)
In
the prominence was seen to extend downwards along
the C-line, in others the C-line appeared waved (4),
or interrupted (11), and sometimes terminated in a
lozenge-shaped light of a red colour ;
in No. 3 the
dark F-line also appeared waved, and the small
 OBSERVATION- OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 433

flame above it was of the greenish-blue colour

peculiar to that part of the spectrum.
Professor C. A. Young, of Dartmouth College,
Hanover, in the United States, has devoted himself
especially to the observation of the forms and vari-
ability of the prominences. In Fig. 151, Nos. 1 to 8,
are represented some of these characteristic forms
according to the drawings prepared by Young. The
observations were made early in the afternoon, on
various days between the ist of October and the
4th of November, 1869. The annexed table contains
particulars of their size and position.

Position
No. Breadth. Height. Remarks.
Angle.

1 230° — 68° 45
"
Very brilliant.
2 267° — 31 ° 60" Bright and in two parts.
3 270° — 28° 30" Faintly luminous, inform resembling
a mushroom.
° ° "
4 335 + 37 55 Bright, cloud-like.
5
150° — 32° An isolated cloud 25" above the sun’s
limb ; 20" in diameter.
"
6 35 o° + 63° 35 Bright ; a low flat arch.
7 260° — 35 ° 20" A small horn rising from a depression
in the chromosphere in the neigh-
bourhood of a spot.
8 345
°
+ 5 o°
65" A gigantic pyramid of cloud with
active internal motion.

On the 17th of September, 1869, an extended

chain of prominences was seen by the same ob-
server between + 8o° and + no° position angle, a
representation of which is given in Fig. 152. These
enormous masses of flaming gas extended along the
sun’s limb for a distance of nearly 224,000 miles,
and attained a height of 50", or 23,000 miles: the
points of greatest brilliancy were at a and b.

28
434 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

Slight changes in the form of the prominences

may be watched almost without intermission with
an open slit; great changes as a rule take place only
very slowly, or quite imperceptibly. In some cases,
however, the change in the form of a prominence

Fig. i 5 i.

Young’s Observations of various Prominences.

is so extraordinary and occurs with such rapidity

that it can only be ascribed to extremely violent
agitation in the upper portions of the solar atmo-
sphere, compared with which the cyclonic storms
occasionally agitating the earth’s atmosphere sink
 —

OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 435

into insignificance. The observation of such a solar

storm has been thus described by Lockyer :

“ On the 14th of March, 1869, about 9 h. 45 m.,

Fig. 1^2.

Young’s Observation of a Chain of Prominences.

with a slit tangential to the sun’s limb instead of

Fig. 153.

Solar Storm observed by Lockyer on the 14th March, 1869. (Picture 1.)

radial, which was its usual position, I observed a

fine dense prominence near the sun’s equator, on
28 A
436 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the eastern limb, in which intense action was evi-

dently taking place. At ioh. 50m., when the action
was slackening, I opened the slit ;
I saw at once

that the dense appearance had all disappeared, and

cloud-like filaments had taken its place. The first

sketch, Fig. 153, embracing an irregular prominence

with a long perfectly straight one, was finished at

Fig. 154.

Storm observed by Lockyer on the 14th March, 1869. (Picture 2.)

i ih. 5m., the height of the prominence being T 5",

or about 27,000 miles. I left the Observatory for a

few minutes, and on returning, at uh. 15m., I was
astonished to find that part of the straight pro-
minence had entirely disappeared ;
not even the
slightest rack appeared in its place : whether it was
entirely dissipated or whether parts of it had been
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 437

wafted towards the other part, I do not know, al-

though I think the latter explanation the more

probable one, as the other part had increased, which
is to be seen clearly in the second sketch that was
taken, Fig. 154.”
The four drawings given in Fig. 155 were made
from one and the same brilliant prominence observed
by Professor Young on the 7th of October, 1869.

Fig. 155.

Changes in the Form of a Prominence.

Its place was estimated at 125 0 (position angle), its

0
breadth was - 7 ,
and its height measured 75". The
changes in its form took place with ex traordinary
rapidity; the four drawings were made at the fol-
lowing epochs, 2h. 20m., 2h. 35m., 2h. 55m,, and
3h. 30m. A nearly horizontal movement of the
various masses of cloud was perceptible in the
 ’

438 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

interior of the prominence : the form of No. 2

resembles the large prominence called “the eagle,’

which was observed at the total eclipse of the 7 th of
August, 1869 (vide Plate VIII.), in the interior of
which the original photographs clearly show an ed-
dying motion in the lower part, while the upper part
exhibited a centrifugal movement by which the gas
was whirled off horizontally.

In Plates XI. and XII. two prominences are

represented, in their natural colours, as seen in a
large telescope when the slit of the spectroscope
was opened wide and directed on to the red C-line
(H a). They are characteristic of the two classes,
the eruptive and the iiebulous class, and serve to
illustrate the remarkable changes of these forms.

The prominence given in Plate XI., Nos. 1 and 2,

was observed and drawn by Professor Zöllner, and
is of an eruptive form, with a decided rotatory move-
ment ;
the prominence represented in Plate XII.,
Nos. 3 and 4, is one observed by Professor Young,
and is of a cloud-like character. By means of the
accompanying scale* their height can be easily
ascertained.
As the meteorologist registers many times in a
day the conditions of our atmosphere in the hope
that a comparison of the observations may lead to
a discovery of the law governing these changes,
so has Respighi, Director of the University Obser-
vatory at the Campidoglio at Rome, made it his daily

* The same scale of 60,000 miles is given in both Plates XI.

and XII.
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 439

task since October 1869 to observe the entire limb

of the sun when the weather was favourable, in-
cluding- the chromosphere and prominences, and to
mark upon a straight line representing the circum-
ference of the sun the position, height, and form of
the prominences for each day. By collating these
lines or circumferences of the sun one below the
other, and crossing them with lines indicating the
principal positions, a comprehensive picture is af-

forded of the distribution of the prominences round

the sun’s limb, which shows at a glance those
regions in which the prominences abound and those
in which they are least frequently to be met with.
The instrument employed by Respighi is an equa-
torial telescope by Merz, of 4*4 inches aperture,
with a direct-vision spectroscope of great dispersive
power, constructed on Hofmann’s principle ;
at each
observation the slit is placed in a direction tangen-
tial to the sun’s limb, and beginning at the north
point is carried round the sun, its place at the various
points of observation being read off on the position
circle of the telescope. At each adjustment of the
slit about 20 0 of the circumference could be examined,
so that sixteen adjustments sufficed to survey the en-
tire limb of the sun. The presence of a prominence
was revealed in the manner previously described by
the red C-line (H a) being seen to extend to a greater
or less distance beyond the chromosphere when the
narrow slit was removed somewhat from the sun’s
limb. In order to observe the form of the pro-
minence the slit was widened to the full height of
 440 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
this line. When this height exceeded i' the ob-
Fig. 156.

Respighi’s Observations of the Prominences round the entire Limb of the Sun.

servation was made in parts from the sun’s limb

outwards, since by a wider opening of the slit the
 OBSERVATION OF PROMINENCES IN SUNSHINE. 441

light became too brilliant. By this method Respighi

sketched in detail the whole circumference of the
chromosphere point by point, and it will be seen
from Fig. 156, which is an exact copy on a reduced
scale of one of his original maps, how the aspects of
the prominences, their distribution on the sun’s limb,
and their forms and heights during the space of a
month may be viewed at a glance. The prominences
are represented in the drawing twice the size they
really appear; in the lines (days) marked with an
asterisk the observations are not trustworthy owing
to the prevalence of fog. By a comparison of the
maps already constructed Respighi has arrived at
the following results :

1. In the polar regions prominences occur only

exceptionally. The district from which they are
absent lies between north and north-east on the
one side, and south and south-west on the other;
the portion which is almost entirely without promi-
nences has a semi-diameter of 22^,
2. The district where the prominences most fre-
quently occur lies between north and north-west,
at about 45 0 north latitude, in a region where solar
spots are rarely seen.
3. The prominences are, therefore, phenomena
quite distinct from the spots ; they are probably
more intimately connected with the formation of
faculcE (p. 270), an hypothesis supported
by the ob-
servations of both Gilman and Lockyer.
4. The various forms of the prominences show that
they are not of the nature of clouds, which float’ in
442 SPECTRUM ANALYSTS.

an atmosphere in which they are produced by local

condensations ;
they are much more like eruptions

out of the chromosphere, which often spread out of

the higher regions, and take the form of bouquets
of flowers, some being bent over on one side and
some on the other, and which fall again on to the
surface of the chromosphere as rapidly as they rose
from it.

5. It appears that eruptions of hydrogen take place

from the interior of the sun ;
their form and the
extreme rapidity of their motion necessitates the
hypothesis of a repulsive power at work either at the
surface or in the mass of the sun, which Respighi
attributes to electricity, but Faye simply to the
action of the intense heat of the photosphere.
On the 28th of September, 1870, Professor Young
succeeded for the first time in photographing the
prominences on the sun’s limb in bright sunshine.

This he effected by bringing the blue hydrogen line

Hy near G into the middle of the field of the spec-

troscope, and placing a small photographic camera
in connection with the eyepiece of the telescope.
As the chemicals employed were those ordinarily
used in taking portraits, the requisite time of expo-
sure was 2>\ minutes, during which time the image
of the prominence suffered a slight displacement
on the prepared plate owing to a want of accuracy
in the perfect adjustment of the polar axis. Still,

however, the various forms of the prominences could

be clearly discerned in the photograph, which was
half an inch in diameter, so that the possibility of
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 443

photographing the prominences has been proved by

Young’s experiment.
[The translators have inserted in Plate XIII., by
the kind permission of Professor Respighi, a repro-
duction in colour of some of the more remarkable
forms of the prominences as given in his memoir
“ Sulle Osservazioni spettroscopiche del bordo e
delle protuberanze solari, etc. Nota III. Roma
1871.”]

58. Measurement of the Direction and Speed

of the Gas-streams in the Sun.

One of the most glorious triumphs of spectrum

analysis — surpassing perhaps in splendour all its

other wonderful achievements — is the discovery that

by means of accurate measurements, undertaken
with the best instruments, of the position or rather
of the small displacement in the position of the

spectrum lines of a star or other source of light, a

prominence for instance, it is possible to ascertain
whether this luminous body be approaching us or
receding from us, and at what speed it is travelling.
The principle on which investigations of this kind
are founded was suggested by Doppler in 1842,*
who sought to explain the periodic change of colour
* [That Doppler was not correct in making this application of his

theory is obvious from the consideration that even if a star could

be conceived to be moving with a velocity sufficient to alter its
colour sensibly to the eye, no change of colour would be per-
still

ceived, for the reason that beyond the visible spectrum, at both
extremities, there exists a store of invisible waves, which would
be at the same time exalted or degraded into visibility, to take the
444 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

in variable stars by assuming their motion to bear

some comparison with that of light, and therefore
that the number of ether waves striking the eye in
a second would be greater if the star were ap-
proaching us, and smaller if it were receding from
us than if it were at rest. Now as violet light pro-
duces the greatest number of vibrations in a second,
and red light the fewest vibrations, it follows that if

the star be approaching, its light will be displaced

in the direction of the violet, and in the direction of
the red if the star be receding from us.
The pitch of a musical tone depends, as is well
known, upon the number of impulses which the ear
receives from the air in a given time (p. 59). Now
as a tone rises in pitch number
the greater the
of air-vibrations which strike the tympanum in a
second, so must a sound ascend in tone if we rapidly
approach it, and fall in pitch if we recede from it.
The truth of this supposition may be fully proved
by the whistle of a railway engine in rapid motion.
To an observer standing still, the pitch of the tone
rises on the rapid approach of the locomotive,
although the same note is sounded, and falls again
as the engine travels away.
As the various tones of sound depend on the
rapidity of the air-vibrations, so the varieties of

place of waves which had been raised or lowered in refrangibility

by the star’s motion. No change of colour in the star could take

place until the whole of those invisible waves of force had been
expended, which would only be the case when the relative motion
of the star and the observer was several times greater than that of
light]
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS . 445

colour are regulated by the number of ether vibra-

tions (p. 63). If therefore a luminous object, as for
instance the glowing hydrogen of a prominence, be
receding rapidly from us, fewer waves of ether will

strike the optic nerve in a second than if it were

stationary. If the difference in the number of ether
waves be sufficiently great to be perceived by the
eye, then each colour of the glowing gas must sink
in the scale of the spectrum, —that is to say, incline
more towards the red. The individual coloured
rays will not then in the prismatic decomposition of
the light occur in the same place of the spectrum
in which they would have appeared had the light
been stationary; they will all be displaced somewhat
towards the red.

The converse takes place when the luminous

body is rapidly approaching us: the number of ether
vibrations received by the eye is then increased
beyond what it would be if the source of light were
stationary; in the prismatic analysis of the light the
coloured rays will be found likewise to have changed
their place in the scale of the spectrum, and taken
a position in accordance with their increased refran-
gibility, suffering a general displacement towards
the violet.

When it is remembered that the number of ether

waves in red light is at least 480 billion and in violet

800 and that moreover the wave

billion in a second,

length of the greenish-blue light (Hß), situated at

the spot marked F in the solar spectrum, is only 485
millionth (more precisely o ooc>48505) of a millimetre,
#
44-6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

and that instruments of sufficient delicacy to mea-

sure these minute quantities are required for this
purpose, there will be little danger of under-
estimating the extreme difficulty connected with
observations of this displacement in the colours of
the spectrum. Indeed, these observations would
scarcely be possible were it not that in the dark
lines crossing the spectra of the sun and fixed stars,

the places of some of which may be accurately

ascertained, we have fixed positions in the spectrum

the degree of refrangibility or wave-length of which

may be determined beforehand both for the sun and
terrestrial substances, and also for the stars or other

sources of light supposed to be at rest.

We shall presently see how Secchi and Huggins

have availed themselves of this principle to deter-

mine the rate at which a fixed star is approaching

or receding from the earth.
Lockyer made use of the same plan for measuring
the speed at which the glowing hydrogen gas com-
posing the prominences streams forth from the
sun’s nucleus, or sinks again when the eruptive
force is exhausted. The principle of this method
rests on the following considerations.
The refrangibility of the greenish-blue light (Hß),
which with the red (Ha) and the blue light (Hy) is

emitted by glowing hydrogen gas (Frontispiece

No. 7), is determined by the position of the line F in
the solar spectrum. If any displacement be observed
in the line F, — that is to say, a change in the refran-
gibility or wave-length of the greenish-blue light,
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 44 7

without the neighbouring dark lines suffering any dis-

placement at the same time ,

it is evident that the
cause of this movement cannot be attributed either
to the motion of the earth or to that of the sun, but
is rather to be ascribed exclusively to the motion
of the luminous hydrogen gas.
If the hydrogen gas in the sun were rapidly
approaching us, the number of its ether waves in a
second must increase ;
the
Fig. 157.
length of each wave will be-
come shorter and the light
be inclined towards the vio-
let, because that colour is

composed of the shortest

wave-lengths. The F-hne
suffers then a displacementfrom
its usual position in the solar
spectrum towards the violet end.

If the shortening of the ether

waves of the greenish-blue
hydrogen line (H ß) be only
10,000,000
of a millimetre, the
consequent displacement of ^ Earth

Direction and Speed of the Gas-

the F-line can be perceived,
streams in the Sun.
and by means the mo-
this

tion of the hydrogen gas on the sun be demonstrated.

If, on the contrary, this gas be moving in the

opposite direction, and be recedmg from us, the

number of its ether waves in a second will decrease,
the wave-lengths will be augmented, the greenish-
blue rays will approach the red, and a displacement of
 448 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the Y-line will be produced then towards the red end

of the spectrum.
With regard to the approach or recession of the
hydrogen gas in reference to an observer on the
earth, there are two different circumstances to be
taken into account. If the direction of the arrow a
in Fig. 157 be supposed to denote a luminous stream
of gas rising from the sun and approaching the earth,
that of the arrow n on the contrary,
,
to represent a
stream of gas sinking again into the sun and
receding from the earth, the stream a will cause a
displacement of the F-line towards the violet, and
the stream n towards the red, providing the velocity
be sufficiently great to alter the wave-length at least
- — of a millimetre. Tangential or side streams,
however, indicated by the arrows r and /, will have
no influence in displacing the F-line; they neither
approach nor recede from the eye, their direction
being perpendicular to the line of sight L. If, there-
fore, the telespectroscope be directed to the centre

of the sun in the direction of the line L, we shall, in

the event of the displacement of the F-line, perceive

only the rising and falling gas-streams a and n ,

the velocity of which can be measured, but neither

of the lateral streams flowing at a tangent to the
sun’s surface.
But if the instrument be directed to the sun’s
limb at R, the case is reversed, and the rising and
falling gas-streams a x and n t,
inasmuch as they
neither approach the eye nor recede from it, and
therefore produce by their motion no displacement
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 449

in the F-line, cannot be perceived. If, on the

contrary, the lateral or tangential streams rx ,
lT be
travelling at this spot with sufficient rapidity, the
stream r x
will approach the eye of the observer and
cause a displacement of the F-line towards the
violet, while the stream lt , receding from the earth,
will produce a displacement of the same line towards
the red.
It is evident, therefore, that the rising and falling
streams of hydrogen gas are best observed in the

Fig. 158.

G. Ml. in 1 Soc. in 1 Sec. G. Ml.

8 2 1
1 1
a 1 »1
1;
from the eye< 1 r.
0 _ _ i 0 /Towards the ey
1
'
24 0 P J 1

1 3 0 |3
ij
0^ i

Red 0 Violet
—
! i

-
r

35: J

— — -- 1 — • -- mm =\=i
1

i 11
:1

ft 1

F
Displacement of the F-line ;
Velocity of the Gas-streams in the Sun.

central part of the sun, while the lateral streams,

compared by Lockyer to circular storms, whirlpools,
or cyclones, the best observed on the sun’s limb (R
or R x ).

If it should happen that the hydrogen lines suffer

a simultaneous displacement at both sides, or a
uniform increase in width, it is obvious that the
inference of motion in the luminous body must be
received with caution : the cause of such a widening
29
450 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

of either the bright or the dark lines must rather be

sought for in an increase of density or temperature
in the luminous gas (§32). When, however, the
expansion of the lines occurs sometimes on one side
only, then only on the other, and again unequally
on both sides, this cannot, according to the in-
vestigations of Lockyer and Frankland, be ascribed
to a change in density, since by an increase of
pressure the F-line of hydrogen gas always expands
equally or nearly equally on both sides.
Fig. 158, which is from a drawing by Lockyer,
shows clearly what remarkable changes take place
in the dark line F when the spectroscope is directed
to a solar spot in the middle of the sun. The dark
band passing through the length of the spectrum is
occasioned by the general absorption and weakening
of the light produced by the substance of the spot.
The F-line, which as a rule is sharply defined at the
edges, appears in some places not merely as a bright
line, but as a bright and dark line twisted together,
in which parts it suffers the greatest displacement
towards the red. When this occurs, there is fre-

quently also a bright line to be seen on the violet

side. In small solar spots this line sometimes
breaks off suddenly, or spreads out immediately
before its termination in a globular form ; over the
bright faculae of a spot (the bridges) the line is

often altogether wanting, or else it is reversed, and

appears as a bright line (compare Fig. 108, also
Fig. 143 )-
The same phenomena are exhibited also by the
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 45 >

red C-line (Ha), though as the greenish-blue

F-line (H ß) is by an equal increase of pressure

much more sensitive with regard to expansion than

the red line is, and exhibits with greater distinctness
the changes that have been already described, it is

better adapted to observations of this kind.

All these expansions, twistings, and displacements
of the F-line result, as we have already learnt in

§ 56, from a change in the wave-length of the

greenish-blue light emitted by the moving masses
of incandescent hydrogen gas in the sun. The
middle of this line when it is well defined cor-
responds to a wave-length of 485 millionth of a
0
millimetre, yet it is possible by means of Angstrom’s
maps of the solar spectrum (Plates IV., V., VI.) to
measure a displacement of this line when the wave-
length has only changed as much as ——- of a milli-
metre, and, inversely, it is also possible to read off
at once by the measured displacement of the F-line
the corresponding amount which the wave-length of
the greenish-blue hydrogen light has lengthened or
shortened to ten millionth of a millimetre. Were
the F-line to be displaced from its normal place in

the solar spectrum to the spot marked 1 (Fig. 158),

the wave-lengths of the greenish-blue hydrogen
light would be shortened —— 1
of a millimetre the ;

light would therefore be approaching the eye of the

observer, and an eruption of gas be ascending at the
spot (Fig. 157, a) observed in the middle of the sun.
It is easy to calculate that such a displacement of
the F-line from its normal centre to the spot marked
29 A
452 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

i denotes a rate of motion in the glowing gas of

thirty-six miles in a second.
If the F-line were to suffer an equal displacement
to the left, that is to say towards the red, the wave-
length of the greenish-blue hydrogen light would
then be lengthened ;
the gas would therefore be
moving away from the earth at the same rate of 36
miles in a second, and the stream of gas be sinking
down to the surface of the sun, as indicated by the
arrow n in Fig. 157.

A displacement of the F-line from its normal

centre to the places marked 2 and 3 in Fig. 158,
either towards the violet or the red, would justify
the conclusion that the hydrogen gas was rising
from the sun or sinking back to it again at a speed
of 72 and 144 miles respectively in a second. From
the changes actually observed in the wave-length of
the greenish-blue hydrogen light, or from the mea-
sured displacements of the F-line, whether bright or
dark, it appears that the speed of the gas-streams
is usually about 18 miles in a second.
The observation of the lateral movements must
be made on the bright lines of the chromosphere at
the sun’s limb either at R or R r
. The speed of the
hydrogen gas is in this case much greater, whether
it be approaching the earth as at r near R, or at 2 T

near R, (Fig. 157), or whether it be receding from

the earth as at n near R, and at 4 near R
x The x
.

changes in the wave-lengths of the greenish-blue

hydrogen light occurring at these places are not
caused by the rising and falling of the streams of
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 453

gas a l9 n x9 and i, 3, but by the lateral motion of

the streams rl9 ll9 and 2, 4, and they are evident
indications that the glowing hydrogen is in a state
of rotatory or cyclonic movement.
It must again be remarked that even with the
narrowest setting of the slit, when the opening is

not wider than — of an inch, a considerable portion

of the sun’s surface is still visible ;
in Lockyer’s tele-

scope the field of view, even with this exceedingly

narrow slit, embraces a portion of the sun’s surface
about 1,800 miles in extent, and in Secchi’s tele-
scope the slit when fully open covers a space of
from 20,000 to 24,000 miles.
If, therefore, a vortex of glowing hydrogen gas
extending over a space of 900. or 1,000 miles be in

rapid revolution in the neighbourhood of the sun’s

limb, the whole of it may be observed with even the
narrowest opening of the slit; in the telespectro-
scope the ether waves which are approaching the
earth may be distinguished at once from those
which are receding fromit, and the motion detected

by a corresponding displacement of the F-line.

Such a gas-cyclone (Fig. 157, 1, 2, 3, 4) has been
observed by Lockyer. When
slit was directed the
was an equal expan-
to the middle of the storm, there
sion of the F-line both towards the red and the
violet, which indicated the velocity of the stream of
gas to be rather more than 36 miles in a second.
When the slit was moved first to one end of the
vortex and then to the other (Fig. 157, 2, 4) it was
evident that the ether waves were at one place ap-
454 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
proaching and at the other receding from the earth,
for in each case the displacement of the F-line oc-
curred only on one side. Where the displacement
was towards the red, a lengthening of the ether waves
had taken place, and consequently the stream of gas
(Fig. 157, 4) was receding from the earth; the dis-

placement or expansion of the F-line towards the

violet only, proved, on the contrary, a shortening of
the ether waves and the approach of the stream of
gas (2) towards the earth.

Fig. 159.

Movement of a Gas-vortex in the Sun.

Fig. 159 shows such a circular storm or cyclone

observed by Lockyer on the sun’s limb on the 14th
of March, 1869. With the first setting of the slit

the image of the bright F-line (H ß) in the chromo-

sphere appeared in the spectroscope, as in No. 1 ;

a slight alteration of the slit gave in succession the

pictures 2 and 3. There occurred also a simul-

taneous displacement of the bright F-line towards
—
both the red and violet a sign that at that place on
the sun a portion of the hydrogen gas was moving
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 455

towards the earth, while another portion was going

in an opposite direction away from the earth towards
the sun, and thus the whole action of the gas in
motion resembled that of a whirlwind.
In Fig. 160 are given three different pictures of
the same greenish-blue F-line of a prominence
which Lockyer observed near the middle of the sun
on the 1 2th of May, 1869, together with the dark
F-line of the faint solar spectrum. In all these
drawings the pointed bright line coinciding in

Fig. 160.

32 24 ib a 8 16 24 32 24 10 0 f 8 10 24 24 10 0 r 0 10 24

Unequal Displacement of the greenish-blue Hydrogen line (H ß).

direction with the dark F-line indicates that portion

of the prominence or chromosphere which was at
rest ;
these lines showed unequivocally that the
greenish-blue light of the glowing hydrogen had
undergone no change in its wave-length, and
therefore that the gas was not in motion either
towards or away from the earth. The bright lines
diverging from these normal lines to the right or
towards the violet indicate those portions of the
prominences that were in motion towards the earth
 456 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
with very varying velocities. The greenish-blue
line of the hydrogen gas, for instance, manifestly

underwent a very unequal displacement in the

spectroscope ;
the lower portions lying close to the
dark F-line showed a smaller displacement and
therefore a smaller change (shortening) of the wave-
length than did the upper portions —an indication
that the incandescent hydrogen gas was moving
from the sun towards the eye of the observer with a
velocity greater in the higher and less dense regions
of the solar atmosphere than in the lower strata.
By means of the distances from the normal dark
F-line which are taken from Angstrom’s maps and
marked by dots, it is easy to recognize the individual
displacements to which the greenish-blue hydrogen
line is subject in consequence of motion, and to
estimate from them the velocity of the movements
of the gas. Lockyer found that the furthest dis-

placement of the bright F-line corresponded to a

shortening of the wave length that indicated a
velocity in the stream of gas of at least 147 miles in
a second in the direction from the sun towards the
earth.
These spectroscopic observations receive an ad-
ditional interest when taken in connection with those
made with the telescope. On the 21st of April, 1869,
Lockyer observed a spot in the neighbourhood of
the sun’s limb. At 7h. 30m. a prominence showing
great activity appeared in the field of view. The
lines of hydrogen were remarkably brilliant, and
as the spectrum of the spot was visible in the same
 MOTION OF THE SOLAR GAS-STREAMS. 457

field, it could be seen that the prominence was

advancing- towards the spot. The violence of the
eruption was so great as to carry up a quantity
of metallic vapours out of the photosphere in a
manner not previously observed. High up in the
flame of hydrogen floated a cloud of magnesium
vapour. At 8h. 30m. the eruption was over; but
an hour later another eruption began, and the new
prominence displayed a motion of extreme rapidity.
Whilst this was taking place, the hydrogen lines

at the side of the spot nearest to the earth were

suddenly changed into bright lines, and expanded
so remarkably as to give undoubted evidence of the
occurrence of a cyclonic storm.
The sun was photographed at Kew on the same
day at ioh. 55m. ;
the picture showed clearly that
great disturbances had taken place in the photo-
sphere in the neighbourhood of the spot observed
by Lockyer. In a second photograph, taken at
4h. ini., the sun’s limb appeared as if torn away
just at the place where the spectroscope had re-
vealed a rotatory storm.
It occurred to both Secchi and Zöllner that
from the unequal displacement of the C-line when
observed at the two opposite points of the sun’s
equator, the speed of the sun’s rotation might be
ascertained. As a point on the surface of the sun
turned towards the earth moves in the direction
from east to west, so a point on the sun’s eastern
limb must be approaching an observer stationed on
the earth, while a point on the western limb must
458 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
be receding from him. The points upon the sun’s
equator would have the greatest velocity, amount-
ing to as much as 1*92 kilometre in a second. If a
spectrum line, as for instance the C-line, be observed
on the eastern limb of the sun which is approaching
the observer, it will in comparison with its position
when viewed at the pole of the sun’s axis, or even
in the centre of the sun, appear to be displaced
towards the violet; while, on the contrary, the
same line observed on the western limb of the sun
where it is receding from the earth would be seen
to suffer a displacement towards the red. Secchi
thinks he has observed similar displacements in the
red H a- line of the chromosphere when compared
with the constant dark C-line in the spectrum of the
atmosphere visible at the same time. This bright
line when viewed on the advancing limb in the
sun’s equator was seen pushed towards the violet,

leaving behind it a narrow strip of the dark C-line

visible on the side nearest the red ;
when examined
on the receding limb, the linewas pushed towards
the red, leaving behind it a narrow strip of the
C-line visible on the side nearest the violet.
Although, owing to improvements introduced by
Fizeau, instruments are constructed of sufficient
delicacy to measure such a displacement even when
it does not exceed 0*0075 of the interval between
the two D-lines, and a very ingenious contrivance
(a reversion spectroscope) has been specially devised
by Zöllner by which this small amount may be
reduced one-half, yet observations and measure-
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 459

merits of this kind must be received with great

caution. The observations of Secchi, as far as they
relate to the displacement of the line, are doubtless
correct, but it is premature to ascribe this dis-

placement to the rotation of the sun. Not merely

because displacements of the bright lines are seen
at all times and at all points on the sun’s surface,
wherever prominences exist, sometimes to one side
of the spectrum and sometimes to the other, and
that often on the eastern limb of the sun’s equator
the red C-line is seen to be displaced towards the
red instead of the violet, and the reverse observed
on the western limb of the sun, but also because
the dark lines of the spectrum ought to suffer an
equal displacement if the cause lay in the revolution
of the sun upon its axis. It must therefore be con-
cluded that, at least in the instances adduced by
Secchi, the observed displacement of the red line in
the spectrum of the prominence was in no way due
to the rotation of the sun.

59. Spectrum Analysis of the Heavenly Bodies.

Stellar Spectroscopes.
The investigation of the spectra of the planets
and fixed stars commenced by Fraunhofer has since
been carried on by Lamont, Donati,
at various times
Brewster, Stokes, Gladstone, and others but their ;

labours were restricted to observing the position of

the dark lines present in these spectra, as well as their
relation to the Fraunhofer lines of the solar spectrum,
without any suspicion of their real nature or con-
460 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
nection with the material constitution of the heavenly
bodies. It was not till Kirchhoff s discovery of the
theory of the Fraunhofer lines (1859) that the sun,
the planets, the fixed stars, the nebulae, clusters,
comets, and even meteors, were subjected to analysis
by means of their spectra.
When remembered that the light of the stars,
it is

and especially that of nebulae and comets, is very

faint, and that in a northern climate there are but

few nights favourable for the observation of these

delicate objects, in which their light is neither
overpowered by the moon nor obscured by mist or
cloud ;
and when it is further borne in mind that
since the instruments participate in the daily revo-
lution of the earth, a complicated driving clock is

requisite for giving them a contrary motion, by

which the image of a star may be kept stationary
for some time in the field of view ;
some idea may
be formed of the difficulties inseparable from the
investigations of the heavenly bodies by spectrum
analysis, and some proper estimate made of the
services of such men as Angelo Secchi, Director of
the Observatory at the Collegio Romano at Rome,
William Huggins, of Upper Tulse and William Hill,

Allen Miller, # Vice-President of the Royal Society,

who have won for themselves well-merited honour
by their untiring zeal and energy in overcoming
so many obstacles.

* [On September 30th, 1870, the Editor sustained the great

loss of his esteemed friend Dr. Miller, who died on that day after

a short illness].
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 461

It is obvious that the spectroscopes constructed

in the manner most suitable for the analysis of ter-
restrial substances are not adapted for the inves-
tigation of stellar light. Whenever the distances of
the lines in the stellar spectra have to be measured,
or their position compared with the spectrum lines
of any terrestrial substance, the instrument must be
attached to an equatorially mounted telescope —that
is to say, a telescope made to turn at the same speed
as the earth, but in a contrary direction, so as to
follow any star, from its rising to its upon
setting,
which the instrument may be directed, and thus to
keep the star stationary in the centre of the field of

view. The motion of such an instrument is generally

accomplished by clockwork, according to the method
already described in connection with Fig. no.
The image of a fixed star in a telescope is, as is

well known, a point ;

now the spectrum of a point
is a line without any sensible breadth, and therefore
not suitable for observation. In order to obtain a
spectrum of sufficient breadth from a luminous
point, the point may either first be converted into a
short line of light, which is easily accomplished by
the use of a cylindrical lens, and its light when pro-
jected on to the slit analyzed by a prism, or a linear
spectrum may be formed, and then a cylin-
first

drical lens employed for increasing its breadth.

It is evident that suitable optical contrivances
are requisite (a large object-glass or concentrating
lens, for instance,) to collect the greatest possible

* [The first method should always be employed.]

462 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

amount of the faint light of a star, and condense it

into a short line of light, and further that on ac-

count of the faintness of the object the dispersive
power of the spectroscope must under ordinary cir-

cumstances be limited, and the instrument contain

only a few prisms.
A suitable contrivance is also necessary whereby
in immediate connection with the spectroscope all

kinds of terrestrial substances may be converted into

luminous vapour, either by means of a Bunsen
burner, or, which is preferable, a Ruhmkorff’s in-
duction coil, and the light thus emitted sent into
the spectroscope through the prism of comparison
(Fig. 57), which covers one-half of the slit, so as to
enable the observer to compare the spectra thus
formed with the spectrum of a star.

From these general remarks it will be easy to

understand the construction of a stellar spectroscope,

and become familiar with the details of its practical

management.
The first stellar spectroscope was made by Fraun-
hofer in 1823. In order to observe the spectra of
the fixed stars, and at the same time to determine
the refrangibility of their light, he constructed
a large instrument with a telescope of 4* inches
aperture, and placed in connection with it a flint-glass
prism possessing an angle of 37 0 40', of the same
diameter as the object-glass. The angle formed by
the incident with the emergent ray was about 26°.
Fraunhofer placed the prism in front of the object-
glass of the telescope, so that the latter served only
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 463

as the observing telescope to the spectrum already

formed. This plan was abandoned by later observers,
who, after the example of Lamont (1838), allowed
the light of the star to pass unchanged through
the object-glass of the telescope, and analyzed the
image from the position of the eyepiece either by ,a
prism alone or else by the use of a small telescope.
The Roman observers Respighi and Secchi have
Fig. i6t.

Merz’s Object-glass Spectroscope.

lately reverted to Fraunhofer’s method, and have

furnished their large refractors with an objeci-glass
spectroscope constructed by the celebrated optician
Merz, of Munich.
In Fig. 16 1 the apparatus is represented complete,
ready for attachment to the object-glass of a re-
fractor; Fig. 162 shows the mounting for the prism;
and Fig. 163 the prism when removed from its bed.
464 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The prism P is mounted in a ring turning on a

horizontal axis, which by means of the lateral pins
a ,
a x being inserted between the screws h, bx ,
may
be fitted into a second ring. This outer ring is

made to travel round the case by which the whole

apparatus is placed in connection with the mounting
of the object-glass, so as to allow of the prism being
placed in any position or inclined in any direction
Fig. 162.

Merz’s Object-glass Spectroscope. (Mounting of the Prism.)

with respect to the object-glass or the axis of the

telescope. Since the rays falling on the object-
glass are diverted by the prism, the axis of the

telescope cannot be pointed direct to the star that

is to be observed. In order, therefore, to facilitate

the finding of a star, the case carrying the prism is

constructed with an opening at r, through which the
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 465

star may be viewed direct ;

on the side of the case
opposite this aperture is attached an achromatic
system of prisms p of equal refracting power with
the prism P, by means of which the difficulty of
is much reduced.
finding a star
0
The prism has a refracting angle of 1 ;
it is

composed of the purest colourless flint glass, so that

the loss of light it occasions is inappreciable. Its

aperture measures six Paris inches ;

and the mount-
ing is provided, as shown in the drawings, with
every necessary contrivance for adjustment.

Fig. 163.

Merz’s Object-glass Prism.

Although this prism reduces the effective aperture

of the 9-inch refractor of the Collegio Romano to

less than one-half, the amount of light obtained far

exceeds that of the refractor with a direct-vision
spectroscope applied in the place of the eyepiece ;

the dispersion is, according to Secchi, at least six

times as great as the most powerful apparatus
applied at the eyepiece tube.*
* [This statement needs confirmation. There may have been
great loss of light in the direct-vision spectroscopes with which it

was compared.]
,0
466 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

Merz has also adapted the object-glass prism for

direct-vision observation by constructing it of a

combination of crown- and flint-glass prisms cor-

rected for refraction. The slight loss of light
occasioned by such a combination is unavoidable.
In an instrument of this kind made for the observa-

Fig. 164.

tory of Privy Counsellor L. Camphausen at Rüngs-

dorf, the refracting angle of the crown-glass prism
0
is 36°, and that of the flint-glass prism 25 the mean
;

index of refraction for the crown glass is 1-5283, for

the flint glass 1-7610.

 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 467

When an eyepiece spectroscope is employed

which analyzes the optical image of a heavenly
body —a point of light in the case of a fixed star
—by means of a system of prisms occupying the
place of the eyepiece, either of the methods above
described for spreading out the point of light by
the use of a cylindrical lens may be adopted, and

Fig. 165.

it is in most cases a matter of indifference whether

this lens be placed in front or behind the slit and
prisms.*
The stellar spectroscope with which Huggins
made his first observations, and which was con-
* [This statement is not quite correct. The cylindrical lens

should be placed before the slit.]

30 A
468 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
structed for him by Browning-, is represented in Figs.
164, 165, and 166. The outer tube T T of the eye-
piece is the only portion of the equatorial telescope
given in the drawings ;
all the other parts are
omitted. The spectroscope is attached to the eye-
end TT of the telescope, a refractor of 8 inches
aperture and 10 feet focal length, the whole being
carried forward by clockwork.
Within the tube TT of the equatorial there slides
a second tube B, which carries a plano-convex

* [This telescope has nowbeen replaced by a refractor of 15 inches

aperture and 1 constructed by Messrs. Grubb and
5 feet focal length,
Son, of Dublin, for the Royal Society,
by whom it has been placed in the
hands of Mr. Huggins. Spectroscopes
of anew form, furnished with com-
pound prisms automatically brought
to the position of minimum deviation
for the part of the spectrum under
observation, for use with this large
telescope, are being constructed by
the same opticians. One of these
instruments is described in a note
at p. 135, and the train of prisms re-
presented in diagram H. The in-

strument shown at C contains one

a. compound prism (equal in dispersive
power to two prisms of dense glass of 6o°), and is used in the
observation of nebulae and
faint stars. The spectro-
scope represented at D con-
tains two compound prisms,
and is filled with Grubb's au-
tomatic arrangement. The
collimator, which is common
to all the spectroscopes,
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 469

cylindrical lens A of inch aperture and 14 inches

1

focal length ;
this lens is so placed in the path of
the converging rays as they emerge from the object-
glass that the axis of the cylindrical surface is per-
pendicular to the slit D of the spectroscope, and by
its means a sufficiently broad spectrum of the line of
light is formed, the slit D being placed exactly in
the focus of the object-glass of the telescope. Behind

Fig. 166.

Huggins’ Stellar Spectroscope. (Partial Vertical Section.)

the slit is placed, as usual, the collimating lens by

g,
which the rays are rendered parallel before entering
the prism the lens is achromatic, and has a focus
;

of 47 and an aperture of \ inch. By this

inches,
arrangement the lens g receives all the light which
diverges from the linear image of the star when this
has been brought precisely between the two edges

is provided with a perforated

mirror and adjustable hole
for spectra of comparison,
and with a cylindrical lens.
It is not represented in the
figures.]
 470 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
of the slit. The parallel rays emerging from the
lens g pass through two dense flint-glass prisms
//, h z9 possessing a refracting angle of 6o°, by which
they are decomposed, and a spectrum formed which
is examined by means of the small achromatic tele-
scope p. In order to measure the distances between
the lines of the spectrum, the telescope can be
turned upon a pivot by means of a fine micrometer
screw q y.
The object-glass of this observing telescope has
an aperture of o*8 inch, and a focal length of 675
inches; the eyepiece usually employed has a magni-
fying power of 57 times; the micrometer screw is

so contrived that it is possible to measure with accu-

racy an interval of
•j 1800
of the distance between the
lines A and H of the solar spectrum.
The light of the terrestrial elements, the spectra
of which are required for comparison with the
spectrum of a star, is brought into the spectroscope
in the following manner.
One-half of the slit D is covered with a small
prism e9 opposite to which is a mirror F (Fig. 166),
so fastened to the spectroscope by the arm R as to
be easily adjusted. This mirror receives the light
emitted by the substance, which, held in the right
position by metal forceps fixed into ebonite, is

converted into glowing vapour by the induction

spark, and reflects it through a side opening in the

tube TT into the telescope, and on to the little

prism e. While at the same time, therefore, the light
of the star passes through one half of the slit, the
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES .
471

light from the glowing terrestrial substance passes

through the other half, and in this way there are
formed in the telescope /, at the same time, two
spectra, ranged close one over the other, so that the
coincidence or non-coincidence of the dark lines of
the star with the bright lines of the terrestrial sub-
stance may be observed with accuracy.
In his researches on stellar spectra, Secchi em-
ploys by preference a simple direct-vision spectro-
scope, as a more complicated apparatus when
attached to an equatorial is liable to destroy the

equilibrium of the instrument, and interfere with the

regularity of the clock motion.*
The spectroscope employed by Secchi is repre-
sented apart from the equatorial in Fig. 167. MN
is the principal tube, which is adapted at M to screw
into the eyepiece tube G of the equatorial ;
to this
tube As attached the arc QB C, along the divided
circle CB of which, the telescope OO is made to
travel round the pivot d by means of a fine micro-
meter screw n, for the purpose of measuring the
lines of the spectrum.

E is an achromatic cylindrical lens, the axis of

which can be placed either at right angles to the

slit or parallel with it ;
e is the slit, and 5 a small
glass mirror inclined to the slit at a less angle than
0
45 ,
the upper half of which being unsilvered allows
the light of the star to pass through unobstructed,
* [When the equatorial mounting is sufficiently firm, which
should be the case in all large instruments, spectroscopes of the
form represented in Figs. 164, 165, are to be preferred to direct-
vision instruments.]
472 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS .

while the lower half, acting as a mirror, reflects

from its silvered surface into the spectroscope the
light of the substance made incandescent in the
electric apparatus at L.
The two achromatic lenses K K, as their com-
bined foci meet at the slit, act as collimators, and
render the rays parallel before throwing them on
to the system of prisms.
The five Janssen-Hofmann direct-vision prisms

Fig. 167.

Secchi’s Stellar Spectroscope.

q p q p" (Fig. 47) throw the prismatic rays into

l

p
the observing telescope O O in the direction d G ,

so that the axis of the equatorial can be directed

straight upon the star.

In the lateral tube R I is the collimating lens R,

in the focus of which is a small metal plate T, con-
taining an exceedingly narrow slit, and movable

backwards and forwards by means of a fine

micrometer screw V 1
. Through this slit passes the
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 473

light of an enclosed lamp at I, and forms a very

narrow line of light in the inside of the tube R I,

which reflected into the telescope QO

by the front
surface of the first prism /", serves as a mark to
the observer in the examination of the relative
positions of the spectrum lines.
In order to see the finer dark lines of the spectra,
and to compare them with the lines of terrestrial
substances, instruments composed of single and
compound prisms have recently been constructed
both by Secchi and Huggins, suitable for appli-

cation to powerful telescopes which admit of a great

dispersion of the light.
A sketch of Secchi’ s compound spectroscope
without the equatorial is given in Fig. 168 : it is

more particularly adapted to celestial objects of

considerable diameter. By means of the screw OO 1

the instrument is attached to the eyepiece tube of

the refractor ;
at K, as in the foregoing arrange-
ment, is a cylindrical lens by which the image of a
star appearing as a point is extended into a fine line

of light, and brought precisely within the opening of

the slit. F is the slit, half of which is covered with
the prism for comparison, / ;
B the collimating lens
for bringing the rays on to the first prism C in a
parallel direction. Both prisms C and D are of
dense flint glass, possessing a refracting angle of
6o°, and are fastened on to the plate XY Z ;
they
throw the spectrum of the star into the axis of the
direct-vision spectroscope E F H O, which contains
the compound prism E F, consisting of five prisms,.
474 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

the observing telescope H 0, and, as in the instru-

ment previously described, the lateral tube K with
a graduated scale. This scale is moved by the
micrometer screw M, and when the instrument is in

use is illuminated in the usual manner by the flame

of a lamp ;
the image of the scale is thrown by

Fig. i 68.

Secchi’s large Telespectroscope.

reflection from the front surface of the last prism

into the telescope O, where the eye sees at the same
moment the divisions of the scale and the spectrum
of the star. N is a holder for receiving Geissler’s
tubes.
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 475

Huggins’ large compound telespectroscope is

shown in Fig. 169; it consists of two direct-vision
systems of prisms, each system composed of five
prisms, with a train of three excellent single prisms,
two of which possess a refracting angle of 6o°, and
one of 45 0 ,
making thirteen prisms in all. The
spectroscope is screwed in the usual manner into
the eye-tube TT of an equatorial, driven by clock-
work : a is the slit provided with a prism for com-
parison, and the contrivances, alread)^ described, for
the simultaneous observation of the spectrum of a
star, and that of a terrestrial substance produced by
the induction coil ;
b is the achromatic collimating
lens of 4*5 inches focus which renders parallel the
rays entering the slit. The light is decomposed
first by the set of prisms d, then further dispersed,

and the individual coloured raysstill more separated,

by the following train of three prisms f, g of 6o°,

and h of 45 0 after which it again passes through a
,

second direct-vision system of prisms <?, to reach

the object-glass of the telescope c. The last set of
prisms e is placed in a tube attached to the telescope
c ;
by means of a micrometer screw the telescope
can be directed to any part of the spectrum, which is

a necessary contrivance in the observation of nebulae,

as these objects frequently emit light consist ing only
of two or three different kinds of coloured rays.
The compound prism e can be employed or dis-
pensed with at pleasure, so that the dispersive power
of the instrument may be made to vary within the
limits of from 4 \ to 6 \ prisms of 6o°. The advantage
476 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

of being thus able to reduce the dispersive power

of the instrument is found to be very great when
observing faint objects, or when the atmospheric
conditions are unfavourable.
The excellence of the prisms and the whole instru-
ment is proved by the great purity and sharpness
with which even with high powers the finest lines in

Fig. 169.

the spectrum can be separated when metals are

volatilized in the electric spark.
For most purposes, however, and for application

to small refractors, the dispersion of the stellar light

must be accomplished in much less compass than is

the case with the instruments just described. The

direct-vision spectroscope constructed by Merz, of
Munich, for the observation of the solar prominences
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 4 77

described at p. 390, is a very efficient instrument

for this purpose, and from the simplicity of its con-
struction is easily managed. When attached to
the telescope it is screwed into the sliding tube of
the eyepiece, which has been previously removed,
and the cylindrical lens L (Fig. 170), not required
for the observation of the prominences, is inserted
in such a manner as to project the line of light
into which the image of the star has been con-
verted exactly upon the slit 5-5. As there is no
means of altering the distance between L and 5,

the exact adjustment of the line of light on to

Fig. 170.

Merz’s Simple and Compound Spectroscope.

the slit is accomplished by screwing the whole

instrument in or out, which increases or diminishes
the distance between the lens L and the image
of the star. In observing the spectra of the stars,
when the light is sufficient to allow of it, the dis-
persive power may be doubled by the introduction
of a second system of prisms, without losing the
advantage of a direct-vision spectroscope.
A simple stellar spectroscope is also constructed
by Merz adapted specially to telescopes of small
power. A drawing of this instrument is given in
 478 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
Fig. 17 1 ;
it consists of a positive eyepiece 0 ,
an
adjustable cylindrical lens L, and a direct-vision
system of five prisms, the dispersive power of which
amounts to 8° from D to H. It is so contrived that
the prisms, when separated from the lens L and
the eyepiece O, may be easily introduced between
the collimator C and the system of prisms of the
larger spectroscope (Fig. 170), which is furnished
with a slit. The two instruments (Figs. 170 and
1 71) thus form a universal eyepiece spectroscope ad-
mirably suited to the observation of the heavenly
bodies.
Even Browning’s miniature spectroscope, repre-

Fig. 1 71.

L
Merz’s Simple Spectroscope.

sented in Fig. 49, and described in p. 119, which,

including the tube containing the prisms, measures
only 3^ inches, yields a really fine spectrum when
directed on to a bright star, and shows very
distinctly the prominent dark lines. The con-
struction of this little instrument is shown in Fig.
172. The outer tube carries the slit, which can
be removed at pleasure, and is easily adjusted by
turning round a ring ;
in this tube slides a second
tube carrying the small achromatic collimating lens
C, behind which is placed the system of seven prisms
P, and an opening O for the eyepiece without any
 STELLAR SPECTROSCOPES. 479

lens. To employ it in stellar observations, the tube

containing the slit is removed, and the collimator
tube O screwed into the place of the eyepiece of
the telescope. The spectroscope is easily so ad-
justed that the image of the star is brought into the
focus of the lens C, from whence the rays are thrown
in a parallel direction on to the system of prisms P,
and present to the observer at O a sharply defined
linear spectrum of the star. By the introduction of
a suitable cylindrical lens between the eyehole O
and the eye, a sufficient breadth is given to the

Fig. 172.

Browning’s Miniature Spectroscope.

spectrum for the dark lines to be visible when the

instrument is properly adjusted.
We must not omit here to mention the simple
spectroscopes employed both by Secchi and Huggins
in those circumstances when the light is insufficient
or the large instruments too cumbrous for use.
Huggins has long made use of a hand spectroscope
for observing the spectra of meteors and other phe-
nomena in rapid motion in the heavens ;
similar
instruments were also employed in the various
expeditions for observing the solar eclipse of the
1 8th of August, 1868, on which occasion they
rendered valuable service.
These instruments as constructed by Browning
480 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

consist principally, as shown in Fig. 173, of a direct-

vision system of prisms c, and an observing telescope

a b. The achromatic object-glass a has an aperture

of 1*2 inch, and a focus of about 10 inches. The
eyepiece b con:ists of two plano-convex lenses.
As a large field of view is very important, es-

pecially when the instrument is employed as a

meteor-spectroscope, the lens turned towards the
object-glass a equals it in diameter, and is fixed in a

movable tube, so that the distance between the two

lenses of the eyepiece may be controlled, and thus
the power of the instrument increased or diminished
within certain limits. The system of prisms consists

Fig. 173.

Browning’s Hand Spectroscope.

of one prism of dense flint glass and two prisms of

crown glass.
The field of view of this hand spectroscope
0
embraces a space in the heavens of about 7 in

diameter: the spectrum of a bright star has an

0
apparent length of 3 ,
and even the spectrum of the
great nebula of Orion appears as two bright lines
with a faint continuous spectrum.
For the purpose of testing the instrument as a
meteor-spectroscope, Huggins observed the spectra
of some fireworks at a distance of about three miles.
The bright lines of the incandescent metals in the
fireworks were seen with great distinctness, and
 SPECTRA OF THE MOON AND PLANETS. 481

showed with certainty the presence of sodium, mag-

nesium, strontium, copper, and some other metals.
The same little instrument suffices to show some of
the Fraunhofer lines in the spectrum of the extreme
points of the moon’s cusps, as well as the dark lines
in the stellar spectra. In order to give some breadth
to the spectrum of a star, which in this instrument
appears only as a bright line, a small cylindrical
lens is placed over the eyepiece immediately in

front of the eye. As the instrument is not furnished

with a slit, it can only be used on bright objects of
small magnitude, or on objects at such a distance
that they have only a small apparent size.

60. Spectra of the Moon and Planets.

Since the planets and their satellites do not emit
any light of their own, but shine only by the reflected
same as the
light of the sun, their spectra are the
solar spectrum, and any differences that may be
perceived can arise only from the changes the sun-
light may undergo by reflection from the surfaces
of these bodies, or by its passage through their
atmospheres.
The observations of Fraunhofer (1823), Brewster
and Gladstone (i860), Huggins and Miller, as well
as Janssen, agree in establishing the complete ac-
cordance of the lunar spectrum with that of the sun.
In all the various portions of the moon’s disk brought
under observation, no difference could be perceived
in the dark lines of the spectrum either in respect
of their number or relative intensity. From this

3 *
482 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

entire absence of any special absorption lines, it

must be concluded that there is no atmosphere in

the moon, a conclusion previously arrived at from
the circumstance that during an occultation no
refraction is perceived on the moon’s limb when a
star disappears behind the disk. Moreover, a small
telescope of only a few inches aperture suffices to
show the spectrum of the moon very distinctly.
The spectra of the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
and Saturn are also characterized by the Fraunhofer
lines peculiar to the solar light, but contain in

addition the absorption lines which are known to be

telluric lines (§ 47), and are evidence of the presence
of an atmosphere containing aqueous vapour.
The spectrum of Jupiter, which has been recently
examined by Browning with a spectroscope attached
to his i2'-inch reflector, is not of sufficient brilliancy
to allow of its being observed or measured with
extreme accuracy. Notwithstanding the great
brilliancy with which this planet shines in the
heavens, its spectrum is not so bright as that of a
star of the second magnitude ;
this is owing to the
brightness being more apparent than real, and arises
from the large size of the disk compared with a star,

and from the light being reflected, and not original.

As early as 1864 Huggins discovered some dark
lines in the red portion of Jupiter’s spectrum which
were not coincident with any of the Fraunhofer lines
of the solar spectrum, and among them is one that
does not occur among the telluric lines. * Browning
* [In 1869 Mr. Le Sueur examined the spectrum of Jupiter with
 SPECTRA OF THE MOON AND PLANETS. 483

distinctly recognized these lines early in 1870, and

thinks that in the green part of the spectrum, near
the yellow, several fine dark lines occur which are
coincident with those occasioned by the vapours of
the earth’s atmosphere, and which are generally
visible in the corresponding portion of the solar
spectrum when the sun is near the horizon. If it be
supposed that Jupiter is in any way self-luminous,
these lines may be occasioned by such elements in

the planet as are not to be found in the sun, or if

present in the sun, have not been revealed to us by

any effect of absorption.
The comparatively faint spectrum of Saturn has
been examined by Huggins, who observed in it

some of the lines characteristic of Jupiter’s spectrum.

These lines are less clearly seen in the light of the
ring than in that of the ball, whence it may be
concluded that the light from the ring suffers less

absorption than does the light from the planet itself.

The observations of Janssen, which have been sup-

ported by Secchi, have since shown that aqueous
vapour is probably present both in Jupiter and Saturn.
Secchi has further discovered some lines in the spec-
trum of Saturn which are not coincident with any of
the telluric lines, nor with any of the lines of the
solar spectrum produced by the aqueous vapour of the
earth’s atmosphere. It is not improbable, therefore,
that the atmosphere of Saturn may contain gases or
vapours which do not exist in that of our earth.

the Great Melbourne Telescope, and saw the absorption lines as

they are described by Huggins.]

3 1 a
484 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
The spectrum of Uranus, which has been investi-
gated by Secchi, appears to be of a very remarkable
character. It consists mainly of two broad black
bands, one m (Fig. 174) in the
greenish-blue, but not coin-
cident with the F-line, and the
other n in the green near the
line E. A little beyond the band
11 the spectrum disappears al-
together, and shows a blank
space q p extending entirely
,

over the yellow to the red,

where there is again a faint
re-appearance of light. The
spectrum is therefore such a
one as would be produced
were all the yellow rays extin-
guished from the light of the
sun. The dark sodium line D
occurs, as is well known, in

the part of the spectrum occu-

pied by this broad non-lumin-
ous space : is this extraordinary
phenomenon therefore to be
ascribed to the influence of this
metal, or is the planet Uranus,
which has a spectrum differing
so greatly from that of the
sun, self-luminous ? Has the planet not yet attained
that degree of consistency possessed by the nearer
planets, which shine only by the sun’s light, and, as
 *

SPECTRA OF THE MOON AND PLANETS. 485

the photometric observations of Zöllner lead us to

suppose is possible, is still in that process of con-
densation and subsequent development through
which the earth has already passed ? These are
questions to which at present we can furnish no
reply, and the problem can only be solved by ad-
ditional observations of the strange characteristics
exhibited by this spectrum.
The spectrum of Neptune, which has also been
examined by Secchi, bears a great resemblance to
* [Huggins gives the following description of the spectrum of
Uranus in a paper recently presented to the Royal Society. “ The
spectrum of Uranus as it appears in my instrument is represented
in the accompanying diagram. The narrow spectrum placed above
that ofUranus shows the relative positions of the principal solar
lines,and of two of the strongest absorption bands produced by
our atmosphere, namely the group of lines a little more refrangible
than D, and the group about midway from C to D. The scale
placed above gives wave-lengths in millionths of a millimetre.

“ The spectrum ot Uranus is continuous, without any part being

wanting as tar as the feebleness of its light permits it to be traced,
which is from about C to about G. On account of the small amount
of light from the planet, I was not able to use a slit sufficiently narrow
to bring out the Fraunhofer lines. The remarkable absorption
taking place at Uranus shows itself in the six strong lines drawn
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

that of Uranus. It is characterized by three prin-

cipal bands. The first, which is the faintest, is

situated between the green and the yellow, nearly in

the centre between D and b ;

it is of considerable
breadth, but very ill defined at the edges. Between
this and the red there is a tolerably bright band,
with which the spectrum seems suddenly to ter-
minate, and the red is entirely wanting. Secchi is

of opinion that the absence of the red is not occa-

sioned by the faintness of this planet, for other stars

in the diagram. The position of the least refrangible of these

lines could only be estimated as it occurs in a very faint part of
the spectrum ;
on this account it is represented by a dotted line.

The measures taken of the most refrangible band showed that it

was probably at the position of the solar F. By direct comparison

it appeared to be coincident with the bright line of hydrogen.
Three of the lines were shown by the micrometer not to differ

some of the bright lines

greatly in position from of air. A direct
comparison was made when the principal bright lines of the spec-
trum of air were found to have the positions relatively to the bands
of planetary absorption which are shown in the diagram. The band,
which has a wave-length of about 572-millionths of a millimetre,
was found to be less refrangible than the double line of nitrogen
which occurs near it. The two planetary bands less refrangible

appeared nearly coincident with bright lines, but I suspected that

the lines of air were in a small degree more refrangible. There
was no strong line in the spectrum of Uranus at the position of
the strongest of the air lilies, namely the double line of nitrogen at
500 of the scale. Measures taken with the same spectroscope of
the principal bright bands of carbonic acid gas showed the bands
in the spectrum of Uranus are not produced by the absorption of

this gas. There is no absorption band in the spectrum of Uranus

at the place of double line of sodium. An inspection of the dia-
gram will show that there are no bands
spectrum of Uranus
in the

similar to these produced by the absorption of the earth’s atmo-

sphere.”]
 SPECTRA OF THE MOON AND PLANETS. 487

no brighter than Neptune show the red clearly in

the spectrum. The absence of this colour in the

spectrum of Neptune must therefore be ascribed to
absorption.
The second absorption band occurs at the line 6 ;

it is tolerably well defined at the edges, but much

fainter and more difficult of observation than the
first band. The third band is in the blue, and is

even fainter than the second.

This spectrum is in agreement with the colour of
the planet, which resembles the beautiful tint of the
sea. A peculiar interest attaches to this spectrum
from the coincidence of the dark bands with the
bright bands of certain comets, and with the dark
bands of stars of the fourth type. These bands may
possibly be due to carbon ;
but accurate measure-
ments are exceedingly difficult, and can only be
attempted on the finest evenings and with the use
of the most powerful instruments.
While Jupiter and his satellites, with a power of
350, give a sharply defined image, the disk of
Neptune, with the same power, ceases to be well
defined, and appears with a nebulous edge.* From
this it may be inferred that the planet is surrounded
by a dense mist of considerable extent, the chemical
nature of which has yet to be discovered, or else
that, like Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, it has not yet

* [This statement is not supported by the observations of

other astronomers possessing large telescopes ;
Mr. Lassell has
on favourable occasions with his 20-foot telescope seen the disks
of Uranus and Neptune as sharply defined as that of Jupiter.]
488 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
attained that degree of density which must neces-
sarily precede the formation of a solid surface.

61. Spectra of the Fixed Stars.*

The fixed stars, though immensely more remote
and less conspicuous in brightness than the moon
and planets, yet from the fact of their being orighial
sources of light furnish us with fuller indications of

their nature. In all ages, and among every people,

the stars have been the object of admiring wonder,
and not unfrequently of superstitious adoration.
The greatest investigators and the deepest thinkers
who have devoted themselves to the study of the
stars have felt a longing to know more of these
sparkling mysteries, and with the child have ex-
perienced the sentiment expressed in the well-
known lines :

“ Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.”

The telescope has been appealed to, but in vain,

for in the largest instruments the stars remain disk-

less, never appearing more than as brilliant points.
The stars have indeed been represented as suns ,

each surrounded by a dependent group of planets,

but this opinion rested only upon a possible analogy,

* In this section, which and nebulae,

treats of the fixed stars
we have followed almost exclusively, and in some places verbally,
the excellent treatise “ On Spectrum Analysis applied to the
Heavenly Bodies : a discourse delivered at Nottingham, before
the British Association, 1866, by William Huggins.” We have
also made use of the following work, “ Sugli Spettri prismatici dei
corpi celesti ;
Memoire del R. P. A. Secchi. 1868.”
 SPECTRA OF THE FIXED STARS. 489

for of the peculiar nature of these points of light, and

of what substances they are composed, the telescope
yields us no information. Spectrum analysis alone
can disclose to us this much-coveted knowledge, as
itgives us the means of reading in the light emitted
by these heavenly bodies the indications of their
true nature and physical constitution. In this light
we possess a telegraphic communication between
the stars and our earth the spectroscope is the
;

telegraph, the spectrum lines are individually the

letters of the alphabet, their united assemblage as a
spectrum forms the telegram. It is not, however,
easy to comprehend this language of the stars, but
through the indefatigable labours of Secchi, Hug-
gins, and Miller, most of the bright stars, the nebulae,

and some of the comets have been investigated by

spectrum analysis, and valuable evidence obtained
as to their physical constitution.
As the spectra of the stars bear in general a
marked resemblance to the spectrum of the sun,
being continuous and crossed by dark lines, there is
every reason for applying Kirchhoff’s theory also to
the fixed stars, and for accepting the same explana-
tion of these similar phenomena that we have already
accepted for the sun. By the supposition that the
vaporous incandescent photosphere of a star contains
or is surrounded by heated vapours which absorb
the same rays of light which they would emit when
self-luminous, we may discover from the dark lines
in the stellar spectra the substances which are con-
tained in the photosphere or atmosphere of each
490 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

star. In order to ascertain this with certainty, the

dark lines must be compared with the bright lines
of terrestrial substances volatilized in the electric
spark ;
and the complete coincidence of the charac-
teristic bright lines of a terrestrial substance with
the same number of dark lines in the stellar spectrum
would justify the conclusion that this substance is

present in the atmosphere of the star, a conclusion

that gains all the more in certainty the greater the
number of lines coincident in the two spectra.
For the purpose of exhibiting the results of his
observations before a large audience, Huggins, in
conjunction with Miller, prepared accurate draw-
ings of the most remarkable stellar spectra, and had
them photographed on glass of the size of about two
inches. By means of these transparent photographs,
coloured in correspondence with the tints of the
spectrum,* it is possible by the use of Duboscq’s
lantern and the electric or Drummond’s lime-light,
so to magnify these stellar spectra, and project
them on to a screen, that even at a great distance
the dark lines may be easily distinguished.
The brilliant spectra of two stars of the first

magnitude, Aldebaran (a Tauri), and Betelgeux

(a Orionis), taken from these photographs, are re-
presented in Fig. 175. The poeitions of all these
dark lines, about eighty in each spectrum, which
cross that portion of the continuous spectrum

* These are to be had from W. Ladd, 11 and 12, Beak Street,

Regent Street, W . and from J. Duboscq, 21, Rue de l’Odeon,
Paris
 elements.

terrestrial

of

spectra

and

spectrum

solar

175.

jth

Fig. jw
are(

pr
coni

|j
auri)
Ononis)

T
(a [a

Aldebaran
Betelgeux

of of

Spectrum Spectrum

>.
492 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
between the Fraunhofer lines C and F, were care-
fullydetermined by Huggins and Miller through
repeated and very accurate measurements. These
measured lines, however, are but few compared
with the innumerable fine lines which are visible in
the spectra of these stars.
Beneath the spectrum of each star the bright lines
of the metals with which it was compared are
represented. These spectra of terrestrial elements
appear in the spectroscope as bright lines upon a
dark background, in the position shown in Fig. 175,

that is to say exactly in juxtaposition with the

spectrum of the star, so that it can be determined
with the greatest accuracy whether these bright
lines are coincident or not with the dark lines of the
star.

The double D-line characteristic of sodium, for

example, coincides line for line with a dark line also
double in both the stars ;
sodium vapour is there-
fore contained in the atmosphere of these stars, and
the metal sodium forms one of the constituent
elements of these brilliant and remote heavenly
bodies.
The three bright lines Mg in the green are so far
as is known exclusively produced by the luminous
yet
vapour of magnesium they agree in position exactly,
;

line for line, with the three dark stellar lines b. The

conclusion therefore would appear to be well founded

that magnesium forms another of the constituents of
these stars.
In the same way, the two intensely bright lines
 SPECTRA OF THE FIXED STARS. 493

marked H, characteristic of hydrogen gas, one of

which is in the red and the other in the blue limit of
the green, coincide precisely with the dark lines C
and F in the spectrum of Aldebaran, but not, ac-
cording to Huggins, in that of Betelgeux ;
therefore
hydrogen gas exists in the photosphere or atmo-
sphere of Aldebaran, but is not present in that of
a Orionis.* In a similar manner, other elements,
among them bismuth, antimony, tellurium, and
mercury, are known to form constituents of these
stars.

It is necessary to remark here in reference to all

these elements that the certainty of their presence in

the stars does not rest upon the coincidence of only
one line, which would furnish but feeble evidence,
but upon the coincidence of a group of two, three,
or more lines occurring in different parts of the
spectrum. The coincidence of many other bright
and dark lines of the same substance might doubtless
be seen, as in the case of the solar spectrum, were
the light of the star more intense ;
but the faintness
of the stellar light limits the comparison to the
stronger lines of each terrestrial substance.
The question might be asked, What elements are
represented by the other innumerable dark lines and
bands in the stars ? Some of them are probably

* [No strong lines comparable with those seen in other stars

were observed by Huggins and Miller in the spectrum of Betelgeux,
and some other stars giving a similar spectrum, at the positions
occupied by the lines of hydrogen, but upon this observation it

is not safe to base the conclusion that that element is entirely

absent.]
494 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
due to the vapours of such terrestrial elements as
have not yet been compared with the spectra of the
stars.

The fact that certain stars possess an atmosphere

of aqueous vapour has been observed both by Janssen
and Secchi. They belong for the most part to the
class of red and yellow stars, and in their spectra, as

might be supposed, the lines of luminous hydrogen

are wanting. As early as 1864, Janssen had
remarked the existence of an atmosphere of aqueous
vapour in the star Antares and ;
after a more complete
investigation of the spectrum of steam in 1866 (§47),
and further observations of stellar spectra made after

the total solar eclipse of 1868 in the remarkably dry

air of the heights of Sikkim (Himalaya), he could no
longer doubt that there are many stars surrounded
by a similar atmosphere. Notwithstanding the dry
condition of the air, the lines of aqueous vapour
were more strongly marked in the spectra of these
stars as seen from the heights of the Himalaya than
had been observed previously, a phenomenon which
cannot be ascribed to the absorption of the earth’s
atmosphere, and must therefore be due to that cf
the star.*
The results of the comparison of the two stellar

spectra given above (Fig. 175), with the spectra

of terrestrial elements, are given in the following
table :

* [These observations of the presence of lines of aqueous

vapour in the spectra of some of the stars appear to the Editor to
require confirmation with instruments of greater dispersive power.]
 TYPES OF THE FIXED STARS. 495

TERRESTRIAL ELEMENTS COMPARED WITH ALDEBARAN.

COINCIDENT. NOT COINCIDENT.
Hydrogen with the lines C and F. Nitrogen 3 lines compared.
2. Sodium with the double D-line. Cobalt 2

3. Magnesium with the triple line b. Tin 5

4 Calcium with four lines.

- Lead 2

5- Iron with four lines and with E. Cadmium 3

6. Bismuth with four lines. Barium 2

7. Tellurium with four lines. Lithium 1 line

8. Antimony with three lines.

9. Mercury with four lines.

TERRESTRIAL ELEMENTS COMPARED WITH BETELGEUX.

COINCIDENT. NOT COINCIDENT.
1. Sodium with the double D-line. Hydrogen 2 lines compared.

2. Magnesium with the triple line b. Nitrogen 3 „

3. Calcium with four lines. Tin 5 „
4. Iron with four lines and with E. Gold?
5. Bismuth with four lines. Cadmium 3 „ „
6. Thallium? Silver 2 ,, ,,

Mercury 2 „ „
Barium 2 „ „
Lithium 1 line ,,

62. Secchi’ s Types of the Fixed Stars.

While Huggins and Miller had thus been investi-

gating about a hundred of the brightest stars,

Secchi, favoured above his English fellow-labourers

by the purity of an Italian sky, had already ex-
tended his observations over more than five hundred

fixed stars,* and gave the results to the world in

* [The work of Secchi and that of Huggins and Miller are not
comparable. The observations of Huggins and Miller consisted
of the direct comparison in the spectroscope of the lines seen in
spectrum of a star with the bright lines of terrestrial substances,
an investigation which required many months’ work upon a single
star, and was immensely more tedious and laborious than the
496 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

1867, i n his work entitled “ Catalogo delle Stelle di

cui si e determinate lo spettro luminoso, all’ osser-
vatorio del Collegio Romano.” Since then, above
a hundred more stars have been added to this cata-
logue by this industrious astronomer, so that there
exists at present a rich mass of spectrum observa-
tions of the fixed stars, which Secchi has so far pro-
visionally arranged as to be able to group them into
four principal types into which ,
all stars, with only a
few very remarkable exceptions, may be classified.

The first type is represented by the star a Lyrae

(Frontispiece No. 12), and also by the well-known
brilliant star Sirius (Fig. 176, I.) Most of the stars
shining with a white light are included in this class,
such as Sirius, Vega, Altair, Regulus, Rigel, the
stars of the Great Bear with the exception of
a Ursse, etc. All these stars, which are usually
considered white stars, although they really shine
with a slight tinge of blue, give a spectrum like
that represented in Fig. 176, No. 1. It is composed
of rays of all the seven colours, and is sometimes
crossed by very numerous and mostly very fine

lines, but always by four broad and very dark lines.

Of these four lines, one is in the red, another in the

greenish-blue, and the remaining two in the violet.
All the four lines are due to hydrogen, and are in
exact coincidence with the four brightest lines (H a,

j
3 ,
composing the spectrum of terrestrial hy-
y, t)
drogen as produced by means of a Geissler’s tube.
micrometric measures of the principal stellar lines to which Secchi’s
work was mainly restricted.]
 Stars.

Fixed

the

of

Fig.
Types

i’s

3^
498 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

In Fig. 176, No. i, the dark line C coincides with

the line H «, the F-line with H 3, the line V with
H y, and W with H g. Besides these four broad
lines characteristic of hydrogen, the spectra of the
brightest stars of this class show also a faint dark
line in the yellow, apparently coincident with the
sodium line D, and also a number of still fainter
lines in the green belonging to iron and magnesium.
The most remarkable peculiarity of this type is
the great breadth of some of the lines, which seems
to indicate that the absorptive stratum must be very
thick and under considerable pressure, as well as at
a very high temperature.
In the smaller stars the line C in the red is diffi-

cult of observation, on account of the faintness of

the light, while the line occurring in the blue is

often very broad. A slight tinge of blue pervades

the colour of all these stars, as before stated ;
con-
sequently their spectra contain but little red and
yellow, while the blue and violet predominate.*
A complete spectrum of the first type is given in
Huggins’ drawing of the spectrum of Sirius (Fig.
177). Nearly half the stars in the heavens are
included in this type, and their spectra may be ex-
amined even with a telescope of small power.
The second type of fixed stars, represented by the
spectrum of Arcturus (a Bootis), is that to which
our sun belongs. In this class most of the yellow

* [The whole range of red and yellow rays is present, though

it may be that the more refrangible parts of the spectrum are
relatively brighter than in some other stars.]
 TYPES OF THE FIXED STARS. 499

stars are included, as, for instance, Capella, Pollux,

Arcturus, Aldebaran, a in the Great Bear, Procyon,
etc. The dark (Fraunhofer) lines are very strongly
marked in the red and in the blue portions of their

spectra, but are almost entirely absent in the yellow.

The Fraunhofer lines in the solar spectrum (Fig. 176,
No. II.) give an example of this. The space be-
tween the lines A and D is occupied, as is well
known, by red and orange ;
yellow extends from D
to E ;
while green and blue While lie beyond.
strong absorption lines cross the spaces between A
and D, and between E and G, they are almost
entirely wanting in the yellow space between D and
E.* It is therefore to be expected that this colour
should predominate in the light of these stars. The
Fig. 177.

Spectrum of Sirius.

dark lines, moreover, are generally sharply defined,

and only occasionally, as in the case of a Tauri,
seem somewhat expanded.*)*
The stars belonging to this class are difficult to

observe. The dark lines in the spectra of Capella

* [The lines in this part of the spectrum are numerous, but are
very fine, and easily escape observation.]

t [The lines in the spectrum of Aldebaran appear to the Editor

as narrow and defined as those of the solar spectrum.]

32 A
5oo SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

and Pollux are extremely fine, while those in Arc-

turus and Aldebaran are much broader, and more
easily recognized. Aldebaran may be regarded as
holding an intermediate position between the second
and the third type, while Procyon forms the con-
necting link between the stars of the first and
second type.
The dark lines in the spectrum of the second type
coincide so exactly with the strongest of the Fraun-
hofer lines, that stars of this type may be used, as
suggested by Secchi, as a standard of comparison
in the investigation of other spectra, and as a cor-
rection for the instrument. This close conformity
to the solar spectrum undoubtedly leads to the con-
clusion that these stars are composed of similar

elements and possess a physical constitution in

other respects analogous to that of our sun. Many

of them appear to yield a continuous spectrum,
but this arises only from the fineness of the lines,

which does not allow of their being always visible.

They are, however, generally easily seen in a good
instrument when the air is clear and free from
tremor.
To the first type belong about one-half of all the

stars hitherto observed ;

of the remaining half,

perhaps two-thirds may be reckoned as yellow

stars, to be classed accordingly under the second

type.
Of the third type, which includes specially the
stars shining with a red light, Secchi has given
as an example the spectra of the stars a Orionis,
 TYPES OF THE FIXED STARS. 501

\nd a Herculis (Fig. 176, and Frontispiece Nos. 13

and 14). The spectra of such stars appear like a
row of columns illuminated from the side, producing
a stereoscopic effect and when the bright bands
;

are narrower than the dark ones, the spectrum has

the appearance of a series of grooves. Red stars

of even the eighth magnitude have been examined

spectroscopically with Secchi’s admirable instrument
and show a similar constitution, while no spectrum
could be obtained from white stars of the same
magnitude.*
In red stars the absorption lines are more bands
than and resemble the bands produced in the
lines,

solar spectrum by our atmosphere. The sodium

line D is not sharply defined, as in Nos. I. and II.,

as a single or a double line, but is very much ex-

panded and shaded shown in the
at the edges, as
Frontispiece Nos. 13 and 14.*]' This seems to
indicate that these stars are surrounded by a power-

* [The meaning probably is that in white stars of this magnitude,

with Secchi’s instrument, the fine dark lines could not be recog-
nized, whereas in red stars the close aggregations of these lines,
in groups, which form the grooves of which Secchi speaks, could
be seen. With superior instrumental power, the grooved appear-
ances described in the text disappear, and the spectra of these
stars are seen to be crossed by numerous dark lines, arranged in

successive groups.]
t [This statement is not in accordance with the observation of
the Editor. In some of these stars, as a Herculis, the sodium
line falls within a group of lines ;
in others, as ß Pegasi and
a Orionis, fine lines are present very near to D. Under unfavour-
able circumstances of observation, therefore, the line D may
have the appearance of “being expanded and shaded at the
edges.”]
502 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

fully absorptive atmosphere, the nature of which can

only be accurately ascertained when a more perfect
knowledge of the influence which the temperature
and density of a gas exerts upon its spectrum has
been acquired.
Only about thirty bright stars belong to this type,

among which are a Orionis, a Herculis, ß Pegasi,

o (Mira) Ceti, Antares, etc. ;
if stars of the second
magnitude be included, their number will amount to
about a hundred.
Secchi remarks as a peculiar characteristic of these
stars that the darker lines of the spectrum separating
the grooves occur in the same place in all the stars.
The most prominent are those of magnesium (b in
Fig. 176, No. III.), sodium (D), and iron, which, as
in the solar spectrum, are often ill defined. The
hydrogen lines are also present, but they do not
predominate as in the foregoing types. Hydrogen
gas is therefore likewise present in these stars ;

when its characteristic dark lines (C and F) are not

visible in their spectra, an instance of which, ac-
cording to Huggins, is to be found in a Orionis
(Fig. 175, No. 2), this anomaly is to be explained
by these lines being sometimes reversed and appear- ,

ing as bright lines, a phenomenon occasionally to

be noticed in the spectrum of a solar spot. Most
of the prominent lines belong to metals which are
found also in the sun.

As a rule, the spectra of these stars resemble

closely the spectrum of a solar spot, which has led
Secchi to the conclusion that stars of the third type
 TYPES OF THE FIXED STATS. 503

differ only .from those of the second by the thick-

ness of the envelope of vapour or atmosphere by
which they are surrounded, as well as by the want of
continuity in their photosphere ;
it seems therefore
that these stars must have spots like our sun, but of
proportionally much larger dimensions.
The fourth type, consisting of stars not exceeding
the sixth magnitude, is principally characterized by
a spectrum of three bright bands separated by dark
spaces ;
the most brilliant band lies in the green, and
is in general well marked and broad ;
the second,
much fainter, and often scarcely visible, is in the
blue ;
while the third, in the yellow, extends as far
as the red, where it separates into several divisions.
All these bright bands have this peculiarity,
that they are brightest on the side towards the
violet, where the light terminates abruptly, while
towards the red they fade gradually away into
black.
The spectra of this class are therefore in direct
contrast to those of the third type, in which the
columnar bands are not only double in number in

the same space, but the maximum of their light is

turned towards the red, while the darker side is

towards the violet. The spectra of the third and

fourth types can therefore in no way be regarded
merely as modifications of one and the same original
spectrum, but must be considered as emanating
from substances completely and entirely differing
one from the other. The extreme faintness of these
stars forbids the use of the slit, and thus the sub-
504 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

stances emitting their light cannot be ascertained

with certainty ;
their spectra, however, bear a very
close resemblance to the spectrum of carbon.
A spectrum of this fourth type is given in Fig.

176, No. IV. (No. 152 of Schjellerup’s catalogue).

Secchi has observed about thirty of this class, the
most beautiful of which are Nos. 41, 78, 132, 152,
and 273 of Schjellerup’s catalogue. Great variety is
noticeable in their spectra ;
some of them, such as
the red star in the Great Bear (No. 152 Schj., in
Fig. 176, No. IV.), showing intensely bright lines,
two of which occur in the green and two in the
greenish-blue in the spectrum of this star.*
Besides these four principal types, there are
other groups of stars deserving particular notice.
* [The description of the spectra of these stars differs from the
appearance they present to the Editor. He places below a
diagram of the spectrum of the red star, No. 152 of Schjellerup’s
catalogue (Astronomische Nachrichten, No. 1591). He compared

the spectrum of the star, using a narrow slit, with the brightliness
of sodium and carbon. The line marked D he found to be
coincident with that of sodium. The less refrangible boundary
of the first of the three principal bright bands in the spectrum of
carbon is nearly coincident with the beginning of the first group
of dark lines ;
the second of the carbon bands is less refrangible

than the second group in the star ;

the third band of the carbon
 TYPES OF THE FIXED STARS. 505

To these belong, for instance, the stars composing

the constellation of Orion, which from the fineness of
their spectrum lines ought to be classed under the
second type, but which are also remarkable for the
almost entire absence of the red and the yellow.*
All the stars in this portion of the heavens are
marked by a twofold character ;
they have all a very
decided green colour, and the lines of their spectra
are so fine as to be often difficult to distinguish.
The region of Cetus and Eridanus, on the contrary,
is remarkable for the great number of yellow stars.

It cannot be conceived that such a distribution and

grouping of stars is merely the effect of chance ;
it

ismore reasonable to suppose that it depends upon

the nature and condition of the substance with which
the various parts of the tuniverse are filled.

A remarkable exception to the four types above

mentioned is formed by a few stars which present a
direct spectrum of hydrogen, and may be classed,
after Secchi’s example, under a fifth type. The
most remarkable star of this class is y Cassiopeiae,
in the spectrum of which, according to Huggins’
measurements, the bright lines H« (red), and Hß
spectrum falls on the bright space between the second and third
group of dark lines in the spectrum of the star. The absorption
bands are therefore not due to carbon. There is a strong line
about the position of C, but this part of the spectrum is too faint
to permit of comparison or micrometric measurement. The
comparative relative freedom of the red part of the spectrum from
dark lines is in accordance with the predominance of this colour

in the star’s light.]

* [There must be some mistake here, as the principal stars of
Orion contain the red and yellow parts in their spectra.]
5o5 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
(greenish-blue), are visible in the places of the dark
lines C and F, besides a bright line in the yellow
apparently coincident with D* 3
(Fig. 140). Similar
spectra have been observed in the variable star

ß Lyrae, in v Argo, in the spectrum of which Le

Sueur with the great Melbourne telescope saw the
lines C, b, F, a yellow line near to D (D 3 ?), and the

most intense of the nitrogen lines as bright lines

the same phenomena were also observed in two tem-
porary stars, of which more will be said in § 65.
From all these observations it may be concluded
that at least the brightest stars have a physical
constitution similar to that of our sun. Their light
radiates, like that of the sun, from matter in a state
of intense incandescence, and passes in like manner
through an atmosphere of absorptive vapours.
Notwithstanding this general conformity of struc-
ture, there is yet a great difference in the consti-
tution of individual stars ;
the grouping of the
various elements is peculiar and characteristic for

each star, and we must suppose that even these

individual peculiarities are in necessary accordance
with the special object of the star’s existence, and
its adaptation to the animal life of the planetary
worlds by which it is surrounded.

63. Colour of the Stars. — Double Stars and

their Spectra.
In a transparent atmosphere, especially in a
southern clime, the stars do not all appear with the
* [The presence of a bright line in the yellow is not certain.]
 THE SPECTRA OF DOUBLE STARS. 507

white brilliancy of the diamond : here and there

the eye discovers richly coloured gems sparkling on
the sombre robe of night in every shade of red,
green, blue, and violet ;
and the astronomer, enabled
by his powerful telescope to investigate the faintest

objects, is lost in wonder over the variety of these

colours, and their remarkable distribution in the
starry heavens. This play of colour is most con-
spicuous in the double stars ,
so called from their
more suns kept together by the
consisting of two or
bond of mutual attraction, and revolving in orbits
according to their mass, either one around the other
or both round a common centre of gravity. To the
naked eye their appearance is that of a single star,
on account of their close proximity, but on the
application of sufficient magnifying power they are
found to be constituted of three, four, or more suns
in intimate connection : such a system is to be
found in the beautiful constellation of Orion (in the
Sword), consisting of sixteen stars, where to the un-
assisted eye there seems but one. In several of
these double stars, the number of which already
exceeds 6,000, it has been possible to calculate
the time of revolution of the small star : the period
of one in the Great Bear has been found to be
60 years, of another in Virgo 513 years, and of
7 Leonis 1,200 years.
A peculiar interest attaches to double stars from
their great diversity of colour, which occasioned
Sir John Herschel to remark in describing a cluster
in the Southern Cross that it resembled a splendid
5o8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
ornament composed of the richest jewels. While the
majority of single stars shine with a white light, but
sometimes with a yellow, and even occasionally with
a red hue, in double stars the companion is almost
always blue, green, or red, thus contrasting with the
white light of the larger or central star.

It has long been a subject of inquiry whence these

colours arise.It has been supposed that they were

complementary colours, and therefore that they were

not inherent in the stars, but dependent on an
by looking
optical illusion similar to that produced
upon a white wall immediately after gazing at the
sun when the wall appears covered with violet spots.
But the simple expedient of covering the central
star in the telescope suffices to show the incorrect-
ness of this supposition, for the colour of the small
star remains unaffected by its separation from the
light of the larger one. Zöllner, to whom we are
indebted for a masterly work on light and the phy-
sical constitution of the heavenly bodies, was the
first to express the idea that as all known substances
in their transition from a state of incandescence to
that of a lower temperature pass through the stage
of red heat, so the fixed stars in their process of
development from the condition of glowing gas
through the period of an incandescent liquid state,

and the subsequent development of floating scoriae,

or gradual formation of a cold non-luminous surface,

must, together with the gradual diminution of their
light, be also subject to a change of colour. For
many coloured stars, especially for the so-called
 THE SPECTRA OF DOUBLE STARS. 509

new stars in which the colour has been known to

sink in the scale from white to yellow and to red,
this conjecture of Zöllner’ s has a high degree of
probability ;
but that other circumstances must
exercise an influence also on the colour of stars is

proved by a change of colour having been observed

to take place in the opposite direction — that is, from
red to white —of which, among other stars, we have
an example in Sirius, regarded by the ancients as
a red star, and which is now considered as a type of
the white stars, as well as in Capella, which formerly
was red, and now shines with a pale blue light.
Huggins and Miller have discovered by means of
the spectroscope that the colour of a star not only
depends upon the degree of incandescence of the.
intensely hot liquid or solid nucleus, but also upon
the kind of absorptive power its atmosphere may
exert upon the light emitted by the glowing nucleus.
As the source of stellar light, remarks Huggins,

is incandescent solid or liquid matter (Kirchhoff), it

appears very probable that at the time of its

emission the light of all stars is alike white . The

colours in which we see them must, therefore, be
produced by certain changes which the light has
undergone since its emission. It is further obvious

that if the dark absorption lines are more numerous

or more strongly marked in some parts of the spec-
trum than in others, then the peculiar colours of
those places will be subdued in tone, and in any
case will appear relatively weaker than in those
parts of the spectrum where the absorption lines are
5io SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
much less numerous. While in this way certain
colours would be partially extinguished from the
spectrum, the remaining colours, being unaffected,
would predominate, and give their own tints to the

originally white light of the star.

The spectrum of Sirius, universally known as one
of the most beautiful white stars, is given in Fig.
177. As might be expected, the spectra of these
stars are remarkable for the absence of any groups
of intense absorption bands. The dark lines which
traverse the coloured spectrum, though very nume-
rous, and with a single exception equally dis-

tributed over all the colours, are exceedingly fine

and delicate, and therefore too faint to affect the
original whiteness of the light. The one exception
consists of four strong single dark lines, one of
which corresponds with the Fraunhofer C-line,
another with the F-line, while the third lies very
near to G, which, as we have already seen, indicate
with certainty the presence of hydrogen.
If this spectrum be compared with that of an
orange-coloured star, the largest of the two stars
composing the group, a Herculis, of which a draw-
ing by Huggins is given in Fig. 178, the differ-
ence between this spectrum and that of Sirius will
appear at a glance for the green, blue, and even
;

the red colours in this spectrum are subdued by

groups of intensely dark bands, while the orange
and yellow rays preserve nearly their original in-
tensity, and therefore predominate in the light of

this star.
 THE SPECTRA OF DOUBLE STARS. 511

After conquering many difficulties, Huggins and

Miller obtained the same results from the obser-
vation of a faint telescopic double star. Fig. 179
shows the two spectra of the well-known double
star ß Cygni. In a large telescope the colours of
these two stars contrast very beautifully : the lower
spectrum is that of the orange star, the upper that
of its faint but beautiful blue companion. In the
orange star the dark lines are observed to be most
intense, and most closely grouped in the blue and
violet parts of the spectrum ;
the orange, therefore,
which is comparatively free from these bands, gives

Fig. 178.

Spectrum of the Star A of a Herculis.

the predominant colour to the light. In the delicate

blue companion the strongest groups of lines are to
be found in the yellow, orange, and part of the red,
so that it is to be expected that blue should pre-
dominate in the light of this star, and that we
should see it of the hue produced by the mingling
of those colours which are left after the absorption
of the above-mentioned rays from the white light.
The colours of the stars are, therefore, without
doubt produced by the vapours of certain substances
contained in their atmosphere ;
and as the chemical
constitution of the atmosphere of a star depends
 5J2 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
upon the elements of which the star itself is com-

posed, and upon its temperature, it would be

possible to ascertain the chief constituents of these
small telescopic worlds, if the position of the dark
absorption lines could be determined with accuracy,
or if these lines could be compared with the spec-
trum lines of terrestrial elements.

64. Variable Stars.

Among the fixed stars there are several which
vary from time to time in brightness as compared

with neighbouring stars ;

their light increases or
diminishes, and alternates in some cases from the
brilliancy even of a star of the first magnitude to
complete invisibility. In some this change of bright-
ness takes place as a constant, very slow, and
regular diminution of light ;
in others there appears
an almost sudden increase and decrease of bril-

liancy ;
while with others, again, the change takes
place within regularly recurring periods. The
period of variability is, therefore, the time elapsing
between the two successive seasons of greatest
 VARIABLE STARS. 513

brilliancy. The following table shows the varieties

exhibited by variable stars of this latter order.

Variation of Brightness.
Star. Period of Variability.
from to

7) Argus 1 Magnitude 4 Magnitude. 46 (?) years.

B Cephei 6 ,, II 5» 73 (?) „
B Cassiopeise 5 under 14 ,, 428-9 days.
0 Ceti (Mira) 1 or 2 ,, 9‘5 331 '3363 days.
S Cancri 8 io *5 9-485 „
ß Persei > j 4 2-867 >>

Of all variable stars, Mira Ceti is perhaps the most

interesting, since at its maximum brightness it equals
a star of the first or second magnitude. Scarcely
less interesting is ß Persei, which for two days

thirteen hours and a half shines with the brightness

of a star of the second magnitude, then suddenly
decreases in light, and sinks down in three hours
and a half to a star of the fourth magnitude; its light
then again increases, and in a similar period of three
hours and a half regains its original brilliancy. All
these changes recur regularly in the space of less
than three days, during which the star always re-
mains visible to the naked eye.
Whence comes this variation in the light of a
star ? and supported
Zöllner, with great acuteness,
by numerous observations of these changes of bright-
ness, offers a simple and unconstrained explanation
in supposing the cause to lie in the configuration
and distribution of dark masses of scoriae which form
on the red-hot liquid body of the star in the process

of cooling, and which, in consequence of the star’s

rotation on its axis, and the centrifugal force thus
33
5 1 4 SPEC TR UM ANAL YS/S.

arising, would take certain definite courses on the

surface of the star in a manner analogous to that
which may be observed with floating icebergs on our
earth. As a consequence of this peculiar relative
motion, the dark masses of scoriae would arrange
themselves in a fixed order, and would produce on
the surface of the star an unequal distribution of
red-hot luminous matter, and accumulations of non-
luminous scoriae. Were this distribution to assume
the form depicted by Zöllner in Fig. 180, and the

Fig. 180.
N

Variability ot a Star according to Zöllner.

bright liquid mass flowing in the direction of the

arrows a and b, or against that of the star’s axial
rotation, after themanner of the polar streams of our
earth, to become stopped in its course by the bank
of scoriae, then the change in the brilliancy of the
light coming to us from this star, and the periodic
recurrence with every revolution on its axis, would
in most cases be easily accounted for. Others
think, on the contrary, with Stewart and Klinkerfues,
that the variable stars are very close double stars,
 1

VARIABLE STARS . 5 5

and that the one in revolution, whether it be a dark

body or a yet incandescent gaseous or red-hot fluid
mass, would occasion, in passing before the larger
star, either a partial eclipse or an atmospheric
absorption of the light, such as not unfrequently
happens in our own planetary system.
It is instructive to consider how these different
theories have been affected by spectrum analysis.
If the periodic change in the brightness of a star be
occasioned by a change in its physical constitution,

or by the interposition of a dark and opaque body,

or should the interposing body, whether dark or
luminous, be surrounded by an absorptive atmo-
sphere, this would be made apparent by an alteration
in the spectrum, consisting of an accession of
absorption lines principally noticeable at the time of
minimum brightness.
Secchi, and Huggins and Miller, have given
much time to investigations of this nature, and the
last two observers noticed that in the spectrum of
Betelgeux (a Orionis), Fig. 175, in February, 1866,
when the star was at its maximum brightness, a
group of dark bands was missing, the precise place
of which had been determined with great care
two years before (in Fig. 175, at No. 1069*5 °f the
scale, bordered by a dark line). Secchi has also
noticed changes in a dark line in the spectrum of
the same star during a diminution of brightness ;
but
these observations are yet too few and isolated for
any conclusion to be deduced from them as to the
correctness of either of the foregoing hypotheses.
33 a
Si6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

It has recently been remarked by Secchi that the

spectrum of the nucleus of a solar spot (Fig. 108)
bears a close resemblance to that given by several
red stars, such as a Orionis, Antares, Aldebaran,
o Ceti. A series of dark bands and stripes as re-

presented in the spectrum of a Orionis, given in the

lower part of Fig. 175, No. 2,* are present equally in

the spectrum of a solar spot as in the spectra of the
above-named red stars, which leads to the supposi-
tion that the red colour of these stars arises from
the same cause that produces the absorption bands
in the spectrum of the solar spot. As nearly all

these stars are variable, it is not improbable that

they are also subject to spots which occur with a
certain degree of regularity, as the solar spots have
been proved to do. The period of variability in the
light would then depend upon the period of the
formation of the spots, in the same way as our sun
appears as a variable star, of which the period of
variation in the light coincides with the regular
recurrence of the spots.

65. New or Temporary Stars.

Among the variable stars must also be reckoned
those which from time to time, but only at ex-
ceedingly long intervals, have suddenly flamed forth
in the sky and disappeared again after a longer or

* [The dark shading in Huggins’ diagram referred to in the text,

giving the appearance of bands, is intended to represent groups of

fine lines. The spectrum of this star does not contain broad lines

or bands when observed with a suitable spectroscope.]

 NEW OR TEMPORARY STARS. 517

shorter interval, and which always excite the greatest

wonder and interest, not only from the rarity of their
appearance, but also from the mighty revolutions in

space which they announce. According to Hum-

boldt, only twenty-one such stars have been recorded
in the space of 2,000 years, from 134 b.c. to 1848
a.d., the most remarkable of which was that ob-
served by Tycho Brahe (1572) in Cassiopeiae, which
surpassed both Sirius and Jupiter, and even rivalled
Venus in brilliancy, but disappeared after seventeen
months, without leaving a trace visible to the naked
eye;* and that seen by Kepler (1604) in the right
foot of Ophiuchus, which excelled Jupiter but did
not quite equal Venus in brightness, and at the end
of fifteen months was visible only by means of the
telescope. Two similar stars which have appeared
in recent times, one observed by Hind in 1848, and
another seen in the Northern Crown in 1866, though
they soon lost their ephemeral glory, still continue
visible as stars of the tenth and ninth magnitude.
A characteristic peculiarity of these temporary stars
is that they nearly all flash out at once with a degree
of brilliancy exceeding in some cases even stars of
the first magnitude, and that they have not been
observed, at least with the naked eye, to increase
gradually in brightness.
Are we to suppose that these so-called new stars
are really new creations, as Tycho Brahe believed,
and that those that have disappeared are really

* The telescope was not invented until thirty-seven years after

this date.
 5 1 8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS,

annihilated or burnt out ? Can we suppose, with

Riccioli, that these heavenly bodies are luminous
only on one side, which by a sudden semi-revolution
the Creator at the appointed time has turned towards
us ? The first supposition has been set aside by
later observations, which have shown by the help
of maps that a small star had already existed pre-
cisely in the place where the new star burst forth ;

the other view is too absurd to deserve in these days

any further consideration. The star observed by
Tycho, as well as that one seen by Kepler, are still

visible ;
according to Argelander, the position of
the first in 1865 was R.A. 4h. 19m. 577s. ;
and
N.D. 63° 23' 55"; and that of the second, according
to Schönfeld, was in 1855 R.A. 17h. 2 im. 57s., with
0
a yearly variation of + 3*5865., S.D. 21 21' 2 ",

with a yearly variation of — 0*05 5s. If, therefore,

the sudden bursting forth of a star in the heavens
does not denote the creation of a new star, nor its

gradual disappearance indicate its complete anni-

hilation, we may well suppose that both phenomena
are the successive effects of a violent outbreak of
fire taking place in the star either in the form of an
eruption of the internal red-hot liquid matter, and
its suffusion over the surface, or of the ignition of
gigantic streams of gas forcing their way from the
interior. While such an occurrence would raise the
star to a state of extreme incandescence, and cause
it to emit an intense light for some time, the cooling

subsequent to this combustion would ensue more

or less rapidly, and the brightness consequently
 NEW OR TEMPORARY STARS. 519

diminish in quick progression, until in certain con-

ditions the star would cease to be visible.

Fortunately for science, such an occurrence has

taken place since spectrum analysis has been so
successfully applied to the examination of the
heavenly bodies. On the night of the 12th of May,
1866, a new star, brighter than one of the second
magnitude, was observed at Tuam, by Mr. John
Birmingham, in the constellation Corona Borealis.
On the following night itwas seen by the French
engineer Courbebaisse at Rochefort, and was
observed a few hours earlier at Athens by the
astronomer Julius Schmidt, who expressly declares
that the new star could not have been visible before
eleven o’clock on the night of the 12th of May, as
he had been observing with his comet-seeker the
star R Coronae, and while sweeping for some time
in its neighbourhood for meteors, could not have
failed to notice the new star if it had been then
visible. On the same night (13th of May) the light
of the star sensibly decreased, and by the 16th of
May had become only of the fourth magnitude.
it

Its waned somewhat rapidly it

brightness then :

decreased from 4*9 on the 17th to 5*3 on the 18th,

and from 5*7 on the 19th to 6*2 on the 20th, till by
the end of the month it had become a star of the
ninth magnitude.
That the star was not a new one was pointed out
by Schmidt, who found it marked in Argelander’s
“Durchmusterung des nördlichen Himmels” as
No. 2,765 in + 25 0 declination. Argelander had
520 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

observed the star on the 18th of May, 1855, and on

the 31st of March, 1856, and on both occasions had
classed the star as between the ninth and tenth
magnitudes.*
Huggins was informed by Birmingham of his dis-
covery on the 14th of May, and was thus enabled
on the 15th inst., in conjunction with Miller, to
examine the spectrum of this star when it had not
fallen much below the third magnitude. The result
of this investigation is as follows.
The spectrum of the star was very remarkable,
and showed clearly that there were two distinct
sources of light, each producing a separate spec-
trum. The compound spectrum (Fig. 181) is seen
evidently to be composed of two independent
spectra superposed ;
the one is a continuous spec-
trum crossed by dark lines similar to that given by
the sun and other stars ;
while the other consists of
four bright lines, which from their great brilliancy
stand in bold relief upon the dark background of
the first spectrum.
The principal spectrum traversed by dark lines
shows the presence of a photosphere of incan-
* Mr. Barker, of London, Canada, W., who announced in the
Canada Free Press had observed a new star in Corona of
that he
the third magnitude on the 14th May, now affirms, in a letter to
Mr. Hind, that he had seen this star from the 4th of May, and
that it had increased in brilliancy up to the 10th of May, from
which time its light began to decline, t
+ [Mr. Stone, now Her Majesty’s Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope,
stated as the result of a careful investigation of Mr. Barker’s announcement :

“ I have not the slightest hesitation in stating that, in my opinion, Mr. Barker’s
observations previous to those made on May 14 are not entitled to the slightest
credit .” —Monthly Notices, Royal Astronomical Society, vol. xxvii., p. 60.]
 NEW OR TEMPORÄR V STARS. 521

descent matter probably solid or liquid, which is

surrounded by an atmosphere of cooler vapours,

giving rise by absorption to the dark lines. This
absorption spectrum contains too strong dark bands
of less refrangibility than the D-line of the solar
spectrum ;
a group of fine lines stretches from them
close up to D, while one fine line is quite coincident

with D. Up to this point the constitution of this

object is analogous to that of the sun and the stars;

but the star has also a spectrum consisting of bright

lines, which denotes the presence of a second source
of light, which from the nature of the spectrum
(p. 105) is undoubtedly an intensely luminous gas.

Fig. 181.

Spectrum of the Temporary Star T Coronae Borealis. (15th May, 1866.)

Huggins compared the spectrum of the star on

the 17th of May with the spectrum of hydrogen gas
produced by means of the induction spark through
a Geissler’s tube, and found that the strongest of
the stellar lines 2 was coincident with the greenish-
blue line (H ß, Frontispiece No. 7) of hydrogen gas.
Apparently, also, the line 1 in the red coincided with
the H a-line of hydrogen, but owing to the want of
brilliancy of the line the coincidence could not be
ascertained with the same degree of certainty. The
great brilliancy of these lines, compared with the
5.22 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
parts of the continuous spectrum where they occur,
proves that the luminous gas was at a higher tem-
perature than the photosphere of the star.

These facts taken in connection with the sudden-

ness of the outburst of light in the star, and the
immediate very rapid decline in its brightness from
the second down to the eighth magnitude, have led
to the hypothesis already alluded to, that in conse-

quence of some internal convulsion enormous quan-

tities of hydrogen and other gases were evolved,
which in combining with some other elements ig-
nited on the surface of the star, and thus enveloped
the whole body suddenly in a sheet of flame. The
ignited hydrogen gas in its combination with some
other element produced the light characterized by
the two bright bands in the red and green ;
the re-
maining bright lines, among which those of oxygen
might have been expected, were not coincident with
any of the lines of this gas. The burning hydrogen
gas must also have greatly increased the heat of the
solid matter of the photosphere, and brought it into a
state of more intense incandescence and luminosity,
which may explain how the formerly faint star could
so suddenly assume such remarkable brilliancy. As
the liberated hydrogen gas became exhausted, the
flame gradually abated, and with the consequent
cooling the photosphere became less vivid, and the
star returned to its original condition.
Against this hypothesis it has been justly ad-
vanced that a sudden development of hydrogen in

quantities sufficient to occasion the phenomenon of

 NEW OR TEMPORARY STARS. 523

the outburst of a star is a very unlikely occurrence.

To which it may be added that the spectrum given
by the star was not that of burning but of luminous
hydrogen.* Robert Meyer and H. J.
Klein have,
therefore, expressed the opinion that the sudden
blazing out of a star might be occasioned by the
violent precipitation of some great mass, perhaps of
a planet, upon a fixed star, by which the momentum
of the falling mass would be changed into molecular
motion, or in other words into heat and light. It

might even be supposed that the star in Corona,

through its motion in space may have come in con-
tact with one of the nebulae (§ 67), which traverse
in great numbers the realms of space in every direc-
tion, and which from their gaseous condition must
possess a high temperature. Such a collision would
* [The spectrum of intensely heated hydrogen would be the same
whatever the nature of the source of the heat. The suggestion
of combustion being possibly present was made in consequence of
other bright lines seen in the spectrum of the star. We now know
that the sun is surrounded by luminous hydrogen, and therefore
bright lines similar to those seen in this star are always present
in the solar spectrum. As these lines are faint as compared with
the great intensity of the solar photosphere, they do but render
less dark the Fraunhofer lines C and F, and are not ordinarily seen
as bright lines. If we look at the dark part of a solar spot where the
diminished light of the photosphere is not able to overpower that
of the hydrogen, these bright lines may become visible. Hence
in the star in Corona the surrounding hydrogen must have had a
great intensity relatively to the brightness of the photosphere. We
now know that a similar state of things appears to be permanent, or
at least of not a very temporary character, in 7 Cassiopeise and a few
other stars. It seems upon the whole probable that the so-called
new stars may be but extreme instances of the periodical variation
of light which we observe in a large number of stars.]
524 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

necessarily set the star on a blaze, and occasion the

most vehement ignition of its hydrogen.
Rayet and Wolf, who examined the star with
a large telespectroscope on of May,
the 20th
when between the fifth and sixth magnitude, con-
firmed Huggins’ observations, and in their report to
Leverrier expressed their independent opinion that
the new star owed its brilliancy mainly to burning (?)

gases. This brilliancy, as was to be expected, de-

creased faster than the light of the burning gas ;

when there was scarcely any trace remaining in the

spectroscope of the continuous spectrum given by

the photosphere, the four bright lines were still

quite brilliant.*
It must not be forgotten that light, though an
extremely quick messenger, yet occupies a cer-
tain time in coming to us from a star. The speed
of light is 185,000 miles in a second ;
the distance
of the nearest fixed star (a Centauri) is about
sixteen billion miles, so that light takes about three
years to travel from this star to us. The great
physical convulsion which was observed in the star
in Corona in the year 1866 was therefore an event

which had really taken place long before that period,

at a time no doubt when spectrum analysis, to which
we are indebted for the information we obtained on
the subject, was yet quite unknown.
Secchi has recently discovered, while examining

* [This was not the case in the observations of the Editor ;

he
was able to see the continuous spectrum when the bright lines

could be scarcely distinguished.]

 INFLUENCE OF MOTION OF STARS. 52 5

spectroscopically the variable star R Geminorum,

that its spectrum showed bright hydrogen lines just

as they appeared in the spectrum of the new star

T Coronse. The
gave besides other bright
star
bands, the most important of which coincide with
the dark bands in the spectrum of a Orionis one :

group lies in the green 6

( ),
and is probably due to
magnesium, while another is in the yellow, and
appears to be either the sodium D-line or else the
new bright line D of the solar prominences (p. 396).
3

The observations were made when the star had

reached its maximum brightness (somewhat above
the seventh magnitude) : the great interest which
attaches to this phenomenon, especially to the ap-
pearance of the same bright lines that characterize
the solar prominences, leads us to hope that these
observations may be prosecuted during the period
of variability so long as the strength of the light
will permit. ( Vide p. 506.)

66. Influence of the proper Motion of the

Stars in Space upon their Spectra.
In § 58 the principle was unfolded which in its

application to spectrum analysis enables us under

certain circumstances to determine by the displace-
ment of the spectrum lines of a star, whether it be
approaching us or receding from and at what
us,

speed it is moving in space. It was shown that the

displacement of one of the spectrum lines towards
the violet indicated that the wave-length had been
shortened in its passage to the earth, and therefore
526 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

that the star was approaching us ; a displacement

towards the red showed, on the contrary, that the
ether waves had been lengthened, and that the star
was therefore receding from the earth.
Secchi, who was the first to enter on this kind of
investigation, directed his telescope to Sirius, and
placed the prism of the spectroscope so that the dark
F-line was exactly coincident with the direct image
of the star : he then turned his instrument to another
fixed star of the same type in which the F-line was
also visible, and observed it narrowly to ascertain
whether this line were also coincident, or showed
some displacement. His instrument did not, how-
ever, prove adequate to such delicate observations,
and the results obtained were not decisive.
By the aid of more delicate instruments, and an
apparatus better adapted for such measurements,
Huggins instituted some very complete investiga-
tions on this subject.* By a series of preliminary
observations he first established that a strongly
marked dark line in the spectrum of Sirius (Fig. 177)
was the hydrogen line Hß.f For this purpose he

* [Huggins’ observations communicated to the Royal Society in

April, 1868, were made quite independently, during 1867 and the
spring of 1868, and nearly completed, before the statement of
Secchi’s work in the same direction was made public in March
1868.]
t [That the line in Sirius belongs to hydrogen was shown by the
observation that it is one of three strong lines which in a spectro-

scope of moderate power appear to be exactly coincident with

the principal lines of hydrogen. It was only when a much more
powerful spectroscope was brought to bear upon the star that the
slight displacement described in the text was detected.]
 INFLUENCE OF MOTION OF STARS. 5*7

compared the dark line of Sirius in the usual way

with the H ß-line of the hydrogen spectrum formed
from a Geissler’s tube, which is coincident with the
Fraunhofer F-line of the solar spectrum, and also
with the Ft ß-line of hydrogen when under atmo-
spheric pressure. Fig. 182 shows the position of
these three lines in relation to each other and to the
line in Sirius. While the comparison lines coincide

exactly, the line in Sirius is displaced a little towards

the red. As this line in Sirius appears broader than
the bright hydrogen line Hß, which is always the
Fig. 182.
red violet

Hydrogen in Geiss.
ler’s Tubes.

F-line in Sirius.

F-line in the Sun.

Hydrogen under at-

mospheric pressure.

Displacement of the F-line in the Spectrum of Sirius.

case with this line when the gas is subjected to some

pressure, it became of importance to determine
whether the expansion of the hydrogen line Hß
under pressure takes place unsymmetrically or on
both sides equally. In the first case it is obvious
that the position of the Sirius line could not be re-
garded as a displacement due to motion, but merely
as an expansion occurring on one side only ;
in the

latter case the bright line Hß ought to fall exactly

in the middle of the broad Sirius line if merely the

530 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

When is remembered that by employing the

it

requisite number of prisms for producing a suffi-

ciently long stellar spectrum, the light is so much
weakened that an exact comparison of the dark
lines of the stellar spectrum with the bright lines

of a terrestrial element is rendered extremely diffi-

cult ;
and when it is further borne in mind that many
dark lines in the stellar spectrum are ill defined at
the edges, and often like the F-line in the spectrum
of Sirius somewhat weak and of varying breadth, we
must certainly not place more than a conditional
reliance upon the results of such observations, which
are admitted even by Huggins to be attended with
some uncertainty.
With a just appreciation of the great difficulties
connected with the measurement of such exceedingly
small lineal displacements as might possibly occur
in the stellar spectra, Zöllner has endeavoured to
construct a spectroscope with such an arrangement
as shall double the amount of this displacement,

without diminishing at the same time the brightness

of the spectrum.
The construction of this new instrument, called by
Zöllner the Reversion Spectroscope,* is as follows.
The line of light formed by a slit or a cylindrical
lens is brought into the focus of a lens which, as in

the continuance of these observations with the larger telescope

now at his command.]
* Ueber ein neues Spectroskop, nebst Beiträgen zur Spectral-
analyse der Gestirne, von J. C. F. Zöllner. (Berichte der Konigl.
Sächs. Gesellschaft der Wissenchaften zu Leipzig, vom 6 Febr.
1869.)
 INFLUENCE OF MOTION OF STARS. 531

all spectroscopes, at once renders the diverging rays

parallel. The rays then pass through two of Amici’s
direct-vision compound prisms, which are fastened
near to one another in such a manner that their
horizontal reflecting angles are placed at opposite
sides, so that each one transmits half of the pencil
of rays issuing from the collimating lens, thus de-
composing the whole of the rays into two spectra,
which are sent in opposite directions. The object-
glass of the telescope, which unites the rays again
into one image, is divided in a direction perpen-
dicular to the horizontal position of the reflecting
angles of the prisms, and each half is capable of
micrometrical movement both in a parallel and
perpendicular direction to the line of separation.
In this way it is possible to bring the lines of the
one spectrum successively into coincidence with
the lines of the other, as well as to place the two
spectra at will either in exact juxtaposition, so that
one can be moved up and down the other in the
manner of a vernier, or else brought partially one
over the other. By this construction not only is the
delicate and very method of a double image
sensitive
made use of for estimating any change of wave-
length in the spectrum lines, but every such change
is doubled from its influence being exerted in an
opposite direction in each spectrum.
Zöllner was able to determine with the reversion
spectroscope the distance between the D-lines in the
solar spectrum with a probable error of only e of
that distance : were the distance between the source
532 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

cf light and the observer to change at the rate of

sixteen miles in a second (the mean velocity of our
earth), it would occasion in Zöllner’ s instrument a
displacement of the spectrum lines amounting to
one-fifth of the distance between the D-lines, a
quantity nearly forty times greater than the sup-
posed error of the instrument.
The reversion spectroscope promises not only to
remove any remaining doubts as to the displacement
of the dark lines being the indication of motion in
the heavenly bodies,* but also, as Zöllner has
pointed out, to procure for us more certain results
concerning the speed of rotation of the sun, and to
separate the lines of the solar spectrum produced by
the absorption of the earth's atmosphere from those
originating in the sun itself, since it is evident that
such a displacement can occur only in the latter.

67. Spectra of Nebulae and Clusters.

We now come to treat of the remotest realms
of the Universe, those regions of stellar clusters and
nebulae which can only be reached by means of the

* [As two spectra have to be formed from the light of a star, the
brightness of each spectrum will be reduced to one-half. The
reversion spectroscope may be found of value for the observation
of bright objects, but it scarcely seems to be so well adapted
for stellar work. Zöllner has succeeded with this instrument in
detecting the change of refrangibility due to the sun’s rotations.
He has hence proposed a simpler form of the principle of
reversion, which can be applied to any spectroscope. The object-
glass of the telescope of the spectroscope is divided, and in front
of one half a right-angled prism is placed, which reverses the
spectrum seen through it by reflection.]
 SPECTRA OP NEBULAS AND CLUSTERS. 533

most powerful telescopes. When the starry heavens

are viewed through a telescope of moderate power,
a great number of stellar clusters and faint nebu-
lous forms are revealed against the dark back-
ground of the sky which might be taken at first
sight for passing clouds, but which, by their un-
changing forms and persistent appearance, are
proved to belong to the heavenly bodies, though
possessing a character widely differing from the
point-like images of ordinary stars. Sir William
Herschel was able, with his gigantic forty-foot
telescope, to resolve many of these nebulae into
clusters of stars, and found them to consist of vast
groups of individual suns, in which thousands of
fixed stars may be clearly separated and counted, but
which are so removed from us that we are unable
far
to perceive their distanceone from the other, though
that may really amount to many millions of miles,
and their light, with a low magnifying power, seems
to come from a large faintly luminous mass. But
all nebulae were not resolvable with this telescope,
and in proportion as such nebulae were resolved
into clusters of stars, new nebulae appeared which
resisted a power of 6,000, and suggested to this
astute investigator the theory that, besides the many
thousand apparent nebulae which reveal themselves
to us as a complete and separate system of worlds,
there are also thousands of real nebulae in the
Universe composed of primeval cosmical matter out
of which future worlds were to be fashioned.
Lord Rosse, by means of a telescope of fifty-two
534 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

feet focus of his own construction, was able to re-

solve into clusters of stars many of the nebulae not
resolved by Herschel ;
but there were still revealed
to the eye, thus carried further into space, new
nebulae beyond the power even of this gigantic tele-

scope to resolve.
Telescopes failed, therefore, to solve the question
whether the unresolved nebulae are portions of the
primeval matter out of which the existing stars

Fig. 183.

'¥77 7; mmy-:
'
/ v"
-
£- / •

The great Nebula in Orion.

have been formed ;

they leave us in uncertainty as
to whether these nebulae are masses of luminous
gas, which in the lapse of ages would pass through
the various stages of incandescent liquid (the sun
and fixed stars), of scoriae or gradual formation of
a cold and non-Iuminous surface (the earth and
planets), and finally of complete gelation and tor-

pidity (the moon), or whether they exist as a com-

plete and separate system of worlds ;
telescopes
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAC AND CLUSTERS . 535

have only widened the problem, and have neither

simplified nor solved its difficulties.
That which was beyond the power of the most
gigantic telescopes has been accomplished by that
apparently insignificant, but really delicate, and
almost infinitely sensitive instrument —the spectro-
scope ; we are indebted to it for being able to say
Fig. 184.
South.

North.

Central and most brilliant portion of the great Nebula in the Sword-handle of
Orion, as observed by Sir John Herschel in his 20-foot Reflector at Feld-
hausen, Cape of Good Hope (1834 to 1837).

with certainty that luminous nebulae actually exist

as isolated bodies in space, and that these bodies
are luminous masses of gas.
The splendid edifice already planned by Kant in
his “ Allgemeinen Naturgeschichte und Theorie des
536 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS:
Himmels ” -(i
755), and erected by Laplace* forty-
one years later, has received its topmost stone
through the discoveries of the spectroscope. The
spectroscope, in combination with the telescope,
affords means for ascertaining even now some of
the phases through which the sun and planets
have passed in their process of development or
transition from masses of luminous nebulae to their
present condition.

Fig. 185.

The large Magellanic Cloud.

Great variety is observed in the forms of the

nebulae : while some are chaotic and irregular,
and sometimes highly fantastic, others exhibit the

pure and beautiful forms of a curve, a crescent, a

globe, or a circle. A number of the most charac-
teristic of these forms have been photographed on
* Exposition du Systeme du Monde. (1799.)
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAE AND CLUSTERS. 53 7

glass at the suggestion of Mr. Huggins ; to these

have been added a few others, taken from accurate
drawings by Lord Rosse * and they ;
may all be pro-
jected on to a screen by means of the electric or lime-

light lantern, and made visible to a large audience.

The largest and most irregular of all the nebulae
is that in the constellation of Orion (Figs. 183, 184).

Fig. 186.

Nebula of the form of a Sickle. (H. 3239.)

It is situated rather below the three stars of second

magnitude composing the central part of that mag-
nificent constellation, and is visible to the naked eye.
* Observations on the Nebulae \
by the Earl of Rosse. London,
1850. On the Construction of Specula of Six-feet Aperture, and a
Selection from the Observations of Nebulae made with them by ;

the Earl of Rosse. London, 1862. Compare Mädler in Wester-

538 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
It is extremely difficult to execute even a tolerably
correct drawing of this nebula; but it appears, fiom
the various drawings made at different times, that
a change is taking place in the form and position
of the brightest portions. Fig. 184 represents the
central and brightest part of the nebula. Four
bright stars, forming a trapezium, are situated in it,

one of which only is visible to the naked eye. The

Fig. 187.

Spiral Nebula. (H. 1173.)

nebula surrounding these stars has a flaky appear-

ance, and is of a greenish-white colour ;
single por-
tions form long curved streaks stretching out in a
radiating manner from the middle and bright parts.

mann’s Monatsheften, xii., 182. —The glass photographs can be

procured from W. Schellen, Kevelaer (Rhenish Prussia), [and of
Mr. Ladd, Beak Street, Regent Street, London].
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAE AND CLUSTERS. 539

Much less irregularity is apparent in the great

Magellanic or Cape clouds (Fig. 185), which are

two nebulae in the southern hemisphere, one of
them exceeding by five times the apparent size of
the moon. They are distinctly visible to the naked
eye, and are so bright that they serve as marks for
reconnoitring the heavens, and for reckoning the
hour of the night.
Fig. 188.

Spiral Nebula in Canes Venatici. (H. 1622.)

The interest aroused by these irregular and

chaotic nebulous forms is stillfurther increased by
the phenomena of the spiral or convoluted nebulae
with which the giant telescopes of Lord Rosse and
and Mr. Bond have made us further acquainted.
As a rule, there streams out from one or more
centres of luminous matter innumerable curved
nebulous streaks, which recede from the centre in a
spiral form, and finally lose themselves in space.
540 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

Fig. 1 86 represents a nebula in the form of a sickle

or comet tail (Herschel, No. 3239), Fig. 187 a
complete spiral (H. 1173), and Fig. 188 the most
Fig. 189.

Transition from the Spiral to the Annular Form.

remarkable of all the spiral nebulae situated in the

constellation Canes Venatici (H. 1622).
It is hardly conceivable that a system of such a
nebulous form could exist without internal motion.
Fig. 190.

Annular Nebula in Lyra.

The bright nucleus, as well as the streaks curving

round it in the same direction, seem to indicate an
accumulation of matter towards the centre, with a
 SPECTRA OF NEB IfE/E AND CLUSTERS. 541

gradual increase of density, and a rotatory move-

ment. But if we combine with this motion the
supposition of an opposing medium, it is difficult to

harmonize such a system with the known laws of

statics. Accurate measures are, therefore, of the
highest interest for the purpose of showing whether
actual rotation or other changes are taking place
in these nebulae ;
but, unfortunately, they are ren-
Fig. 191.

Nebula with several Rings. (H. 854, ) .

dered extremely difficult and uncertain by the want

of outline, and by the remarkable faintness of these
nebulous objects.
The transition state from the spiral to the annu-
lar form is shown in such nebulae as the one repre-
sented in Fig. 189 (H. 604) and they then pass into
;

the simple or compound annular nebula of which a

type is given in Fig. 190.

The space within most of these elliptic rings is

542 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

not perfectly dark, but is occupied either by a dif-

fused faint nebulous light, as in Fig. 190, or, as in
most cases, by a bright nucleus, round which some-
times one ring, sometimes several, are disposed in
various forms. In
Fig. 192.
Fig. 1 91 a repre-
sentation is given of
a compound annular
nebula (H. 854), with
very elliptic rings and
bright nucleus.
According as the
ring has its surface
or its edge turned to-

wards us, or accord-

ing as our line of

sight is perpendicular
or more or less ob-

liquely inclined to the

surface of the ring,
Elliptical Annular Nebula. (H. 1909.) itS form approaches
Fig,
that of a circle, a ring,
an ellipse, or even a
straight line. Nebulae
of this latter kind are
represented in Fig.

192 (H. 1909), and in

Fig. 193 (H. 2621).
When an elliptical
Elongated Nebula. (H. 2621.)
ring is extremely
elongated, and the minor axis is much smaller than
 SPECTRA OP NEBULAE AND CLUSTERS .
543

the major one, the density and brightness of the

ring diminishes as its distance from the central
nucleus increases ;
and this takes place to such a
degree sometimes, that at the furthest points of
the ring, the endsof the major axis, it ceases to
be visible, and the continuity seems to be broken.
The nebula has then the appearance of a double
nebula, with a central spot as represented in Fig. 194
(H. 3501) and Fig. 195 (H. 2552).
Those nebulae, which appear with tolerably sharply
defined edges in the form of a circle or slight

Fig. 194. Fig. 195.

s‘Jr

dN

Annular Nebula with Centre.

Double Nebula. (H. 3501.) (H. 2552.)

ellipse, seem to belong to a much higher stage of

development. From their resemblance to those
planets which shine with a pale or bluish light, they
have been called planetary nebulae ;
in form, how-
ever, they vary considerably, some of them being
spiral and some annular. Some of these planetary
nebulae are represented in Figs. 196 (H. 838), 197
(H. 464), and 198 (H. 2241). The first has two
central stars or nuclei, each surrounded by a dark
space, beyond which the spiral streaks are dis-
544 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS,/

posed ;
the second has also two nuclei, but Without
clearly separable dark spaces ;
the third is without
any nucleus, but shows a well-defined ring of light.

The highest type of nebulae are certainly the

Fig. 196.

Planetary Nebula with two Stars. (H. 838.)

stellar nebulae, in which a tolerably well-defined

bright star is surrounded by a completely round
disk or faint atmosphere of light, which sometimes

Fig. 197. Fig. 198.

two Stars. (H. 464.) Planetary Nebula. (H. 2241.)

fades away gradually into space, at other times

terminates abruptly with a sharp edge. Figs. 199
(H. 2098) and 200 (H. 450) exhibit the most striking
of these very remarkable stellar nebulae the first is :
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAE AND CLUSTERS. 545

surrounded by a system of rings like Saturn, with

the thin edge turned towards us ;

the second is a
veritable star of the eighth magnitude, and is not
nebulous, but is surrounded by a bright luminous
atmosphere perfectly concentric. To the right of
the star is a small dark space, such as often occurs
in these nebulae, indicating perhaps an opening in
the surrounding atmosphere.
We have now passed in review all that is at
present known of the nebulae, so far as their appear-
ance and form have been revealed by the largest

Fig. 199. Fig. 200.

Planetary Nebula. (H. 2098.) Stellar Nebula. (H. 450.)

telescopes. The information as yet furnished by the

spectroscope on this subject is certainly much less

extensive, but is nevertheless of the greatest im-

portance, since the spectroscope has power to reveal
the nature and constitution of these remote heavenly
bodies. It must here again be remembered that
the character of the spectrum not only indicates
what the substance is that emits the light, but also
its physical condition. If the spectrum be a con-

tinuous one, consisting of rays of every colour or

degree of refrangibility, then the source of light is

35
546 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

either a solid or liquid incandescent body if, on the ;

contrary, the spectrum be composed of bright lines

only, then it is certain that the light comes from
luminous gas ; finally, if the spectrum be continuous,,
but crossed by dark lines interrupting the colours,
it is an indication that the source of light is a
solid or liquid incandescent body, but that the light
has passed through an atmosphere of vapours at
a lower temperature, which by their selective ab-
sorptive power have abstracted those coloured rays
which they would have emitted had they been self-

luminous.
Fig. 2oi.

Spectrum of Nebula. (H. 4374.)

When Huggins first directed his telespectroscope

in August 1864 to one of these objects, a small but
very bright nebula (H. 4374), he found to his great
surprise that the spectrum (Fig. 201), instead of
being a continuous coloured band such as that
given by a star, consisted only of three bright lines.

This one observation was sufficient to solve the

long-vexed question, at least for this particular

nebula, and to prove that it is not a cluster of indi-

vidual, separable stars, but is actually a gaseous
nebula, a body of luminous gas. In fact, such a
spectrum could only be produced by a substance in

a state of gas ;
the light of this nebula, therefore,
was emitted neither by solid nor liquid incandescent
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAS AND CLUSTERS. 547

matter, nor by gases in a state of extreme density,

as may be the case in the sun and stars, but by
luminous gas in a highly rarefied condition.
In order to discover the chemical nature of this
gas, Huggins followed the usual methods of com-
parison, and tested the spectrum with the Fraunhofer
lines of the solar spectrum, and the bright lines of
terrestrial elements. A glance at Fig. 202 will show
at once the result of this investigation. The brightest
Fig. 202.

Spectrum of Nebula compared with the Sun and some Terrestrial Elements.

line (1) of the nebula coincides exactly with the

brightest line (N) of the spectrum of nitrogen,
which is a double line. The faintest of the nebular

lines (3) also coincides with the bluish-green hydro-

gen line H ß, or, which is the same thing, with the
Fraunhofer line F in the solar spectrum. The
middle line (2) of the nebula was not found to
coincide with any of the bright lines of the thirty
terrestrial elements with which it has been compared;
it lies not far from the barium line B «, but is not
coincident with it.

The question why the characteristic bright lines

35 a
550 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

Besides the spectrum containing these three

bright lines, the nebula gave also a very faint con-
tinuous spectrum (Fig. 201) of scarcely perceptible
width, which from its nature could proceed only
from the diffused light of a faintly glowing nucleus,
either solid or liquid, or from faintly luminous
matter in the form of a cloud of solid or liquid
particles.

All planetary nebulae yield the same spectrum ;

the bright lines appear with considerable intensity

in the spectroscope, and are of sufficient brilliancy
to compare with the bright lines in the spectrum of
a candle, although the nebulae may not be brighter
in the heavens than stars of the ninth magnitude.*
The reason of this is that the light of the candle is

spread out into a continuous spectrum, while that

of the nebula remains concentrated into a few lines;
the principle is identical with that by which the
spectra of the solar prominences have been since

of one line only of the gases composing them (in a few nebulae
a second line of hydrogen near G is seen) is due to the diminution
of their light by the imperfect transparency of interstellar space
through which the light has passed, or to their original feeble
luminosity. By direct comparison with the light of a candle
Huggins found the intrinsic brilliancy of nebula No. 4628 to be
equal to -jT, °f the annular nebula in Lyra to and of the
Dumb-bell nebula to of the intensity of the flame of a sperm
candle burning 160 grains per hour. These results would be
affected by any interstellar absorption, should such exist.]

* [Though the lines of the nebulae are distinctly visible under

favourable circumstances, the terrestrial lines to be compared with
them must not be brilliant ;
when an induction spectra is used, the
light has frequently to be diminished in intensity by a piece of
neutral tint glass.]
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAS AND CLUSTERS. 55i

observed in sunlight simultaneously with the greatly

subdued spectrum of daylight (§57).
During the years 1865 and 1866 more than sixty
nebulae were examined by Huggins with the spec-
troscope, mainly with the intention of ascertaining
whether those which were clearly resolvable by the
telescope into a cluster of bright points gave a con-
tinuous spectrum, or one composed of bright lines.
The extreme faintness of these objects, and the cir-

cumstance that investigations of this kind can only

be carried on during the absence of the moon in

very clear nights, render spectroscopic observations

of these heavenly bodies exceedingly difficult, and
the results uncertain. * It is only by observations and
measures many times repeated, especially when un-
dertaken by different astronomers at various places,
that the disturbing influences may in course of time
be eliminated, and trustworthy results obtained.
As a result of his observations, Huggins divides
the nebulae into two groups :

1. The nebulae giving a spectrum of one or more

bright lines.
2. The nebulae giving a spectrum apparently con-
tinuous.

* [The results contained in the following table may be accepted

as trustworthy and certain so far as they go. In the case of the
nebulae, which give a spectrum apparently continuous, it is uncer-
tain whether these excessively faint spectra contain absorption
lines. The uncertainty stated in the text applies rather to the
much larger number of still fainter objects observed by Huggins
but which, on account of this uncertainty, are not included in his
published observations.]
552 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

About a third of the sixty nebulae observed be-

long to the first group ;
their spectrum consists of
one, two, or three bright lines ;
a few showing at
the same time a very narrow, faint, continuous
spectrum. They are as follows ; —the numbers refer
to Sir John Herschel’s general catalogue:
No. 4373 - - - 37 H. IV. No. 2102 - 27 H. IV
33 4390 - 6 2. 33 4214 - - - 5 2.

33 45 H - - - 73 H. IV. 33 4403 - 17 M.
„ 4510 - 51 H. IV. 33 4572 - 16 H. IV.
„ 4628 - 1 H. IV. „ 4499 - 38H.VI.
33 4447 Annular nebula in Lyra 33 4827 - 705 H. II.

.33 4964 - 18 H. IV. „ 4627 - 192 H. I.

33 4532 - Dumb-bell
„ 385 - 76 M.
33 1189 - Nebula in Orion 33 386 - - -
193 H. I.

” 2102 - 27 H. IV. 33 2343 - 97 M.

Clusters and nebulae showing a continuous spec-

trum without lines

No. 4294 - 92 M. No. 4230 - - - 13 M.

4244 - 50 H. IV. „ 4238 - 12 M.
„ 1 16 Nebula in Andromeda „ 4244 - 50 H. IV.
33
11 7 - 32 M. 33 4256 - 10 M.
33 428 - 55 Andromedas 33 4315 -
199 H. II.

33
826 - 2 H. IV. „ 4357 - 11 M.
33 4670 - 15 M. 33 4437 - 11 M.
„ 4678 - 18H. V. „ 4441 - - - 47 H. I.

„ 105 - 151 H. I. „ 4473 Auwers 44

„ 307 - 156 H. I. 33 4885 - 56 M.
33 575 - 156 H. I. 33 4526 2081 h.

33 1949 - 81 M. 33 4625 - 52 H. I.

„ 1950 - 82 M. 33 4600 - 1 5 H. V.
33 3572 - 51 M. 33 4760 - 207 H. V.
33
2841 - - - 43 H.V. „ 4815 - - - 53 H. I.
„ 3474 - - - 63 M. 33 4821 -
233 H. II.
33 3636 - 3 M. 33 4879 - 251 H. II.
33 4058 - 215 H. I. 33 4883 - 212 H. I.
- 1945 h.
„ 4159

The glass photographs which Huggins has had

 ;

SPECTRA OF NEBULAE AND CLUSTERS. 553

prepared from drawings of some of the most inte-

resting gaseous nebulae include also their spectra

Fig. 203.

Planetary Annular Nebula in Aquarius, with Spectrum.

of lines, so that both can be exhibited upon the

screen at the same time.
Fig. 203 is the planetary annular nebula in Aqua-

Fig. 204.

Stellar Nebula. (H. 450.)

rius, from a drawing made by Lord Rosse (Fig. 199)

the nebula, the ring of which is turned edgeways
towards us, gives a spectrum of three bright lines,
554 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
as in Fig. 201, one of which is due to nitrogen, and
another to hydrogen.
Fig. 204 represents on an enlarged scale the
same nebula that has been already given from one
of Lord Rosse’ s drawings in Fig. 200; its structure
is essentially the same as that of the former one
a luminous gaseous mass with a central nucleus of
light, and surrounded by a luminous ring, the whole
surface of which being turned towards us, causes

Fig. 205.

Spiral Nebula (H. 4964), with Spectrum.

the nebula to assume a very different form. The

spectrum also consists of three bright lines.

The nebula (H. 4964) represented in Fig. 205, will

be seen at a glance to be of a spiral character it ;

is remarkable because its spectrum contains four

bright lines, two of which indicate hydrogen and
one nitrogen.
The spectrum of the annular nebula in Lyra (H.
4447), Fig. 206, consists, on the contrary, of only
 SPECTRA OF NEBULAE AND CLUSTERS. 555

one bright line, that of nitrogen. When the spec-

troscope is so directed to the nebula that the slit

cuts straight through it, the bright line appears to

be composed of two brilliant lines corresponding to
the upper and lower segments of the ring. These
two lines are united by a small band, which shows
that the faint inner portion of the nebula is of the
same substance as that of the surrounding ring.
The great nebula of Orion (Figs. 183 and 184)

Fig. 206.

Annular Nebula in Lyra, w.th Spectrum.

has been the subject of spectroscopic investigations.

Its spectrum consists of three very conspicuous
bright lines, one of which again indicates nitrogen
and another hydrogen.
Huggins has lately repeated his former observa-
tions with instruments of much greater power, and
compared especially these two lines with those of

the terrestrial gases, under circumstances which

gave him a spectrum four times the length of the
one he obtained in his earlier investigations. The
result of these observations, continued for several
nights, was to show the complete coincidence, even
556 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
in this greatly extended spectrum of the nebular
lines, with those of both gases, so that there can be
no remaining doubt as to the identity of the lines.
Recently a fourth line has been seen in this
nebula by Captain by Lord
Herschel in India,
Rosse, and also by Professor Winlock, of Harvard
—
Observatory the same line which Huggins had
before observed in the nebula H. 4964 (Fig. 205),
and which belongs apparently to hydrogen. It has
been suggested by the last-named observer that
very probably other faint lines exist in this spec-

trum which can only be revealed by more powerful

instruments.
All actual clusters of stars, separable by the
telescope into individual bright points, give a con-
tinuous spectrum, without either gaps or bright
lines. There are, however, some instances where
resolvable nebulae —the cluster in Hercules, for
example — give different and peculiar spectra, con-
sisting of bands and dark lines. * It would there-
fore be interesting to inquire how far and in what
manner the classification of nebulae, as given by
the spectroscope, is in accordance with the classifi-

cation made by the telescope.

This information is given in the following table,
drawn up by Lord Oxmantown,*)* by whom a revi-

* [The spectrum of this cluster ends abruptly in the orange

at about the position of D. The spectrum appears unequal in

brilliancy, which suggests the presence of bright or dark lines, but

no lines —
have been certainly detected. Phil. Trans. 1866, p. 382.]
t [The present Earl of Rosse, whose successful researches on
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 55 7

sion has been undertaken of all the observations

made with his father’s great telescope of such of

the nebulae and clusters as had been examined by

Huggins.

Clusters -------
Resolved, or apparently resolved -
Continuous

-
Spectrum.
io
10
Spectrum of
Lines.

o
o
Resolvable, or apparently resolvable 5 6
Blue or green, no resolvability o 4
No resolvability apparent 6 5

3 i 15
Not observed through Lord Rosse’s telescope 10 4

Total - - - 41 19

Half of the nebulae giving a continuous spectrum

have been resolved into stars, and about a third
more are probably resolvable ;
while of those
yielding a spectrum of lines, not one has been cer-
tainly resolved by Lord Rosse. Considering the
extreme difficulty attending investigations of this
kind, there is scarcely any doubt that there is a com-
plete accordance between the results of the telescope
and spectroscope; and therefore those nebulae giving
a continuous spectrum are clusters of actual stars,
while those giving a spectrum of bright lines must
be regarded as masses of luminous gas, of which
nitrogen and hydrogen form the chief constituents.

68. Comets and their Spectra.

Besides the planets, which, already cold or in
process of cooling, derive their light from the in-

the heat of the moon give promise of the good work we may
expect from his use of the noble instruments now in his hands.]
55 ! SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

candescent sun round which they revolve in their

appointed orbits, all travelling nearly in one plane
among the fixed stars in regular progress from west
to east, there appear from time to time certain ether
wandering stars of peculiar aspect, which, from their
rapid change of form and size, their fantastic con-
tour, and their brilliant light, usually excite the
greatest attention. These remarkable visitors are

comets ;
and though their laws of motion have been
well ascertained, yet their physical constitution has
presented greater difficulties to astronomers than
even that of the nebulae. When they first become
visible, their motion is evidently round the sun, but
frequently in orbits of such great elongation as hardly
to be called elliptical, travelling, besides, in all pos-
sible planes and directions — sometimes, like the
planets, from west to east, sometimes in the reverse

way from east to west. Several of these extraor-

dinary objects move h_ closed orbits round the sun
with a regular period of revolution ;
others come
quite unexpectedly from the regions of space into
our system, and retreat again to be seen no more.
The periodic comets are as follows :

Distance from the Sun.

Period.
Comet. Perihelion. Aphelion.

Y ears. Miles.

Encke’s 3i 289 Millions. 350 Millions.

Winnecke’s 5* 69 501
Brorsen’s 5ir 55 5i6
Biela’s 6f 78 „ 564
Faye’s 71 156 543
Halley’s 76 ! 52 3175
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 559

While these comets have but a short period,

there are others, such as the comets of 1858, 1811,
and 1844, the calculated periods of which amount
respectively to 2,100, 3,000, and 100,000 years.
Differences of quite a proportionate magnitude are
observable in relation to the points of nearest
approach to and greatest distance from the sun.
Encke’s comet is twelve times nearer the sun at its

perihelion than at its aphelion. Some of them,

with an orbit extending beyond Jupiter, approach
so close to the sun as almost to graze the surface.
Newton estimated that the comet of 1680 came so
Fig. 207.

Donati’s Comet on the 2nd of July, 1858.

near to the sun that its temperature must have ex-

ceeded by two thousand times that of melted iron.

At its nearest approach it was removed from the

sun by only a sixth of his diameter. The comet of
1843, also, was so near the sun at its perihelion as
to be seen in broad daylight.
Most comets exhibit a planetary disk, more or
less bright, which is called the nucleus, and this is
surrounded by a fainter cloudy or nebulous en-
velope, the coma ;
the nucleus and coma form the
head of the comet. In almost all comets visible to
the naked eye, there streams out from the head a
560 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

fan of light — the tail, consisting of one or more

luminous streaks, which vary in width and length,
are sometimes straight, sometimes curved, but
almost always turned away from the sun, forming
the prolongation of a straight line connecting the
sun and the comet. While telescopic comets are
usually without a tail, which causes them to assume
the appearance of a more or less irregularly shaped
nebula possessing a nucleus, an example of which
is given in Donati’s comet (Fig. 207), as it ap-
peared when first seen on the 2nd of June, 1858,
the comet of July 1861 exhibited two tails (Fig.
208), and the comet of 1844 had even six.

Fig. 208.

July Comet on the 3rd of July, 1861.

Comets are transparent in every part, and cause

no refraction in the light of the stars seen through
them. Bessel saw a fixed star through Halley’s
comet, and Struve one through Biela’s comet,
when distant only a few seconds from the centre of
the nucleus, which passed over the star in both in-
stances without either rendering it invisible or even
perceptibly fainter ;
from accurate measures taken at
the time, and the calculated motion of the comet, it

was evident that the position of the star had not

been changed by any refraction of the light.
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 561

Similar observations were made with respect to

Donati’s comet of 1858 (Fig. 209), and the comet of
July 1861 (Fig. 210).* Glose to the head of the for-
mer, where the tail at its commencement was aboiit
54,000 miles in thickness, Arcturus was seen to
shine with undiminished brightness ;
while- in both

comets a number of fixed stars appeared in full

brilliancy through even a much thicker portion of
the tail. The comet of 1828 possessed a nucleus
about 528,000 miles in diameter, and yet Struve
saw a star of the eleventh magnitude through it,

a fact which seems to justify the conclusion of

Fig. 209.

Donati’s Comet on the 5th of October, 1858.

Babinet, drawn from his own observations, that a

comet has no influence upon the light of a star,
and that stars of the tenth and eleventh magnitude,
and some even fainter, may be seen through their
greatest mass without losing in the smallest degree
either their light or their colour.
The nucleus of a comet is greatly affected both
in sizeand density by its approach to the sun ;
but
from the want of any sharply defined edge it is diffi-

cult to measure its diameter with any accuracy. The

comets of 1798 and 1805 each possessed a nucleus
* See Westermann’s Monatsheften, V., p, and XL, 568.
277, p.

36
562 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

the diameter of which was twenty-two and twenty-

six miles respectively ;
that of the great comet of
1 81 1 attained a diameter of 380 miles, while that
of 1843 reached 4,680 miles, and the comet of 1845
as much as 7,468 miles. Donati’s comet measured
on the ist of September, 1858, 13,894 miles in

diameter; while on the 25th of the same month it

did not exceed 1,526 miles.

The nebulous envelope, or coma, is also subject

Fig. 210.

July Comet on the 2nd of July, 1861.

to changes in form and size, according as the comet

approaches or recedes from the sun. It might be
expected that the coma on approaching the sun
would expand and become rarefied by the extreme
heat ;
but, as in the nucleus, exactly the reverse
has often been observed. In Encke’s comet, for
instance, in the year 1838, the diameter of the
coma on was 285,480 miles; on
the 9th of October
the 25th of the same month it was 122,616 miles;
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 563

on the 23rd of November it measured 39,302 miles;

and on the 17th of December it was only 3,038

miles.
The tail is a prolongation of the coma, and is in

most cases turned away from

the sun (Fig. 211), whether
the comet be approaching or
receding from the sun in the

course of its orbit.

A drawing by Professor
John Müller, given in Fig.
Sim.

the

212, shows this position of

the tail very clearly. In the regards

map the position of the sun as

is marked on the lower line ~

Comet

to the right for the 27 th of a

September, and the 8th and ^ of

Tail

14th of October, and these

the

places are connected by of

straight lines with the places

Position

of the comet for those dates.

The tail appears always
curved, with the convex side
turned towards the direction
of the comet’s motion. At
thesame time this preceding
edge is much more sharply
defined than the concave side, just as if some resist-

ing medium had impeded the advance of the tail,

and forced it back. But the tail does not always

maintain this position ;
comets have been observed
36 A
564 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
where the tail has been turned towards the sun, and
others again possessed several tails, all turned in
opposite directions.

As a comet approaches the sun, the tail regu-

larly increases, from which it appears that the sun,
whether by the action of heat or other means, con-
tributes essentially to the formation of the tail, and
 1

COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 565

produces a separation of material particles from the

head of the comet. The length of the tail is rarely
less than 500,000 miles, and in some cases it ex-
tends as far as 100,000,000 or 150,000,000 miles.
The breadth tail of the great comet of 1 8
of the 1

was nearly 14,000,000 miles, the

at its widest part
length 116,000,000; and that of the second comet
of the same year even 140,000,000 miles. And
yet the formation of the tail takes place in a very
short space of time, often in a few weeks, or even
days.

The influence exercised on the formation of the

tail by its approach to the sun was shown in the

comet of 1680, for at its perihelion it travelled at

the rate of 1,216,800 miles in an hour, and as a
consequence put forth a tail in two days 54,000,000
miles in length.
It is easily conceivable that under such circum-
stances the mass of a comet must be exceedingly
small. It is very probable that our earth actually

passed on the 30th of June, 1861, through part of

the tail of the magnificent comet called the July
 566 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
comet (Fig. 213), which suddenly appeared in the
heavens as by magic on the 29th of June, and no
if

indication of such a contact was evinced beyond a

peculiar phosphorescence in the atmosphere which
was noticed by Mr. Hind, and also at the Liverpool
Observatory. In the same way the comet of 1776
passed among the satellites of Jupiter without dis-
turbing their position in the slightest degree. This
was not the case, however, with the comet, for the
influence of the planet was so great on its small
mass as to send it quite out of its course into an
entirely new orbit, which it now accomplishes in

about twenty years.

We must now consider the remarkable phe-
nomenon of a comet being divided into two parts,
each part becoming a separate comet, and pursuing
an orbit of its own. Such an occurrence happened
to Biela’s comet while under observation in the year
1845. When observed on the 26th of November
of that year, it appeared as a faint nebulous spot,
not perfectly round, with an increased density
towards the middle. On the 19th of December it

was rather more elongated, and ten days later it had

become divided into two separate cloudy masses of
equal dimensions, each furnished with a nucleus and
tail, and for three months one followed the other at a
distance of one-tenth, subsequently one-fifth, of the
moon's diameter. The pair made their appearance
again in August 1852, after having travelled together
in one common orbit round the sun for more than
six years and a half ;
but the distance between them
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 567

had much increased, and from 154,000 miles, it had

now reached 1,404,000 miles. Nor is this all: in
conformity with its known period, the return of this
comet was expected in the year 1859, and again in

1866, when it must have been visible from the earth,

as its path crossed the earth’s orbit at the place
where the earth was on the 30th of November. Not-
withstanding the most diligent search, however,
the comet could not be found, and it would seem
that either, like Lexell’s comet, it has been drawn
out of its orbit by some member of the solar system,
or else, as analogy suggests, it has ceased to be a
comet, and has passed into some other form of
existence.
We must enter a little further than might seem
needful for our purpose into the important phe-
nomena observed in comets, partly by the naked

eye, but more especially by the telescope, in order

to obtain some ground for answering queries as to
the physical nature of these heavenly bodies, as well
as to acquire a standard by which to compare the
facts collected by telescopic ot serration with those
gathered by spectrum analysis.
These questions are directed in the first place to
the consideration of whether comets, like fixed stars
and nebulae, are self-luminous, or whether, like pla-
nets, they shine by the reflected light of the sun in ;

the second place, to the consideration of their material

composition and physical constitution. That the
nucleus of a comet cannot be in itself a dark and
solid body such as the planets are, is proved by its
568 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
great transparency ;
but this does not preclude the
possibility of its consisting of innumerable solid par-
ticles separated one from another, which when illu-

minated by the sun, give by the reflection of the

Solar light the impression of a homogeneous mass.
It has therefore been concluded that comets are
either composed of a substance which, like gas in a
state of extreme rarefaction, is perfectly transparent,
or of small solid particles individually separated by
intervening spaces through which the light of a star
can pass without obstruction, and which, held toge-
ther by mutual attraction, as well as by gravitation
towards a central denser conglomeration, moves
through space like a cloud of dust. It is not im-
possible that comets without a nucleus are masses
of gas at a white heat, of similar constitution to the
nebulae, while those possessing a nucleus are com-
posed of disengaged solid particles. In any case,
the connection lately noticed by Schiaparelli between
comets and meteor showers seems to necessitate the
supposition that in many comets a similar aggre-
gation of particles exists.
It has been thought that the polarization of light
furnished a means for ascertaining whether the light
of an object was inherent or reflected; and supported
by the observations made on the nuclei of comets
for this purpose, the opinion has been confidently
expressed that comets shine by reflected light, and
not by any light of their own. But observations
of this kind are in no way decisive, because in all
polariscopes diffused, irregularly reflected light ap-
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 569

pears, just as little polarized as that given out by an

independent source.
Spectrum analysis could at once answer this

question were a comet bright enough to form a

complete spectrum. If the light of the comet were
only reflected sunlight, the spectrum would then
be like that of the moon and planets, a continuous
one crossed by the Fraunhofer lines. But for the

formation of such a spectrum a very narrow slit is

necessary, and none of the comets which have ap-

peared within the last few years have been bright
enough to allow of their spectra being examined
with a close setting of the slit. On this point, there-

fore, the question remains at present undecided.

Donati, at Florence, was the first to examine
spectroscopically the light of comets : he compared
the spectrum of the comet I., 1864, with the spectra
of metals in which the dark places were wider than
the luminous parts, and he found that the entire
spectrum consisted of three bright lines.

Tempel’s comet was observed in January 1866

by Secchi and Huggins, who found that it yielded
a continuous spectrum exceedingly faint at the two
ends, in which three bright lines were seen by the
former observer and only one by Huggins. The
line seen by both observers was the brightest, and
was situated about half-way between b and F of the
solar spectrum. Secchi’ s view of this spectrum is
given in Fig. 214; none of the three bright lines
coincided with those of the nebula in Orion. It

appears from this that the nucleus is at least parti-

570 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

ally self-luminous, and is composed of gas in a

luminous condition. On the other hand, the con-
tinuous spectrum proves that some of the light is

reflected sunlight, for it cannot be admitted that

the coma is formed of incandescent solid or liquid
particles.

The spectroscope gives no information as to the

nature or condition of a substance from which we
receive only reflected light : it is however probable
that the coma and tail are of the same substance as
the nucleus. These observations, therefore, yield
no further result than that a gas in a state of lumi-

Fig. 214.

Spectrum of Tempel’s Comet (1866).

nosity is present in the comet, but that at the

same time, either from this gas or from other
portions of the comet which are non-luminous, sun-
light is also reflected.
In the years 1866 and 1867 Huggins observed the
spectra of two small comets, and found them to
consist of a continuous spectrum, as well as of one
of bright lines. The light of these comets was
therefore, like Tempel’s comet, composed partly of
reflected light and partly of the comet’s own light.

The year 1868 brought the return of two periodic

 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 571

comets of greater brilliancy, the comet of Brorsen

and that of Winnecke (II.)
(I.),

Brorsen’s comet (I., 1868) had in the telescope the

appearance of a nearly circular nebula, in which the

Fig. 215.
Solar Spectrum.
D E b F

I I IT"' T

Spectrum of Nebulae.

Spectra of Brorsen’s and Winnecke’s Comets compared with the Spectra of the
Sun, Carbon, and the Nebulae.

brightness rapidly increased towards the centre, but

in which the existence of a nucleus was doubtful ;

there was only the faint trace of a tail, or more pro-

57 2 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
perly merely a slight expansion of the coma on the
side away from the sun.
Secchi examined this comet with a simple direct-
vision spectroscope, and compared the spectrum with
that of Venus, bringing the planet and the comet
same place in the instrument.
alternately into the
Huggins observed the same comet from the 2nd
to the 13th of May, and found, with Secchi, that
the spectrum (Fig. 215, No. 5) was discontinuous,
consisting of three bright bands ;
the length
showed that the light of the centre of the head,
as well as that of the coma, had entered the spec-
troscope. The brightest band of light was the
middle one in the green, about half-way between
the Fraunhofer lines b and F. When the sky was
very favourable, this band was reduced to a single
bright line of the apparent width of the comet’s
nucleus.* The second band, less intense, but still

very bright, was situated in the yellow-green, nearly

in the middle of the space between the Fraunhofer
lines b and D. Occasionally another band could be
traced in the red, but it was difficult to fix its place.

The third band was in the blue, towards the violet,

about a third of the distance between F and G.

An extremely faint light, not shown in the draw-
ing, was apparent at the same time over the whole
space of the spectrum, the indication of a very faint
continuous spectrum.
By narrowing the slit, these luminous bands
could not be resolved into lines, which is the case

* [Doubtful.]
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 573

with the bright bands of the nebula it only pro- ;

duced a weakening of the bands of light until they

completely disappeared.
Fig. 216.
The spectrum of Bror-
sen’s comet bears a
great resemblance to

that observed by Dona-

ti ;
but it differs essen-
tially from the spectrum
of a nebula, not only in
its character, but also
in the position of the
bands of light. A com-
parison of these two
spectra (No. 5 and No.

7) shows this at a glance.

The comet PL, 1868,
was first observed on the
night of the 13th- 14th
of June, by Dr. Win-
necke, in Carlsruhe,
and soon attained suffi-

cient brightness to be
seen by the naked eye
as a star of the seventh
or eighth magnitude.
Winnecke’s Comet (II., 1868).
The diameter of the
coma, including the extremely faint luminous enve-
lope,amounted to about 6 20 ", the length of the '

tail being more than i°. The tail, as shown in

Fig. 216, went straight out from the coma, and
574 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
seemed to have no connection with the bright
nucleus. The following side, that turned away
from the direction of motion, was sharply defined,
while the other side gradually lost itself in space.

When Secchi examined the comet on the 21st of

June with a simple spectroscope without a slit, the
spectrum was seen to consist of three brilliant
bands of light, the brightest of which was in the
green, another less bright in the yellow, and the
faintest was situated in the blue. When this in-

strument was exchanged for one of Hofmann’s

direct-vision spectroscopes, the three bands were
well defined, and the dispersed light had disap-
peared. On comparing the position of these lines
with those exhibited by the spectra of various
metals, it was found that the middle one lay very
near to the magnesium line b, but the spectrum, as
a whole, could not be brought to agree with that
of any metal. He perceived, however, a great
resemblance between the spectrum of the comet
and that of carburetted hydrogen, which made him
conclude that the light from the self-luminous pait
of the comet was produced by that substance.
Huggins investigated Winnecke’s comet with a
spectroscope consisting of two prisms of 6o°, and
has given a drawing of the comet (Fig. 216), as
well as of its spectrum, together with the spectra of
the substances with which it was compared. In

Fig. 215, No. 4, is the spectrum of the comet; No. 2

that of the electric spark, in olive oil ;
No. 3
the electric spark, in olefiant gas ;
No. 6 gives
 COMETS AMD THEIR SPECTRA. 575

the principal lines of some of the substances

brought into comparison by means of the electric

spark (N. = nitrogen, O. = oxygen, H. = hydrogen,

Mg. = magnesium, Na. = sodium).
The apparatus employed by Huggins for these
comparisons is shown in Fig. 217. The olefiant gas
was contained in the glass bottle a ,
from whence it

flowed through the tube b, into which were soldered

two platinum wires e and f. At the place where the
spark was to pass a hole was bored through the glass
tube, the edges of the opening carefully ground, and
the opening closed by a smooth plate of glass. The
light of the glowing gas was reflected by the small
mirror c on to the reflecting prism in the interior of
the tube, by which it was thrown on to the lower
half of the slit, while the light of the comet was
received upon the upper half. By this means the
spectrum of the olefiant gas produced by the electric
spark was brought into close juxtaposition with the
spectrum of the comet, so as to admit of an exact
comparison.
Secchi’s observations have been completely con-
firmed by those of Huggins the spectrum of the ;

comet consisted of three broad bright bands, which

were sharply defined at the edge towards the red,
but faded away gradually on the opposite side
Huggins, however, did not succeed in resolving the
bands into sharp lines, but the middle and brightest
band appeared to commence wich a well-defined
bright line. When the slit was placed on the edge
of the coma the three bands were still distinguishable,
57ö SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

but when the slit was directed to the fainter light of

the tail the spectrum appeared to be continuous.

If the spectrum of the comet be compared with
that of carbon which has been disengaged from
olive oil or olefiant gas by the heat of the electric

Fig. 217.

Huggins’ Apparatus for observing the Spectra of Hydrocarbons.

spark, there is no great resemblance to be observed

between them ;* the lines of hydrogen, moreover,

* [This statement is not correct. Huggins found, as may be seen

in Fig. 215, the spectrum of this comet to be apparently identical
with that of carbon as obtained by the passage of the induction
spark in olefiant gas, not only in the position in the spectrum of the
bands, but also in their general characters and relative brightness.
The spectrum of Brorsen’s comet, as shown in the diagram No. 5,
does not agree with that of carbon. The spectrum of carbon as
obtained when the spark passes in olive oil, No. 2, differs from
No. 3 only in that the bands are resolvable into fine lines. The
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. S77

belonging^*) the spectrum of olefiant gas are not

present in the spectrum of the comet.
The same comet was spectroscopically observed
by H. M. C. Wolf at Paris. It was remarked also
by him that the three bright bands separated from
each other by perfectly dark spaces could not be
condensed into lines by narrowing the slit, and thus
the spectrum offered no analogy to that of a nebula.
The spectrum of the comet I., 1870 (Winnecke)
was examined by Wolf and Rayet it consisted, like ;

the spectra of earlier comets, of three bright bands

which spread out upon a continuous spectrum. #
bands in the spectrum of the comet were like those obtained when
olefiant gas is used, irresolvable into lines. The lines of the other
component of olefiant gas, hydrogen, are omitted in the diagram.
The lines of hydrogen were not visible in the spectrum of the
comet. It appears to be right to consider this spectrum of bright
bands to be that of carbon, and not that of any stable hydrocarbon,
for Huggins found the same bands, together with .the lines of
nitrogen, when the spark was taken in cyanogen, and a spectrum
essentially the same, but less complete, when compounds of
carbon with oxygen were employed.]
* [Huggins gives the following description of the spectrum of
Comet L, 1871 (Proceedings R. S. 1871) :

“ On
April 7 a faint comet was discovered by Dr. Winnecke.
I observed the comet on April 13 and May 2. On both days the
comet was exceedingly faint, and on May 2 it was rendered more
difficult to observe by the light of the moon and a faint haze in

the atmosphere. It presented the appearance of a small faint

coma, with an extension in the direction from the sun. When
observed in the spectroscope, I could detect the light of the coma
to consist almost entirely of three bright bands. A fair measure
was obtained of the centre of the middle band, which was the
brightest; it gives for this band a wave-length of about 510 mil-
lionths of a millimetre. I was not ableto do more than estimate
roughly the position of the less refrangible band. The result

37
573 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

It would be premature to draw decisive results

from these comprehensive but as yet isolated obser-
vations. The spectrum of the three bright bands is

derived unquestionably from the light of the comet’s

nucleus, and not from that of the coma, which is far
too faint and ill-defined to produce such a spectrum;
it may therefore be assumed that the nucleus is
self-luminous, and that it is very possibly composed

of glowing gas containing carbon. This theory has

already been opposed by Prazmowski, who instituted
some experiments on light reflected from faintly
illuminated strips of coloured paper, and found that
the spectrum of a body faintly illuminated by the
sun presented exactly the same appearance which
was observed by Secchi and Huggins in the comet
of 1868 the spectrum of bands, therefore, given by
;

this comet is not a proof of its being self-luminous,

and even the light emitted by the nucleus may also
be a reflected light. * Secchi maintains, on the con-
trary, that the dark and bright absorption bands
which are seen in the spectrum of light reflected
from coloured substances never have those sharp
edges which are observed in the spectra of comets ;

in his fine polariscope, polarization was observed

gives 545 millionths. The third band was situated at about the
same distance from the middle band on the more refrangible side.
It would appear that this comet is similar in constitution to the

comets which I examined in 1868.”]

* [Prazmowski’s objection is untenable. Huggins has remarked
that a spectrum of bright bands might be given by a gas in a
fluorescent state, but the circumstance of the coincidence of the
cometary spectrum with that of carbon would remain unexplained.]
 COMETS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 579

principally in the coma, and scarcely at all in the

nucleus, which, had it reflected the sun’s light, would
have shown the greater amount of polarization.
By collating these various phenomena, the con-
viction can scarcely be resisted that the nuclei of
comets not only emit their own light, which is that
of a glowing gas, but also, together with the coma
and the tail, reflect the light of the sun. There
seems, therefore, nothing to contradict the theory
that the mass of a comet may be composed of minute
solid bodies kept apart one from another in the same
way as the infinitesimal particles forming a cloud
of dust or smoke are held loosely together, and that
as the comet approaches the sun the most easily
fusible constituents of these small bodies become
wholly or partially vaporized, and in a condition of
white heat overtake the remaining solid particles,
and surround the nucleus in a self-luminous cloud
of glowing vapour. Spectrum analysis will not be
able to afford any more certain evidence regarding
the physical nature of comets until the appearance
of a really brilliant comet which can be examined
in the various phases it may present.
It would lead us too far from our purpose were
we more minutely the extremely interest-
to describe
ing phenomena which the telescope has revealed of
the separation of cometic matter, and the gradual
formation of the coma and tail ;
* nor can we enter
more fully here into the causes of the changes
* Mädler, “ Die Ausströmungen der Kometen,” in Wester-
mann’s Monatsheften, vol. vii., p. 392.

37 a
580 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
produced in the form of a comet by its approach
to the sun, or to one of the larger planets ;*
but we cannot pass over the extremely ingenious
hypothesis brought forward by Professor Tyndall
before the Philosophical Society of Cambridge, on
the 8th of March, 1869.! This admirable investi-
gator had already proved, by a series of interesting
experiments, that concentrated solar light, or the
electric light, decomposes the volatile vapours of
many liquids, producing almost instantly a pre-
cipitate of cloudy matter, in which some very
peculiar phenomena of light are displayed. The
quantity of vapour may be so small as to escape
detection, but the concentrated light falling upon
it soon forms a blue cloud from the moving atoms
of vapour which now become visible, and appear,
according to the nature of the vapour, in a variety
of forms as precipitations of matter on the beams
of light.
It is very striking in this experiment to see the
astonishing amount of light that an infinitesimal
amount of decomposable vapour is able to reflect.
When the electric light is admitted into the tube,
nothing is to be seen for the first moment ;
but
soon a blue cloud shows itself, which is formed of
almost infinitely small particles, either of vapour,
or, what is more probable, of the molecules set free

* Linder, Theorie des Cometes fondee sur la seule loi de l’attrac

tion universelle. Les Mondes, xxi., p. 562.

t Philosophical Transactions, 1870, p. 323; Philosophical

Magazine, 1869, No. 249 ; Naturforscher, ii. No. 33.
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 581

by its decomposition, and after some minutes the

whole tube is filled with this blue colour. The
vaporous particles gradually augment in magnitude,
and after some time (from ten to fifteen minutes) a
dense white cloud fills the tube, which discharges so
great a body of light that it is scarcely conceivable
how so small a quantity of matter can possibly
reflect so much light.

“Nothing,” says Tyndall, “could more perfectly

4
illustrate that spiritual texture’ which Sir John
Herschel ascribes to a comet than these actinic
clouds. Indeed, the experiments prove that matter
of almost infinite tenuity is competent to shed forth
light far more intense than that of the tails of
comets.” Upon these facts Tyndall has con-
structed a theory which offers an unforced expla-
nation of many of the phenomena that have been
observed, as, for instance, the formation and motion
of the tail, etc., but which also stands in complete
contradiction to many of the facts discovered by
Schiaparelli.

69. Falling Stars, Meteor Showers, Balls of

Fire and their Spectra.
Whoever has observed the heavens on a clear
night with some amount of attention and patience,
cannot fail to have noticed the phenomenon of a
falling star, one of those well-known fiery meteors
which suddenly blaze forth in any quarter of the
heavens, descend towards the earth, generally with
great rapidity, in either a vertical or slanting
 582 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

direction, and disappear after a few seconds at a

higher or lower altitude. As a rule, falling stars
can only be seen of an evening, or at night, owing
to the great brightness of daylight ;
but many
instances have occurred in which their brilliancy
has been so great as to render them visible in the
daytime, as well when the sky was overcast as
when it was perfectly cloudless. It has been cal-
culated that the average number of these meteors
passing through the earth’s atmosphere, and suf-
ficiently bright to be seen at night with the naked
eye, is not less than seven million and a half during
the space of twenty-four hours, and this number must
be increased to four hundred million if those be
included which a telescope would reveal. In many
nights, however, the number of these meteors is so
great that they pass over the heavens like flakes of
snow, and for several hours are too numerous to be
counted. Early in the morning of the 12th of
November, 1799, Humboldt and Bonpland saw
before sunrise, when on the coast of Mexico, thou-
sands of meteors during the space of four hours,
0
most of which left a track behind them of from 5
to io° in length; they mostly disappeared without
any display of sparks, but some seemed to burst,

and had a nucleus as bright as Jupiter

others, again,
which emitted sparks. On the 12th of November,
1833, there fell another shower of meteors, in which,
according to Arago’s estimation, two hundred and
forty thousand passed over the heavens, as seen
from the place of observation, in three hours.
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 583

Only in very rare instances do these fiery sub-

stances fallupon the surface of the earth when ;

they do, they are called balls of fire and occasion-

;

ally they reach the earth before they are completely

burnt out or evaporated ;
they are then termed
meteoric stones, aerolites, or meteoric iron. They
are also divided into accidental meteors and
meteoric showers, according as to whether they
traverse the heavens in every direction at random,
or appear in great numbers following a common
path, thus indicating that they are parts of a great
whole.
It is now generally received, and placed almost

beyond doubt by the recent observations of Schia-

parelli, Le Verrier, Weiss, and others, that these

meteors, for the most part small, but weighing

occasionally many tons, are fragmentary masses,
revolving, like the planets, round the sun, which in
their course approach the earth, and, drawn by its

attraction into our atmosphere, are set on fire by the

heat generated through the resistance offered by the
compressed air.

The chemical analysis of those meteors which

have fallen to the earth in a half-burnt condition in

the form of meteoric stones proves that they are

composed only of terrestrial elements, which present
a form and combination commonly met with in our
planet. Their chief constituent is metallic iron,

mixed with various silicious compounds

com- ;
in

bination with iron, nickel is always found, and

sometimes also cobalt, copper, tin, and chromium ;
 5 84 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

among the silicates, olivine is especially worthy of

remark as a mineral very abundant in volcanic
rocks, as also augite. There have also been found
in the meteoric stones hitherto examined, oxygen,
hydrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, carbon, aluminium,
magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, manga-
nese, titanium, lead, lithium, and strontium.
The height at which meteors appear is very
various, and ranges chiefly between the limits of
46 and 92 miles ;
the mean may be taken at 66
miles. The speed at which they travel is also
various, generally about half as fast again as that
of the earth’s motion round the sun, or about 26
miles in a second : the maximum and minimum
differ greatly from this amount, the velocity of some
meteors being estimated at 14 miles, and that of
others at 107 miles in a second.
When a dark meteorite of this kind, having a
velocity of 1,660 miles per minute, encounters the
earth, flying through space at a mean rate of 1,140
miles per minute, and when through the earth’s at-
traction its velocity is further increased 230 miles per
minute, this body meets with such a degree of re-
sistance, even in the highest and most rarefied state
of our atmosphere, that it is impeded in its course,

and loses in a very short time a considerable part of

its momentum. By this encounter there follows a
result common to all bodies which while in motion
suddenly experience a check. When a wheel re-
volves very rapidly, the axletree or the drag which
is placed under the wheel is made red-hot by the
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 585

friction. When a cannon-ball strikes suddenly with

great velocity against a plate of iron, which constantly
happens at target practice, a spark is seen to flash
from the ball even in daylight; under similar circum-
stances a lead bullet becomes partially melted. The
heat of a body consists in the vibratory motion of
its smallest particles; an increase of this molecular
motion is synonymous with a higher temperature
a lessening of this vibration is termed decreasing
heat, or the process of cooling. Now, if a body in

motion, as for instance a cannon-ball, strike against

an iron plate, or a meteorite against the earth’s
atmosphere, in proportion as the motion of the
body diminishes and the external action of the
moving mass becomes annihilated by the pressure
of the opposing medium upon the foremost molecules,
the vibration of these particles increases; this motion
is immediately communicated to the rest of the mass,
and by the acceleration of this vibration through all

the particles the temperature of the body is raised.

This phenomenon, which always takes place when
the motion of a body is interrupted, is designated
by the expression the conversion of the motion of the
mass into molecular action or heat it is a law without
exception that where the external motion of the mass
is diminished, an inner action among its particles
or heat is set up in its place as an equivalent,
and it may be easily supposed that even in the
highest and most rarefied strata of the earth’s
atmosphere, the velocity of the meteorite would be
rapidly diminished by its opposing action, so that
586 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

shortly after entering our atmosphere the vibration

of the inner particles would become accelerated
to such a degree as to raise them to a white heat,
when they would either become partially fused, or
if the meteorite were sufficiently small, it would be
dissipated into vapour, and leave a luminous track
behind it of glowing vapours.
Haidinger, in a theory embracing all the phe-
nomena of meteorites, explains the formation of
a ball of fire round the meteor by supposing that
the meteorite, in consequence of its rapid motion
through the atmosphere, presses the air before it till

it becomes luminous. The compressed air in which

the solid particles of the surface of the meteorite
glow then rushes on all sides, but especially over
the surface of the meteor behind it, where it encloses
a pear-shaped vacuum which has been left by the
meteorite, and so appears to the observer as a ball
of fire. If several bodies enter the earth’s atmo-
sphere in this way at the same time, the largest
among them precedes the others, because the air
offers the least resistance to its proportionately
smallest surface ;
the rest follow in the track of the
first meteor which is the only one surrounded by a
ball of fire. When by the resistance of the air the
motion of the meteor is arrested, it remains for a
moment perfectly still; the ball of fire is extinguished,
the surrounding air rushes suddenly into the vacuum
behind the meteor, which, left solely to the action
of gravitation, falls vertically to the earth. The
loud detonating noise usually accompanying this
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 587

phenomenon finds an easy explanation in the violent

concussion of the air behind the meteor, while the

generally received theory that the detonating noise
is the result of an explosion or bursting of the
meteorite does not meet with any confirmation.
The circumstance that most meteors are extin-
guished before reaching the earth seems to show
that their mass is but small. If the distance of a
meteor from the earth be ascertained, as well as
its apparent brightness as compared with that of a
planet, it is possible, by comparing its luminosity with
that of a known quantity of ignited gas, to estimate
the degree of heat evolved in the meteor’s combus-
tion. As this heat originates from the motion of
the meteor being impeded or interrupted by the re-
sistance of the air, and as this motion or momentum
is exclusively dependent on the speed of the meteor
as well as upon its mass, it is possible when the rate
of motion has been ascertained by direct observa-
tion to determine the mass. Prof. Alexander Her-
schel has calculated by this means that those meteors
of the 9th and 10th of August, 1863, which equalled
the brilliancy of Venus and Jupiter, must have pos-
sessed a mass of from five to eight pounds, while those
which were only as bright as stars of the second or
third magnitude, would not be more than about ninety
grains in weight. As the greater number of meteors
are less bright than stars of the second magnitude,
the faint meteors must .weigh only a few grains, for
according to Prof. Herschel’s computation the five

meteors observed on the 12th of November, 1865,

588 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

some of which surpassed in brilliancy stars of the first

magnitude, had not an average weight of more than
five grains; and Schiaparelli estimated the weight of
a meteor from other phenomena to be about fifteen
grains. The mass, however, of the meteoric stones
which fall to the earth is considerably greater,
whether they consist of one single piece, such as
the celebrated iron-stone discovered by Pallas in
Siberia, which weighed about 2,000 lb., or of a cloud
composed of many small bodies which penetrate the

Fig. 218.

earth’s atmosphere in parallel paths, as shown in

Fig. 218, and which from a simultaneous ignition
and descent upon the earth, present the appear-
ance of a large meteor bursting into several smaller
pieces. Such a shower of stones, accompanied by a
bright light and loud explosion, occurred at L’ Aigle,
inNormandy, on the 26th of April, 1803, when the
number of stones found in a space of 14 square
miles exceeded 2,000. In the meteoric shower that
fell at Küyahinga, Hungary, on the 9th of June,
in

1866, the principal stone weighed about 800 lb., and

 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 589

was accompanied by about a thousand smaller

stones, which were strewed over an area of 9 miles
in length by 3i broad.
It must not be supposed, however, that the density
of such a cosmical cloud is as great when out of the
reach of the attraction of the sun and the earth as
when its constituents fall upon the earth’s surface.
Schiaparelli calculates, from the number of meteors
observed yearly in the month of August, that the
distance between any two must amount, on the
average, to 460 miles. As the cosmical clouds
which produce the meteors approach the sun in their
wanderings from the far-off regions of space, they
increase in density some million times, therefore the
distance between any two meteors, only a few grains
in weight, before the cloud begins to be condensed,
may be upwards of 40,000 miles.
The most striking exampleof such a cosmical cloud
composed of small bodies loosely hung together, and
existing with hardly any connection one with another,
is exhibited in the meteoric showers occurring
periodically in August and November. It is an
ascertained fact that on certain nights in the year
the number of meteors is extraordinarily great, and
that at these times they shoot out from certain fixed
points in the heavens. The shower of meteors which
happens every year on the night of the 10th of
August, proceeding from theconstellation of Perseus,
is mentioned in many old writings. The shower of
the 1 2th and 13th of November occurs periodically
every thirty- three years, for three years in succession,
590 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

with diminishing numbers ;

it was this shower that
Alexander von Humboldt and Bonpland observed on
the 1 2th of November, 1799, as a real rain of fire.

It recurred on the 12th of November, 1833, in such

force that Arago compared it to a fall of snow, and
was lately observed again in its customary splendour
in North America, on the 14th of November, 1867.
Besides these two principal showers, there are
almost a hundred others recurring at regular inter-
vals; each of these is a cosmical cloud composed of
small dark bodies very loosely held together, like
the particles of a sand cloud, which circulate round
the sun in one common orbit. The orbits of these

meteor streams are very diverse ;

they do not lie ap-
proximately in one plane like those of the planets,
but cross the plane of the earth’s orbit at widely dif-

ferent angles. The motion of the individual meteors

ensues in the same direction in one and the same
orbit ;
but this direction is in some orbits in con-

formity with that of the earth and planets, while in

others it is in the reverse order.

The earth in its revolution round the sun occupies

every day a different place in the universe; if, there-

fore, a meteoric shower pass through our atmo-

sphere at regular intervals, there must be at the

place where the earth is at that time an accumula-
tion of these small cosmical bodies, which, attracted
by the earth, penetrate its atmosphere, are ignited
by the resistance of the air, and become visible

as falling stars. A cosmical cloud, however, can-

not remain at a fixed spot in our solar system,
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 591

but must circulate round the sun as planets and

comets do ;
whence it follows that the path of a
periodic shower intersects the earth’s orbit, and
the earth must either be passing through the cloud,
or else very near to it, when the meteors are visible
to us.
The meteor shower of the 10th of August, the
radiant point of which is situated in the constellation
of Perseus, takes place nearly every year, with vary-
ing splendour ;
we may therefore conclude that the
small meteors composing this group form a ring
round the sun, and the earth every 10th of August
is at the spot where this ring intersects our orbit
also that the ring of meteors is not equally dense in
all parts : here and there these small bodies must
be very thinly scattered, and in some places even
altogether wanting.
Fig. 219 shows a very small part of the elliptic
orbit which this meteoric mass describes round the
sun S. The earth encounters this orbit on the 10th
of August, and goes straight through the ring of
meteors. The dots along the ring indicate the
small dark meteors which ignite in our atmosphere,
and are visible as shooting stars. The line m is the
line of intersection of the earth’s orbit and that
of the meteors ;
the line P S shows the direction
of the major axis of their orbit. This axis is fifty

times greater than the mean diameter of the earth’s

orbit ;
the orbit of the meteors is inclined to that of
the earth at an angle of 64° 3', and their motion
is retrograde, or contrary to that of the earth.
592 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

The November shower is not observed to take place

every year on the 12th or 13th of that month, but it
is found that every thirty- three years an extraordinary

shower occurs on those days, proceeding from a point

Fig. 219.

Orbit of the Meteor Shower of the loth of August.

in the constellation of The meteors composing

Leo.
this shower, unlike the August one, are not dis-

tributed along the whole course of their orbit, so as

to form a ring entirely filled with meteoric particles,
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 593

but constitute a dense cloud, of an elongated form,

which completes its revolution round the sun in thirty-
three years, and crosses the earth’s path at that point
where the earth is every 13 th of November.
When the November shower reappears after the
lapse of thirty-three years, the phenomenon is re-

peated during the two following years on the 13th

Fig. 220.

Orbit of the November Meteor Shower.

of that month, but with diminished splendour ;

the
meteors, therefore, extend so far along the orbit as
to require three years before they have all crossed
the earth’s path at the place of intersection; they
are, besides, unequally distributed, the preceding
part being much the most dense.
38
594 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

A very small part of the elliptic orbit, and the

distribution of the meteors during the November
shower, is represented in Fig. 220. As shown in

the drawing, this orbit intersects that of the earth

at the place where the earth is about the 14th of
November, and the motion of the meteors, which
occupy only a small part of their orbit, and are very
unequally distributed, is retrograde, or contrary to
that of the earth. The inclination of this orbit to that
of the earth is only 17° 44' ;
its major axis is about
ten and one-third times greater than the diameter
of the earth’s orbit, and the period of revolution for
the densest part of the meteorites round the sun S
is thirty-three years three months.
From all we have now learned concerning the
nature and constitution of comets, nebulae, cosmical
clouds, and meteoric swarms, an unmistakable re-

semblance will be remarked among these different

forms in space. The affinity between comets and
meteors had been already recognized by Chladni,
but was the first to take
Schiaparelli, of Milan,
account of all the phenomena exhibited by these
mysterious heavenly bodies, and with wonderful
acuteness to treat successfully the mass of observa-
tions and calculations which had been contributed
during the course of the last few years by Oppol-
zer, Peters, Bruhns, Heis, Le Verrier, and other

observers. He not only shows that the orbits of

meteors are quite coincident with those of comets,
and that the same object may appear to us at one
time as a comet and at another as a shower of
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 595

meteors, but he proves also by a highly elegant

mathematical calculation that the scattered cosmicai
masses known to us by the name of nebulae would,
if in their journey through the universe they were to
come within the powerful attraction of our sun, be
formed into comets, and these again into meteoric
showers.
We should be carried away too far from our sub-
ject were we to enter fully into the consideration of
this bold and ingenious theory of the Milan astro-
nomer, supported though it be by a series of facts

but while we refer the reader to vol. xx. of “ Natur-

wissenschaftlichen Volksbücher ” by A. Bernstein,
in which this subject, “ die Räthsel der Sternsch-
nuppen und der Kometen,” is fully treated of in
a very clear and attractive manner, we shall confine
ourselves to the following short statement of Schia-
parelli’s theory.

Nebulae are composed of cosmicai matter in which

as yet there is no central point of concentration, and
which has not become sufficiently dense to form
a celestial body in the ordinary sense of the term.
The diffuse substance of these cosmicai clouds 'is

very loosely hung together ;

its particles are widely
separated,thus constituting masses of enormous
some of which have taken a regular form,
extent,
and some not. As these nebulous clouds may be
supposed to have, like our sun, a motion in space,

it will sometimes happen that such a cloud comes

within reach of the power of attraction of our sun,
The attraction acts more powerfully on the preceding
38 A
596 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

part of the nebula than on the further and following

portion ;
and the nebula while still at a great dis-
tance begins to lose its original spherical form, and
becomes considerably elongated. Other portions
of the nebulous mass follow continuously the pre-
ceding part, until the sphere is converted into a long
cylinder, the foremost part of which, that towards
the sun, is denser and more pointed than the follow-
ing part, which retains a portion of its original
breadth. As it nears the sun, this transformation of
the nebulous cloud becomes more complete : illumi-

nated by the sun, the preceding part appears to us as

a dense nucleus, and the fqllowing part, turned away
from the sun, as a long tail, curved in consequence
of the lateral motion preserved by the nebula during
its progress. Out of the original spherical nebula,
quite unconnected with our solar system, a comet
has been formed, which in its altered condition will

either pass through our system to wander again in

space, or else remain as a permanent member of our

planetary system. The form of the orbit in which it

moves depends on the original speed of the cloud,

its distance from the sun, and the direction of its

motion, and thus its path may be elliptical, hyper-

bolical, or parabolical ;
in the last two cases, the
romet appears only once in our system, and then
ceturns to wander in the realms of space ;
in the
former case, it abides with us, and accomplishes its

course round the sun, like the planets, in a certain

fixed period of years. From this it is evident that
the orbits of comets may occur at every possible angle
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 597

to that of the earth, and that their motion will be

sometimes progressive and sometimes retrograde.
The history of the cosmical cloud does not, how-
ever, end with its transformation into a comet.
Schiaparelli shows in a striking manner that, as a

comet is not a solid mass, but consists of particles

each possessing an independent motion, the head or
nucleus nearer the sun must necessarily complete its

orbit in less time than the more distant portions of

the tail. The tail will therefore lag behind the
nucleus in the course of the comet’s revolution, and
the comet, becoming more and more elongated, will

at last be either partially or entirely resolved into a

ring of meteors. In this way the whole path of the
comet becomes strewn with portions of its mass, with
those small dark meteoric bodies which, when pene-
trating the earth’s atmosphere, become luminous, and
appear as falling stars. Instead of the comet, there
now revolves round the sun a broad ring of meteori
stones, which occasion the phenomena we every
year observe as the August meteors. Whether this

ring be continuous, and the meteoric masses strewn

along the whole course of the path of the original
comet, or whether the individual meteors, as in the
November shower, have not filled up entirely the
whole orbit, but are still partially in the form of a
comet, is in the transformation of a cosmical cloud
through the influence of the sun only a question of
time ;
in course of years the matter composing a
comet which describes an orbit round the sun must
be dispersed over its whole path if the original orbit
;
 ;

598 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

be elliptical, an elliptic ring of meteors will gradually be

formed from the substance of the comet of the same size

andform as the original orbit .

Schiaparelli has in fact discovered so close a

resemblance between the path of the August meteors
and that of the comet of 1862, No. III., that there
cannot be any doubt as to their complete identity.
The meteors to which we owe the annual display of
falling stars on the 10th of August are not distri-

buted equally along the whole course of their orbit

it is still possible to distinguish the agglomeration
of meteoric particles which originally formed the
cometary nucleus from the other less dense parts of
the comet; thus in the year 1862 the denser por-
tion of this ring of meteors through which the earth
passes annually on the 10th of August, and which
causes the display of falling stars, was seen in the
form of a comet, with head and tail as the densest
parts, approached the sun and earth in the course of
that month. Oppolzer, of Vienna, calculated with
great accuracy the orbit of this comet, which was
visible to the naked eye. Schiaparelli had pre-
viously calculated the orbit of the meteoric ring to
which the shooting stars of the 10th of August
be long before they are drawn into the earth’s atmo-
sphere. The almost perfect identity of the two orbits
justifies Schiaparelli in the bold assertion that the
comet of 1862, No. III., is no other than the remains of

the comet out of which the meteoric ring of the 10/h of

August has been formed in the course of time . The
difference between the comet’s nucleus and its tail
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA .
599

that has. now been formed into a ring, consists in

that while the denser meteoric mass forming the
head approaches so near the earth once in every
hundred and twenty years as to be visible in the

reflected light of the sun, the more widely scattered

portion composing the ring remains
of the tail

invisible, even though the earth passes through it

annually on the ioth of August. Only fragments of

this composed of dark meteoric particles,
ring,
become when they pene-
visible as shooting stars
trate our atmosphere by the attraction of the earth,
and ignite by the compression of the air.
A cloud of meteors of such a character can natu-
rally only be observed as a meteor shower when in

the nodes of its orbit, — that is to say, in those points

where it crosses the earth’s orbit, —and then only
when the earth is also there at the same time, so
that the meteors pass through our atmosphere. The
nebula coming within the sphere of attraction of our
so larsystem, would, at its nearest approach to the
sun (perihelion), and in the neighbouring portions of
its orbit, appear as a comet and when ,
it grazed the
reath’s atmosphere would be seen as a shower of
meteors.

Calculation shows that this ring of meteors is about

10,948 millions of miles in its greatest diameter.
As the meteoric shower of the ioth of August lasts
about six hours, and the earth travels at the rate
of eighteen miles in a second, it follows that the
breadth of this ring at the place where the earth
crosses it is 4,043,520 miles. In Fig. 221, AB
6oo SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
represents a portion of the orbit of the comet of
1862, No. III., which is identical with that (Fig. 219)
of the August shower.
Fig. 221.

Orbits of the August and November Meteor Showers.

(Orbits of Comets III., 1862, and I., 1866.)

The calculations of Schiaparelli, Oppolzer, Peters,

and Le Verrier have also discovered the comet pro-
ducing the meteors of the November shower, and
have found it in the small comet of 1866, No. I.,
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 601

first observed by Tempel, of Marseilles. Its trans-

formation into a ring of meteors has not proceeded

nearly so far as that of the comet of 1862, No. III.

Its existence is of a much more recent date ;

and
therefore the dispersion of the meteoric particles
along the orbit, and the consequent formation of
the ring, is but slightly developed.
According to Le Verrier, a cosmical nebulous
cloud entered our system in January 126, and
passed so near the planet Uranus as to be brought
by its attraction into an elliptic orbit round the sun.
This orbit is the same as that of the comet dis-

covered by Tempel, and calculated by Oppolzer,

and is identical with that in which the November
group of meteors make their revolution.
Since that time, this cosmical cloud, in the form of
a comet, has completed fifty-two revolutions round
the sun, without its existence being otherwise made
known than by the loss of an immense number
of its components, in the form of shooting stars,
as it crossed the earth’s path in each revolution, or
in the month of November in every thirty- three
years. It was only in its last revolution, in the year
1866, that this meteoric cloud, now forming part of
our solar system, was first seen as a comet.
The orbit of this comet is much smaller than that
of the August meteors, extending at the aphelion
as far as the orbit of Uranus, while the perihelion is

nearly as far from the sun as our earth. The comet

completes its revolution in about thirty-three years
and three months, and encounters the earth’s orbit
6o2 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

as it is approaching the sun towards the end of

September. It is followed by a large group of
small meteoric bodies, which form a very broad and
long tail, through which the earth passes on the
13th of November. Those particles which come in

contact with the earth, or approach so near as to be

attracted into its atmosphere, become ignited, and
appear as falling stars. As the earth encounters
the comet’s tail, or meteoric shower, for three suc-
cessive years at the same place, we must conclude
the comet’s track to have the enormous length of
1,772 millions of miles. In Fig. 221, C D repre-
sents a portion of the orbit of this comet which is

identical with the orbit (Fig. 220) of the November

meteors.
By the side of these important conclusions, which
the observation and acuteness of modern astrono-
mers have been able to make concerning the nature
and mutual connection of nebulae, comets, meteors,
and balls of fire, the results of spectrum analysis
as applied to meteors will seem to be exceedingly
scant. This is easy to understand when we reflect

how rapidly these fiery meteors rush through our

atmosphere, and how difficult it is to lay hold of
them with the spectroscope during their instan-
taneous apparition. Before the instrument can be
directed to a meteor or ball of fire, and the focus
adjusted, the object has disappeared from view. The
application, therefore, of spectrum analysis to these
fleeting visitors is left almost entirely to chance, and
is mainly confined to those nights in which yearly,
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA . 603

or at certain known periods, an extraordinary shower

of falling stars is expected to occur.
In the year 1865, Alexander Herschel drew atten-
tion to the expected fall of meteors in the ensuing
year, and suggested that they should be observed
with the spectroscope, on the ground that some few
spectroscopic observations previously made had
shown the spectrum of a meteor to be a continuous
one, without any dark lines. Browning, a master in
the art of constructing spectrum apparatus, under-
took the investigation, and observed in the nights

Fig. 222.

Browning’s Meteor Spectroscope.

of the 9th and 10th of August, as well as during

the early morning hours of the 14th of November,
at his observatory at Upper Holloway, near London,
as many as seventy spectra of meteors and their
trains.

The hand spectroscope of Huggins, described at

p. 480, and represented in Fig. 173, as constructed
by Browning for the direct observation of the solar
appendages during an eclipse, is well adapted for
these investigations ;
but a still better instrument
is that drawn in Fig. 222, specially constructed by
604 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
Browning- for his own use in the observation of
meteors, in which the apparent angle caused by the
velocity of the meteor is diminished, and which, on
account of the large field of view, greatly facilitates
the observation of a falling- star.

This instrument consists of a direct-vision com-

pound prism P, and a plano-concave cylindrical
lens L. Mj, M M 2 ,
3
denote three successive places
in the flight of a meteor, and m m
l9 2, show the
path of the rays from the meteor to the lens L,
while the dotted lines indicate the course taken by
the rays in their passage through the refracting
media. The ray reaches the eye viewing it

through the prism at the same moment as the ray

m z ;
the eye, therefore, commands the large space
in the heavens included between M, and M 3,
and
can observe accordingly a meteor shooting over
that space without the instrument being moved. In
such a spectroscope the meteor appears to be sta-
tionary, and its spectrum can be observed without
difficulty. Browning was able with this instrument
to observe the spectra of some fireballs thrown into
the air only a few feet from him. Although the
angular velocity of such balls was very great, yet
the characteristic lines of their component metals,
barium, strontium, etc., were very clearly seen. If a
bi-concave lens of longer focus than the cylindrical
lens be placed immediately in front of L, and turned
towards the heavens, rays of a still greater con-
vergence, reaching beyond M, and M 3,
will be
brought within the range of the eye, and the field
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 605

of view of the instrument considerably increased by

this means.
Instead of observing the spectrum with the un-
assisted eye, a small telescope may be employed,
the position and direction of which with regard to
the prisms is represented in Fig. 173.
In conducting these investigations, Browning
directed the instrument to that point in the heavens
whence the meteors proceeded, and thus succeeded
in retaining a few of the great number that fell in

the field of the spectroscope, and observing the

character of their spectra.
The spectra of the heads of the meteors were
mostly continuous, in which all the prismatic colours
of the solar spectrum were visible excepting violet.
In certain instances, however, the yellow prepon-
derated in the spectrum ;
in others the spectrum
consisted almost entirely of one homogeneous
yellow hue, though nearly every other colour, from
red to green, was very faintly visible. In two
instances the spectrum presented a homogeneous
green tint. No remarkable difference in the light

of the nuclei of the August and November meteors

was perceptible.
In most of the August meteors only one yellcw
line of intense brilliancy remained in the spectrum
of the tail or track of light left behind, when it

began to dissipate, — the unmistakable sign of the

presence of luminous gas, a line which could only
be compared to the line of glowing sodium.
In the November meteors, on the contrary, the
6o6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

spectrum of the train was characterized by con-

tinuity and breadth, but by a deficiency of colour.
The light, which was mostly blue, green, or steel-

grey, appeared in general to be homogeneous ;

but
this appearance might arise from the light being too
weak to yield a visible spectrum, as in the case of
stars below the second and third magnitude, where
the red and blue rays are wanting in the spectrum,
though doubtless present in the light of the star.
The yellow line given by the train of the August
meteors was altogether absent in that of the
November meteors.
The principal result of these investigations is

confined, therefore, to the establishment of the fact

that meteors consist of incandescent solid bodies,
and that a difference is discernible in the chemical
composition of the August and November meteoric
showers.
The November shower of 1868 was observed by
Secchi. Among numerous meteors that left a
the
train of light behind them was one the track of
which lasted fifteen minutes, and was at first suffi-

ciently bright to allow of examination by a prism.

Secchi found the spectrum to be discontinuous, and
the principal bright bands and lines were red,
yellow, green, and blue. Besides this observation,
Secchi was so fortunate as to see two meteors in the

spectroscope : the magnesium line appeared with

great distinctness, besides which some lines were
also seen in the red.
On account of the great difficulty of observing^
 METEORS AND THEIR SPECTRA. 607

meteors with a narrow setting of the slit, ordinary

spectroscopes are not suited to this purpose. The
hand spectroscope described at p. 480, however, can-
not show any sharp lines, even when the meteor
contains elements which in an ordinary spectroscope
would yield bright lines.* The only resource, there-
fore, is to substitute a cylindrical lens for the slit,

and there can be no doubt that an apparatus of this

kind will be employed in future with great success

in the investigation of meteors by means of spec-
trum analysis.

70. Spectrum of Lightning.

From the close connection between lightning and
the electric spark, it was to be anticipated that a

flash of lightning would yield a spectrum closely

allied to that of the ordinary electric discharge when
passed through the air, and that it would therefore
consist of the bright lines belonging to the atmo-
spheric air, and therefore pre-eminently those of
nitrogen. This was, in fact, proved to be the case by

Captain Herschel during a storm when the flashes of

lightning were very numerous, on which occasion he
found, by the use of a hand spectroscope (Fig. 172),
that among the numberless bright lines visible, the
blue nitrogen line was the brightest, while the red

* [In the case of meteors which have a small apparent diameter,

the bright images appear sufficiently narrow for identification, as
is found to be the case when the instrument is directed to distant
fireworks.]
6o8 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
line of hydrogen, H «, was also present. Besides
this spectrum of lines, there was visible at the same
time a bright continuous spectrum exhibiting the
principal colours.
The ordinary spectrum of lightning produces the
impression of green and blue, or rather of greenish-
blue ;
but as in bright flashes all the prismatic
colours are visible, it must be supposed that the
part between the lines E and F is so much brighter
than the rest as to cause the impression of those
colours to predominate in the spectrum. The varia-
tion of relative brightness of the continuous spec-
trum and of the spectrum of lines is very surprising :

at times the lines are scarcely visible ;

and at other
times, with the exception of the lines, there is

scarcely any spectrum to be seen.

The difficulty of distinguishing the many fainter
lines is considerably increased by the instantaneous
character of the phenomenon. Before a certain
line has been selected, the faint impression upon
the retina has disappeared, and the remembrance of
the line half determined upon has passed away
before another flash succeeds, so that there remains
no standard of comparison.
The most complete observations that have yet
been made on the spectra of lightning are those by
Professor Kundt, of Zürich, by whom upwards of
fifty flashes of lightning have at different times been
observed with a pocket spectroscope. In addition
to the spectra consisting of bright lines, there always
appeared other spectra formed of a great number of
 SPECTRUM OF LIGHTNING. 609

fainter bands, somewhat broader than the lines,

and disposed regularly at equal intervals one from

another.
The spectra of lines consisted of one and some-
times of two lines in the extreme red, a few very
bright lines in the green, and some less bright in

the blue, besides a still greater number much

fainter, most of which, however, were sharply de-
fined. The spectra of different flashes were so far
different, that while certain lines were very brilliant

in one flash, they were entirely wanting in another,

where they were replaced by a set of lines which
were invisible in many other flashes.
The spectra of bands were quite as dissimilar,
the coloured bands in some flashes appearing in
the blue and violet ;
in others in the green as well,

and occasionally only in the red.

In most cases each flash had only one of these
spectra. The spectra of lines were usually given by
the forked flashes, while sheet lightning yielded the
spectra of bands. In only two cases did the same
flash first give a bright spectrum of lines very
sharply defined, and then suddenly show a spectrum
of bands evenly distributed throughout.
The two kinds of spectra correspond with the dif-

ferent colours in which both descriptions of lightning

appear to the unassisted eye : the light of forked
lightning is usually white, while that of sheet light-
ning is mostly red, but sometimes violet and bluish.
This is in conformity with the different colours

exhibited by the discharges of electrical machines,

39
6io SPECTRUM ANAL YSIS .

according to the form in which they appear,

whether as a spark or a brush of light. While the
light of a spark discharged into the air is more or

less white according to the nature of the bodies

between which it passes, the colour of the electric
brush is red or violet, and that of the electric glow
is violet or bluish. The light of the electric spark
always gives a spectrum of lines, while that of the
brush or glow discharge exhibits a spectrum of bands.
The investigations of Kundt lead to the conclu-
sion that the difference in the spectra of lightning
depends upon the mode in which the electricity of

the atmosphere is discharged, whether through the

earth or between the clouds. When an electric
cloud discharges itself into the earth, the discharge
occurs at a state of high tension, and, accompanied
by a great development of heat, darts to the ground
in the form of a forked flash, passing on its way
through the atmospheric air, that is to say through a
gaseous mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, watery vapour,
and carbonic acid. According as one or other or
several together of these gases are raised by the
flash to a glowing state, the spectrum of the light-
ning assumes a different form. When, on the con-
trary, the discharge takes place from one cloud into
another, it occurs usually in the form of a brush,
because in consequence of the previous electrical
attraction both clouds have received pointed and
indented forms, and in such circumstances a high
degree of tension is rarely attained, and the current
frequently passes as a rapid succession of discharges
 SPECTRUM OF THE AURORA BOREALIS. 61

which take the form of a brush of light. The various

kinds of electrical discharges are accompanied by a
corresponding variety in the report ;
if in the form
of a spark, it is well known that a single sharp crack
is heard ;
the brush discharge is never accompanied

by a single clap, but always by a hissing or rushing

noise, with a series of faint cracks in rapid succes-
sion : the glow discharge is perfectly noiseless.
All these phenomena lead to a simple explanation
of the various kinds of lightning, whether in the
form of forked flashes, sheet lightning, or summer
lightning, as well as of the sounds by which they
are accompanied of the simple clap and the peal of
thunder but the few observations yet made upon
;

the spectra of lightning suggest a number of ques-

tions which can only be answered by a series of
additional observations.

71. Spectrum of the Aurora Borealis.

The splendid phenomena exhibited by a brilliant
display of the Aurora Borealis, are always accom-
panied by a greater or less disturbance of the mag-
netic needle, so that the Aurora has long been
supposed to be occasioned by the noiseless passage
of electricity through the rarefied portions of the
upper regions of the atmosphere, — a kind of glow
discharge or electric display, such as is exhibited
by discharging a quantity of electricity through a
Geissler’s tube filled with highly rarefied air.

Angstrom’s spectrum observations of this object

do not seem to confirm this conjecture, for the lumi-

39 a
6j2 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
nous arch skirting the dark segment, and never
absent in a faint show of Aurora, gives a spectrum of
one bright line situated to the left of the well-known
calcium group of the solar spectrum. Besides this
o
comparatively very intense line, Angstrom observed,
with a wider slit, traces of three very faint bands
reaching nearly to the Fraunhofer F-line, but only
once did faint lines appear in this region during the
undulations of a very flickering arch. The light of
the Aurora Borealis is therefore almost homogeneous
(monochromatic). A special interest attaches to
these observations, made in the winter of 1867-68,

from the circumstance that the zodiacal light gave

o
the same line as observed by Angstrom for a week
together, in March 1867, at Upsala, where it was
seen with remarkable intensity for that latitude, and
in one brilliant starlight night, when the whole
heavens appeared to be phosphorescent, traces of
this homogeneous light were visible in the spectro-

scope, from the faint light proceeding from all parts

of the sky.
The bright line mentioned above, the place of
which has been determined by Struve to be No.
1259 of KirchhofPs scale (between D and E), with
a probable error of ten or fifteen units, corre-
o
sponds, according to Angstrom, to a wave-length of
0*0005567 of a millimetre, and is not coincident
with any known line of a terrestrial element. This
line is introduced into Angstrom’s spectrum of the
telluric lines, Fig. 95, as a dotted line between £
and E at 556. (Vide Plate VI.)
 SPECTRUM OF THE AURORA BOREAL/S. 613

The display of Aurora Borealis on the 15th of

April, 1869, visible in Western Europe, Russia, and
America, and which at New York exhibited an
appearance of extraordinary beauty, was observed
there by Prof. Winlock with the spectroscope. In
opposition to the observations made in Europe, he
found the spectrum to consist of five bright lines,
the positions of which he has determined, according
to Huggins’ scale, to be 1280, 1400, 1550, 1680,
and 2640. The divisions of Kirchhoffis scale 1247,
1351, and 1473 correspond to the first three numbers,
consequently Winlock’ s spectrum of the Aurora ap-
proaches very closely the representation given in

Plate IX., No. 3, where it stands in connection with

the spectrum of the corona No. 2, and that of the
prominences No. 1, as observed by Young in the
total eclipse of the 7th of August, 1869. Of these
lines the third (1474 K.) is the brightest. The spec-
trum of the Aurora has been repeatedly observed
in America by D. K. Winder. A bright line in the
yellow was nearly always seen by him close to D,
but less refrangible, and was coincident with one of
the dark lines in the telluric group which appears in
the solar spectrum when the sun is near the horizon ;

beside this line, there was a fainter one in the green,

and on one occasion a line appeared also in the red.

The Aurora was observed by Rayet and

Borealis
Sorel on the 15th and 16th of April, 1869, when the
spectrum showed very clearly the characteristic
auroral line (wave-length, 5567 ten millionth of a milli-
metre —Angstrom), as well as the atmospheric lines.
 6 14 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
The Aurora of the 6th of October, 1869, was
examined by Flögel with the spectroscope. On this
occasion also the light appeared to be homogeneous,
though with a moderate opening of the slit the spec-
trum showed only the yellow characteristic line, the
position of which was estimated at about 1230 (K.)
When the slit was opened as much as 1 *3 millimetre,
a faint green light made its appearance, which was
roughly estimated to extend as
' far as the F line.

This light could not be concentrated into a line of

light by any contraction of the slit. No such faint
light was perceptible in the direction of the red, a
fact which precludes the possibility of this light being
occasioned by some stellar light finding its way into
the spectroscope through the slit.*

On the 5th of April, 1870, a display of the Aurora

was examined by A. Schmidt at Lennep (Rhenish
Provinces). The spectrum here, again, consisted of
one remarkably bright and broad line, somewhat to
the right of D towards E, which varied in intensity,

* [The spectrum of the Aurora was observed by Mr. Ellery, of

Melbourne, on April 5, 1870. “The red streamers,” he writes,
“ were gorgeous, and emitted light enough to read a newspaper by.
The most remarkable and brightest of the lines in the spectrum
was a red line more refrangible than C a greenish band or two
;

in the position of the green calcium lines, and a cloudy band,

more refrangible, appeared as if irresolvable into lines. The dark
segment rested on the sea-horizon. Above this was an arch of
greenish auroral light, and from a well-defined boundary of this
the rose-coloured streamers started zenithwards. The red line
disappeared immediately the spectroscope was directed to any
point below this boundary, and only the green lines remained.
The loss and reappearance of the red line was as sharp as possible
as the slit passed from the red to the green region.”]
 SPECTRUM OF THE AURORA BOREALIS. 615

at times appearing very faint, and immediately after-

wards shining out with great brilliancy. From the
neighbourhood of this line to F, there stretched a con-

tinuous band, which became resolved frequently into

three lines, bright, though fainter than the first line.

A magnificent exhibition of the Aurora Borealis

was visible on the 24th and 25th of October, 1870,
over the greater part of Europe, which for beauty
and extent has hardly ever been exceeded in this

portion of the globe. On the 24th of October it

extended over the northern and western portions of

the sky, and covered more than a fourth of the whole
horizon. Upon the luminous red background there
appeared three deep red streamers very sharply
defined, to which the cloudlessheavens and the
brilliancy of the stars upon the red sky gave an
additional splendour.
On the 25th of October the phenomenon offered
the rare spectacle of an auroral crown. A number
of flaming streamers of the Aurora which shot out
on all sides, were united at a point in the heavens
a little to the south of the zenith. On that evening
all the large streamers, most of which were of a
crimson hue, crossed by white rays, converged
towards that central point which preserved un-
changed its position with regard to the horizon.*
Professor Förster, of Berlin, found that the spec-
trum of the Aurora of the 25th of October consisted
* This point, as observed at Maidenhead, was situated to the
south of v Cygni, by one-third of the distance between that star
and a Cygni. —(Translators’ Note.)
6i6 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
only of the same narrow greenish-yellow band of
light the position of which has been already de-
termined, and which is not coincident with any of the
lines of known elements. In those portions, however,
of the sky which to the eye seemed unilluminated,
the spectroscope revealed very clearly the charac-
teristic line of the Aurora. Dr. Tietjen states that
some weeks previously, in the same observatory, upon
evenings when no trace of Aurora was visible, the
spectroscope showed the same line in several places
in the sky.

On the same evening, Capron at Guildford ob-

served in the spectrum of the Aurora a very bright
line in the green, which was distinctly visible in all

parts of the sky, but which appeared with remark-

able brilliancy in the silver- white rays of the Aurora.
Besides this line, there was also a much fainter line
in the red, which is the lithium line.

An observer at St. Mary Church, Torquay, de-

scribes the spectrum as consisting of four lines in the
red and one line in the green of these a strongly ;

marked red line was near C, a strongly marked pale

yellow line near D, a paler one near F, and a still
fainter one beyond there was also a faint con-
;

tinuous spectrum that extended from D to beyond

F. The line near C was the brightest of all the
lines in position and colour it lay between the red
;

lines of lithium and calcium. The observer is of

opinion that two spectra were here superposed, one
produced by the red rays, consisting of the four lines

and the faint continuous spectrum, the other given

 SPECTRUM OF THE AURORA BOREALIS. 617

by the remaining light, showing the greenish line

near D.
Gibbs, observing in London on the same evening,
saw only a line in the red very similar to the C-line
(H a), and another line in the pale green part of
the spectrum.
Eiger, in Bedford, also observed a red band near
C, a very bright white band near D, apparently the
characteristic line of the Aurora mentioned before as
being visible on the 25th of October in every portion
of the sky, a faint and ill-defined line near F, as well
as an exceedingly faint line about midway between
these last two lines. The red band was absent from
the spectrum of the white rays of the Aurora, whereas
the remaining three lines were always visible. These
observations establish the supposition that the dif-

ferent rays of the Aurora Borealis produce different

spectra.
On the same evening the Aurora was observed by
Zöllner at Leipzig with one of Browning’s miniature
spectroscopes (Figs. 49 and 172), when he obtained
the spectrum represented in Fig. 223. In order to
collect sufficient light, the slit was opened tolerably
wide ;
and for the purpose of securing an approxi-
mate estimate of the position of the lines of the
Aurora, those of lithium and sodium were produced
simultaneously by means of a spirit lamp. The line

(2) in the green part of the spectrum is in all pro-

bability the characteristic auroral line (1474 K.); the

red line (1) in this case also was only well seen
when the instrument was directed to those parts of
 8

61 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.
the sky which appeared to be deep red, while the
green line (2) was brilliant in every part of the
Aurora. In the blue parts of the spectrum the faint
bands a, ß were only occasionally seen, of which the

most striking was the broad dark band ß as it ap-

peared against a bright background.
The English observers speak of some remarkably
faint, ill-defined bright bands near F and a little

beyond it, as well as of a continuous spectrum bqr

tween D and F ;
Zöllner, on the contrary, regards
these ill-defined bands in the blue as the remains

Fig. 223.

1 I 1

Li Her N«
Spectrum of the Aurora Borealis after Zöllner.

of the continuous spectrum which has been broken

up by the darJz absorption bands a, ß.
It was not till after the disappearance of the Aurora
that Zöllner was able to observe in the same spectro-
scope the sepetra of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen,
and carbonic acid in Geissler’s tubes ;
nevertheless
this observer was convinced, in consequence of the
simultaneous observation of the spectrum of sodium
and that of lithium, that the red line of the Aurora
(1) was not coincident with the brightest parts in the
spectra of any of these four gases. It is more
refrangible than the red hydrogen line H which
is acknowledged also by the English observers, and
may possibly, according to Zöllner, lie near the
 SPECTRUM OF THE AURORA BOREALIS 619

position of the group of dark telluric lines a (Ang-

strom, Fig. 95, Plate VI.), situated between C and
D in the solar spectrum, the mean wave-length of

which is 0*0006279 of a millimetre.

Since the chief lines in the spectrum of the Aurora
Borealis are not found to be coincident with those
of any of the spectra hitherto observed of terrestrial
elements, Zöllner concludes that if the light de-
veloped by the Aurora be chiefly of an electric

character analogous to the gases made luminous

in a vacuum-tube, it must belong to a temperature
lower than that at which it is possible to observe the
spectra of gases rendered luminous in a Geissler’s
tube. The spectrum of the Aurora Borealis is not there-

fore coincident with any of the known spectra of gases of

our atmosphere ,
because it is a spectrum of an order that
has not yet been artificially produced.
For a further explanation of the mysterious phe-
nomenon of the Aurora Borealis, more complete
measurements of the position of the various lines of
its spectrum are necessary, made at various distances
from the North Pole, especially within the polar
circle ;
while, on the other hand, physicists will
feel impelled to test by suitable experiments the
ingenious and well-grounded theory of Zöllner, and
compare the results of their investigations with the
spectroscopic observations of the Aurora Borealis.
 APPENDIX A.

ON THE CAUSE
OF THE

INTERRUPTED SPECTRA OF GASES.

G. JOHNSTONE STONEY, M.A., F.R.S.*

In the Philosophical Magazine for August 1868,

there is a paper “ On the Internal Motions of
Gases,” f by the author of the following communi-
cation, in which a comparison is instituted between
these motions and the phenomena of light, from
which the conclusion is drawn that the lines in the

spectra of gases are to be referred to periodic mo-

tions within the individual molecules, and not to the
irregular journeys of the molecules amongst one
another.

* From the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, read January 9, 1871.

f In reading that paper, the reader is requested to correct 16 2 into Viö at

the end of paragraph 2.
 APPENDIX . 621

Mr. Stoney thinks it possible now to advance

another step in this inquiry, and has given to the
Royal Irish Academy an account, of which the
following is an abstract, of the grounds upon which
he founds this hope.

A pendulous vibration, according to the meaning which has

been given to that phrase by Helmholtz, is such a vibration as
is executed by the simple cycloidal pendulum. It is, accordingly,
one which the relation between the displacement of each
in
particleand the time is represented by the simple curve of sines,
of which the equation is

y — Ca + Q sin (x + a),

where y - C0 is the displacement of the particle from its central

position ; Q is the amplitude of the vibration ;
x stands for
27T f, where t is the time from a fixed epoch, and r the period of a
complete double vibration ;
and a is a constant depending on the
phase of the vibration at the instant which is taken as the epoch
from which t is measured.
Now we may not assume that the waves impressed on the
ether by one of the periodic motions within a molecule of a gas
are of this simple character. We must expect them to be usually
much more involved. And whatever may happen to be the in-

tricacy of their form near to their origin, they will retain sub-
stantially the same complex character so long as they advance
through the open undispersing ether, in which waves of all
lengths travel at the same rate. But it would seem that a very
different state of things must arise when the undulation enters a
dispersing medium, such as glass.

Let us suppose thafr the undulation* before it enters the glass

consists of plane waves. Then, whatever the form of these waves,
the relation between the displacement of an element of the ether
and the time may be represented by some curve repeated over
and over again. This curve may be either one continuous curve,
or parts of several different curves joined on to one another. In
the latter case (which includes the other) one of the sections of
the curve may be represented by the equations
* By the term tmdulation is to be understood a series of waves.
622 APPENDIX.

y=<t> o (x) from x=o to x=x 1} \

y--(pi (
x ) from x=x l
to x~x t, \

and so on to (

y-(pi (x) from x=x to x=2ir, )

y being the displacement, and x being an abbreviation for 27r^’

where r is the complete periodic time of one wave.

The undulation in vacuo will then be represented, according to
Fourier’s well-known theorem, by the following series :

y = A 0 + A, cos x + A, cos 2x+ ... \

v

^
+ Bi sin x + B2 sin 2X+ . . . j

where the coefficients are obtained from equations (1) by the de-
finite integrals

cos nx dx = Tr A n
, ,

(3)

sin nx, dx= 7 rB, 4

.

Equation (2), the equation of the undulation before it enters

the glass, may be put into the more convenient form

y- A 0 =C! sin (x + a^) -i-C a sin (

2X + a2 ) + ... (4)

where y - A is 0 the displacement from the position of rest, and

the new constants are related to those of equation (2) as follows :

CB = V + B; t, a,. = tan— 1
-g (5)

The first term of expansion (4) represents a pendulous vibration

of the full period r the remaining terms represent harmonics of
;

this vibration ;
i. e., their periodic times are |-t, ^r, etc. All of
these also are pendulous so that equation (4) is equivalent to the
;

statement that whatever be the form of the plane undulation

before entering the glass, it may be regarded as formed by the
superposition of a number of simple pendulous vibrations, one
of which has the full periodic time q while the others are har-
monics of this vibration.

Moreover these vibrations will coexist in a state of mechanical

independence of one another, if the disturbance be not too violent
or the legitimate employment of the principle of the super-
 APPENDIX. 623

position of small motions. So long as the light traverses undis-

persing space these constituent vibrations will strictly accompany
one another, since in open space waves of all periods travel at
the same velocity. The general resulting undulation will there-
fore here retain whatever complicated form it may have had at
first. But when the undulation enters such a medium as glass,
in which waves of different periods travel at different rates, the
constituent vibrations are no longer able to keep together, each
being forced to advance through the glass at a speed depending
on its periodic time. Thus there arises a physical resolution
within the glass of series (4) into its constituent terms.* And
if the glass be in the form of a prism, the pendulous undulations

corresponding to the successive terms of series (4) will emerge

in different directions, so that each will give rise to a separate

line in the spectrum of the gas.

We thus find that one periodic motion in the molecules of the
incandescent gas may be the source of a whole series of lines in
the spectrum of the gas. The ;/th of these lines is represented
by the term
C fl
sin (nx + an),

in which CM is the amplitude of the vibration ;

and consequently
Ci represents the brightness of the line. If some of the co-
efficients of series (4) vanish, the corresponding lines are absent
from the spectrum. This is analogous to the familiar case of the
suppression of some of the harmonics in music, and appears to

* Other expansions similar to Fourier’s series can be conceived, in which the

terms, instead of representing pendulous vibrations, would represent vibrations
of any other prescribed form ;
and hence a doubt may arise whether the
physical resolution effected by the prism is into the terms of the simpler series.
That it is so may, perhaps, not be susceptible of demonstration ;
but the follow-
ing considerations seem t5 show it to be probable in so high a degree that it is

the hypothesis which we ought provisionally to accept. For, first, the form of
the emerging vibrations is independent of the material of the prism, since the
lines correspond to the same wave-lengths as seen in all prisms ;
and, secondly,
it is independent of the amplitude of the vibration within very wide limits,

since the positions of the lines remain fixed through great ranges of temperature,
and in many cases, when the temperature falls so low that the lines fade out
through excessive faintness. The first consideration shows the series to be the
same under varying circumstances ; and the second consideration suggests, as in
the theory of the superposition of small motions, that this series is a series of
pendulous vibrations.
624 APPENDIX.

be what usually occurs in those spectra which are called by

Pliicker spectra of the Second Order.
In spectra of this kind the lines which fall within the limits
of the visible spectrum appear at first sight to be scattered at
irregular intervals. This may arise, and probably does in most
cases arise in part, from the circumstance that there may be
several distinct motions in each molecule of the gas, each of
which produces its own series of harmonics in the spectrum,
which by their being presented together to the eye give the
appearance of a confused maze of lines. But it appears also to
arise in part from the absence of most of the harmonics, so that
it is not easy to trace the relationship between the few that re-

main. To do so without the assistance of spectra of the First

Order, requires that we should have at our disposal determina-
tions of the wave-lengths of the lines made with extraordinary
accuracy ;
and perhaps in a few cases, as, for example, in the
case of hydrogen, the marvellous determinations which have been
°
made by Angstrom may have the requisite precision.
....
The ordinary spectrum of hydrogen consists of four lines, cor-

responding to C in the solar spectrum, F, a line near G, and h.

To these it is. possible that we ought add a conspicuous line

to
in the solar prominences which lies near D, but which has not
yet been found in the artificial spectrum of hydrogen. Of these
lines, three, viz., C, F, and h, are tobe referred to the same motion
in the molecules of the gas.
In fact the wave-lengths of these lines, as determined by
Angstrom,* are :

// = 4ioi*2 tenth-metres.
F=486o*74 „
C = 6562 ’io ,,

These are their wave-lengths in air of standard pressure and

14
0
temperature, determined with extraordinary precision. We
must correct these for the dispersion of the air, so as to arrive at

the wave-lengths in vacuo which are proportionate to the periodic

times. Now, by interpolating between Ketteler’s observations t

on the dispersion of air, we find

* Angstrom’s Recherches sur le Spectre Solaire, p. 3 1 A tenth-metre means .

10
a metre divided by io ; similarly a fourteenth-second is a second of time
14
divided by io .

t Phil. Mag. 1866, vol. xxxii., p. 345.

 APPENDIX. 625

!J-h- i'ooo 29952,

MF= I’OOO 29685,
/*c- i’ooo 29383
for the refractive indices of air of standard pressure and tempe-
rature for the rays h, F, and C. From these we deduce that if
0
the air be at 14 of temperature, the refractive indices will become
i’ooo 2845,
mf= i’ooo 2820,
^c=i’ooo 2791.
Multiplying the foregoing wave-lengths by these values, we find

for the wave-lengths in vacuo,

/z = 41 02 tenth-metres,
*3 7

F=4862’ii „
C = 6563'93 „
which are the 32nd, 27th, and 20th harmonics of a fundamental
vibration whose wave-length in vacuo is

o’i3i277i4 of a millimetre,
as appears from the following Table :

Observed wave-lengths
reduced to wave-lengths Calculated values. Differences.

in vacuo.

Tenth-metres. Tenth-metres. Tenth-metres.

^ = 4102*37 131277*14 = 4102*41 + 0.04
F = 4862*1 -sV x I3i277’i4=4862’i2 + 0*0
C = 6563*93 sV x I3i277’i4 = 6563’86 -o’o 7

Thus the outstanding differences are all fractions of an eleventh-

metre, an eleventh-metre being the limit within which Angstrom
thinks that his measures may be depended on.
The wave-length o’i3i277i4 of a millimetre corresponds to the
periodic time 4’4 fourteenth-seconds, if we assume the velocity of
light to be 298,000,000 metres per second.
Hence we may conclude, with a good deal of confidence, that
4’4 fourteenth-seconds is very nearly the periodic time of one of
the motions within the molecules of hydrogen.
The other harmonics of this fundamental motion in the mole-
cules of hydrogen — viz., the 19th, 21st, 22nd, etc., harmonics —are
40
626 APPENDIX.

not found in this spectrum of hydrogen. But two other spectra

of hydrogen are known to exist in which there are a great number
of lines and possibly the missing harmonics will be found among
;

them when their positions shall have been sufficiently accurately

mapped down. A far more moderate degree of accuracy will suffice
in this case than was required by the foregoing investigation.
But it is from the examination of spectra of the First Order that
the most copious results may be expected. These spectra consist
of lines ruled close to one another, and presenting in the aggregate
the appearance of patterns which often resemble the flutings on a
pillar. When these spectra are more carefully examined, it is pro-
bable that the whole series of lines occasioning one of the fluted
patterns will be found to be the successive harmonics of a single
motion in the molecules of the gas. may readily be shown that
It

such patterns as are met with in nature may in this way arise. For
this purpose it is only necessary to make some suitable hypothesis
as to the original undulation impressed by the gas upon the ether.
Thus, if same as that of the
the law of this undulation were the
motion of a point near the end of a violin-string, and of a periodic
time sufficiently long (as, for example, two million-millionths of a
second), this undulation, when analyzed by the prism, would give
a spectrum covered with lines ruled at intervals about the same as
that between the two D
and of intensities varying so as to
lines,

become gradually and then gradually fainter several times

brighter
in succession in passing from line to line along the spectrum. These
alternations would give a fluted appearance to the spectrum and ;

from appropriate hypotheses as to the original vibration, all the

patterns met with in nature would result. Possibly it may prove
to be practicable to trace back from the appearances presented
within the limits of the visible spectrum to the character of the
original motion to which they are all to be referred. But, however
this may be, it will be easy in a spectrum of this kind, in which we
have a long series of consecutive harmonics, to determine at least
the period of this motion ;
and it is in the examination of these
spectra that the most easily obtained results may be expected.
But the necessary observations are at present almost altogether
wanting. The only case in which the author had been able to
arrive at any result was that of the nitrogen spectrum of the First
Order, observed by Pliicker. It would appear from his observa-
 APPENDIX. 627

tions* that the more refrangible of the two fluted patterns observed
by him is due to a motion in the gas having a wave-length of about
°'89376 of a millimetre, which corresponds to a periodic time of
three twelfth-seconds, one of the flutings consisting of the thirty-five
harmonics from about the 1960th to the 1995th.
This result, however, does not command the confidence which
the preceding determination of one of the periodic times in hydro-
gen does ;
but it will suffice to show the character of the much
easier investigation which has to be made in the case of gases

which produce spectra of the First Order.

Note. Since the foregoing communication was made to the Royal Irish
Academy, Mr. Stoney and Mr. J. Emerson Reynolds, of Dublin, have pub-
lished an account of a detailed examination of the absorption spectrum of the
vapour of chlorochromic anhydride at atmospheric temperatures. (See Phil.
Mag. for July 1871.) This vapour, which is of a brown colour, absorbs very
little of the red, while it entirely obliterates the other end of the spectrum,
shutting out the blue, indigo, and violet ;
and in the interval between these
two regions, extending over the orange, yellow, and green, there are about
120 or 130 lines. The positions of 31 of these, distributed irregularly over
nearly the whole of this range, were measured. In doing this, those lines
were selected of which the positions could be determined accurately with the
most ease, and in every one of these cases the position of the line was found to
be that which Mr. Stoney’s theory assigns to it.

According to the theory, the whole series of lines is due to a single motion
in the molecules of the vapour. And the periodic time of this motion as
given by the observations is —
2*70
,
where r is the time which light takes to

advance one millimetre. The Authors are of opinion that this determination
cannot be in error by more than one five-hundredth part of its amount, and it
indicates, if the theory can be depended on, that the fundamental motion is

executed rather more than eight hundred thousand millions of times in each
molecule of the vapour every second of time.
In order to complete this picture, we should bear in mind that according to
the most recent estimates of physicists, the number of molecules in each cubic
millimetre of the vapour is about a million times a million of millions.
Messrs. Stoney and Reynolds have also attempted to extract some informa-
tion about the character of the motion, from the succession of intensities of the
lines in the spectrum ;
and they arrive at the conclusion that it bears a curious
relation to the motion of a certain point upon a violin string while the bow is
being drawn, viz. ,
a point that lies at a distance of nearly but not quite two-
fifths of the length of the string from one end.

* Philosophical Transactions for 1865, p. 7, § 16.

40 A
 APPENDIX B.

Preliminary Catalogue of the Bright Lines in the

Spectrum of the Chromosphere. By C. A.
Young, Ph.D., Professor of Astronomy in
Dartmouth College.
[Added by ihe Tran stators from the Philosophical Magazine for
November 1871.)

The following list contains the bright lines which

have been observed by the writer in the spectrum
of the chromosphere within the past four weeks. It

includes, however, only those which have been seen

twice at least ;
a number observed on one occasion
(September 7) still await verification.
The spectroscope employed is the same described
in the Journal of the Franklin Institute for November
1 870 ;
but certain important modifications have
since been effected in the instrument. The telescope
and collimator have each a focal length of nearly
10 inches, and an aperture of § of an inch. The
prism-train consists of five prisms (with refracting
angles of 55°) and two half-prisms. The light is

sent twice through the whole series by means of a

prism of total reflection at the end of the train, so
that the dispersive power is that of twelve prisms.
The instrument distinctly divides the strong iron
 APPENDIX. 629

line at 1961 of Kirchhoff’s scale, and separates B

(not b) into its three components. Of course it easily
shows everything that appears on the spectrum-
o
maps of Kirchhoff and Angstrom. The adjustment
for “ the position of minimum deviation” is auto-
matic; i. e . ,
the different portions of the spectrum
are brought to the centre of the field of view by a
movement which at the same time also adjusts the
prisms.
The telescope to which the spectroscope is at-

tached is the newmounted in

equatorial recently
the observatory of the College by Alvan Clark and
Sons. It is a very perfect specimen of the admirable
optical workmanship of this celebrated firm, and
has an aperture of 9^ inches, with a focal length of
12 feet.
In the Table, the first column contains simply the
reference number. An asterisk denotes that the
line affected by it has no well-marked corresponding
dark line in the o
rdinary solar spectrum.
The second column gives the position of the line
upon the scale of Kirchhoff’s map, determined by
direct comparison with the map at the time of ob-
servation. In some cases an interrogation mark is

appended, which signifies not that the existence of

the line is doubtful, but only that its precise place
could not be determined, either because it fell in a
shading of fine lines, or because it could not be
decided in the case of some close double lines which
of the two components was the bright one, or,

finally, because there were no well-marked dark

630 APPENDIX.

lines near enough to furnish the basis of reference

for a perfectly accurate determination.

The third column gives the position of the line

o
upon Angstrom’s normal atlas of the solar spectrum.
In this column an occasional interrogation mark
denotes that there is some doubt as to the precise
o
point of Angstrom’s scale corresponding to Kirch-
hoff’s. There is considerable difference between
the two maps, owing to the omission of many faint
lines by Angstrom, and the want of the fine gra-
dations of shading observed by Kirchhoff, which
renders the co-ordination of the two scales some
times difficult, and makes the atlas of Kirchhoff far
superior to the other for use in the observatory.
The numbers in the fourth column are intended
to denote the percentage of frequency with which
the corresponding lines are visible in my instrument.
They are to be regarded as only roughly approxi-
mative ;
it would, of course, require a much longer
period of observation to furnish results of this kind
worthy of much confidence.
In the column the numbers denote the rela-
fifth

on a scale where ioo is

tive brilliance of the lines

the brightest and i the faintest. These numbers

also, like those in the preceding column, are entitled
to very little weight.
The sixth column contains the symbols of the
chemical substances to which, according to the
maps above referred to, the lines owe their origin.
There are no disagreements between the two
authorities; in the majority of cases, however,
 APPENDIX. 631

Angstrom alone and there

indicates the element ;

are several instances where the lines of

more than
one substance coincide with each other and with a
line of the solar spectrum so closely as to make it

impossible to decide between them.

In the seventh and last column the letters J., L.,

and R. denote that, to my knowledge, the line indi-

cated has been observed, and its place published by

Janssen, Lockyer, or Rayet. It is altogether pro-
bable that a large portion of the other lines con-
tained in the catalogue have before this been seen
and located by one or the other of these keen and
active observers ;
but if so, I have as yet seen no
account of such determinations.
I would call especial attention to the lines num-
bered 1 and 82 in the catalogue ;
they are very per-
sistently present, though faint, and can be distinctly
seen in the spectroscope to belong to the chromo-
sphere as such, not being due, like most of the
other lines, to the exceptional elevation of matter
to heights where it does not properly belong. It

would seem very probable that both these lines are

due to the same substance which causes the D 3

line.

I do not know that the presence of titanium

vapour in the prominences and chromosphere has

before been ascertained. It comes out very clearly

from the catalogue, as no less than 20 of the whole
103 lines are due to this metal.
Hanover, N.H., Sept. 13, 1871.
632 APPENDIX.

Preliminary Catalogue of Chromospheric Lines.

Relative Brightness. Chemical

Reference Number. Relative Elements.
Kirchhoff.
Angstrom.
Frequency.

I 534*5 7060-0? 60 3
2 654*5 6677-0? 8 4 L.
3 C 6561-8 100 100 'h L.J.
4 719-0 6495*7 2 2 Ba
5 734 *o 6454*5 2 3
6 743
*? 6431*0 2 2
7 768-? 6370-0 2 2
8 8i6-8 6260-3 1 1 Ti
9 820-0 6253-2 1 2 Fe
10 874-2 6140-5 6 8 Ba L.
11 D, 5894*8 10 10 Na L.
12 d 2 5889-0 10 10 Na L.
*13 1017*0 5871-0 100 75 J
14 1274*3 5534*0 6 8 Ba L,
15 1281-5 55 2
6*0 1 1 Fe
16 1343*5 5454*5 1 2 Fe
17 1351*3 5445*9 1 2 Fe, Ti.
18 1363*1 5433 *o 1 1 Fe
*19 1366-0 5430*0 2 3
20 1372*0 5424*5 3 4 Ba L.
21 I 37 8
5?
*

5418-0? 1 2 Ti?
*22 1382*5 5412-0 1 1

23 1391-2 5403*0 2 2 Fe, Ti

24 1397*8 5396-2 1 2 Fe
25 1421-5 5370'4 1 2 Fe R.
26 H3 i *3 536o-6 2 2 R.
27 H 54*7 5332*0
•1
2 2 Ti
28 1462-9 5327*7 3 Fe
j
29 |
1463*4 5327*2 1
3 Fe
30 1465-0? 5321-0 2 2
Corona line )
,1
31 j

1
I 474 *i
i 53 i 5*9 75 15 Fe? L.
32 I 505*5 5283*0 5 4
33 I 5 I 5-5 5275 *o 7 5
L. R.
34 Ei 5269*5 1
3 Fe, Ca
35 j
e2 5268-5 1 2 Fe
36 1528-0 5265*5 3 2 Fe, Co L.
37 1561 -o 5239 *o 1 1 Fe
38 1564-1 5236*2 1 1

39 1567-7 5233*5 2 2 Mn R.
40 i 569*7 5232*0 1 2 Fe
4i 1577*3 5226-0 1 2 Fe
42 1580-5? 5224*5 1 1 Ti?
43 1601 -5 5207*3 3 3 Cr, Fe?
44 1604-4 5205*3 3 3 Cr
45 1606-5 5203*7 3 3 Cr, Fe?
46 1609-3 5201-6 1 2 Fe
47 161 1 *5 5 i 99*5 1 1

48 1615-6 5 97I *°
3 2 I •
R
49 5183*0 15 *5 Mg r
50 b 5172-0 15 15 Mg r
5 i
<
r 5 i6
8'5 12 10 Ni r
52 \b 5166-5 10 10 Mg r
 APPENDIX . 633

Preliminary Catalogue of Chromospheric Lines — continued.

8.; «tä O ^ •3 *j «
1 •- c
jj

b .2 U,
sM <2
<u
3
cr 13 W> 1 |
c
&£ £ PCs
m 05 f^O

53 1673-9 5 I 53"2 i i Na
54 1678-0 5150-1 i 2 Fe
55 1778-5 5077-8 1 1 Fe
56 1866-8 5 OI 7"5 2 3 R.
57 1870-3 5 oi 5-o? 2 2 R.
5« 1989-5 4933-4 8 5 Ba L.
59 2001 -5 4923-2 5 3 Fe R. L.
60 2003-2 4921-3 1 1

61 2007-1 4918-1 3 3 L.
62 203 1 -O 4899-3 6 4 Ba L.
63 2051-5 4882-5 2 2 L.
64 F. 4860-6 100 75 H J. L.
6S 2358-5 4629-0 1 Ti
66 2 4 I 9’3 4583-5 1 1

67 2435 '5 4571-4 1 1 Li

68 2444-0 4564-6 1 1

69 2446-6 4563-1 1 2 Ti
70 2457’8 4555-o 1 1 Ti
7i 2461 -2 4553*3 3 3 Ba
72 2467-7 4548-7 1
3 Ti
73 2486-8 4535-2 1 1 Ti, Ca?
74 2489-5 4533-2 1 1 Fe
75 2490*6 4531-7 1 1 Ti
76 2502'5 4524-2 2 2 Ba
77 2505-8 4522-1 1 2 Ti
78 2537-3 4500-4 1 3 Ti
79 2553-0? 4491 -o? 1 1 Mn?
80 2555-0? 4489-5? 1 1 Mn?
81 2566-5 4480-4 1 2 Mg L.

82 258I-5? 4471-4 8
\ A band rather than a
75 ) line.
83 2585-5 4468-6 1 1 Ti
84 2625 "O 4443-0 1 1 Ti
85 2670-0 44H-6 1 1 Fe, Mn
86 2686-7 4404-3 1 2 Fe
87 2705-0 4393-5 3 2 Ti
88 2719-0? 4384-8 1 1 Ca?
89 2721 -2 4382-7 1 2 Fe
90 2734-0? 4372-o 1 1

9i 2737-0? 4369-3? 1 1 Cr?

92 2775-8 4352-o 1 1 Fe, Cr
93 2796-O 4340-0 100 5o H L. J.
94 G. 4307-0 1 2 Fe, Ti, Ca
95 2770-0 4300-0 1 1 Ti
96 4297-5 1 1 Ti, Ca
97 4289 -o 1 2 Cr
98 4274-5 1 2 Cr
99 4260-0 1 1 Fe
100 4245-2 1 1 Fe
IOI 4226-5 1 1 Ca
102 42I5-5 1 2 Fe, Ca
103 h 4101-2 100 20 H R. L.
 LIST OF WORKS ON SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

LECTURES OR MEMOIRS RELATING TO THE

SUBJECT OF SPECTRUM ANALYSIS GENE-
RALLY.
Brewster, Sir D. :

Data towards a History of Spectrum Analysis. Compt. Rend.,

lxii., 1 7.

Delaunay, M. Ch. :

Notice sur la Constitution de FUnivers. Premiere Partie : Ana-

lyse Spectrale. Annuaire (1869) publie par le Bureau des
Longitudes. Paris, Gauthier-Villars.
DiBBlTS, H. C. :

De Spectraal- Analyse. Academisch Proefschrift. Rotterdam,

Tasselmeyer, 1863.
Grandeau, L. :

Instruction pratique sur PAnalyse Spectrale. Paris, Mallet-

Bacheher, 1863.
Herschel, Alex. S. :

On the Methods and recent Progress of Spectrum Analysis.

Chem. News, xix., 157.
PIoppe-Seyler :

Die Spectralanalyse. Ein Vortrag. Berlin, 1869, Liideritz’scher

Verlag.
Huggins, W. :

Spectrum Analysis, applied to the Heavenly Bodies. A Discourse

delivered at Nottingham before the British Association. 1866.
Jam in :

Lemons sur PAnalyse Spectrale. Journal Pharm., Third Series,

xlii., 9. 1862.
Lielegg, A. :

Die Spectralanalyse. Weimar, Friedr. Voigt, 1867.

636 LIST OF WORKS ON
Lorscheid, J. :

Die Spectralanalyse, Münster, Aschendorff, 1870.

Miller, W. A. :

Lectures on Spectrum Analysis, 1862. Pharm. Journ., Second

Series, Chem. News, v., 201 214.
iii., 339. —
A Course of Four Lectures on Spectrum Analysis, with its Appli-
cations to Astronomy. Delivered at the Royal Institution of
—
Great Britain, May June 1867. Chem. News, xv., 259, 276 ;

xvi., 8, 20, 47, 71.

Exeter Lecture, 1869. Popular Science Review, Oct. 1869.

Moigno, Fr. :

Sur 1’ Analyse Spectrale. Cosmos, xxii., 23, 52, 75.

Morton, H. :

Spectrum Analysis. Journ. of the Franklin Instit., 1869 (3), lviii.,

56, 136.

Mousson, a. :

Rösumö de nos Connaissances Actuelles sur le Spectre. Arch,

des Sciences Nat. de Geneve. T. x., 221.

ROSCOE, H. E. :

Lectures on Spectrum Analysis, delivered at the Royal Institu-

tion of Great Britain, 1861. Chem. News, iv., 118.
Ditto, 1862. Chem. News, v., 218, 261, 287.
Spectrum Analysis. Six Lectures, delivered in 1868, before the
Society of Apothecaries of London. London, Macmillan,
1869. —
Deutsche Ausgabe, bearbeitet von C. Schorlemmer,
Braunschweig, Vieweg und Sohn, 1870.
Schellen, H. :

Die Spectralanalyse in ihrer Anwendung auf die Stoffe der Erde

und die Natur der Himmelskörper. 2. Auflage. Braunschweig,
G. Westermann, 1871.
Secchi, A. :

Resume des resultats de l’Analyse Spectrale. N. Arch. Ph. Nat.,

xxiii., 145.

Simmler, R. Th. :

Beiträge zur chemischen Analyse durch Spectral-beobachtungen.

Chur, 1861.
Thalen, R. :

Spektralanalys expose och Historik, mcd en Spektralkarta. Upsala,

1866.

Valentin, G. :

Der Gebrauch des Spectroskops zu physiologischen und ärztlichen

Zwecken. Leipzig und Heidelberg, Winter’sche Buchhandlung
1863.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. 637

II.

MEMOIRS RELATING TO THE APPLICATION

OF SPECTRUM ANALYSIS TO TERRES-
TRIAL SUBSTANCES.
1. Relating to Spectra generally, and the direct
Spectra of the Elements.
Allen, O. D.
Observations on Caesium and Rubidium. Sill. Journ., Nov. 1862.
Angstrom, A. J.:
Optische Untersuchungen. Pogg. Ann., xciv., 141.
(The electric spark is shown to give a double spectrum,
that of the atmospheric air or gas through which the sparks
pass, and that of the incandescent metallic particles of the
electrodes.)

Attfield :

On the Carbon Spectrum. Phil. Trans., 1862, p. 221.

Becquerel, Edm. :

La lumiere, T. i. et ii. —
Paris, Firmin Didot Fr£res, 1867 et 1868.
(Valuable on account of the investigation of the spectra of
phosphorescent substances.)
Brassack :

Ueber die elektrischen Spectra der Metalle. Zeitschrift f. d. ges

Naturw. ix., 185.
Brewster, Sir D. :

On the Action of various Coloured Bodies on the Spectrum. Phil.

Mag. (4), xxiv., 441.
Bunsen, R. :

Entdeckung der neuen Alkalimetalle. Berliner Monats-Ber. 10

Mai, i860, p. 221. (The discovery of Caesium.)
Ueber das Atomgewicht des Caesiums. Pogg. Ann., cxix., 1.

Ueber ein fünftes der Alkaligruppe angehörendes Element. Berl.

Mon.-Ber., 1861, p. 273. (Rubidium.)
Ueber Darstellung der Rubidiumverbindungen. Ann. Chem.
Pharm., cxxii., 347
Ueber das Vorkommen von Lithium in Meteoriten. Ann. Chem.
Pharm., cxxxi., 253.

Bunsen und Bahr :

Ueber das Erbiumspectrum. Ann. Chem. Pharm., cxxxvii., 1.

 : : :

638 LIST OF WORKS ON

Cappel, E. :

Einfluss der Temperatur auf die Empfindlichkeit der Spectral-

reaction. Pogg. Arm., cxxxix., 628.
C HANTARD
Phenomenes observes dans les Spectres produits par la Lumiere de&
Courants d’Induction traversant les gaz rarefies. Compt.
rend., lix., 383.
Christofle and Beilstein :

Surle Spectre du Phosphore. Ann. Chim. Phys. (4), iii., 280.

COOKE, J. P. :

On the Projection of the Spectra of the Metals. Sill. Jour. (2),

xl., 243.
Crookes, W.
On a Means of Increasing the Intensity of Metallic Spectra. Chem.
News, v., 234.
On the Existence of a new Element, probably of the Sulphur
Group. Chem. News, iii., 193.
The Discovery of the Metal Thallium. Chem. News, 1863, p. 13.
On Thallium and its Compounds. Chem. Soc. Journ., xvii., 112.
Debray, H. H. :

Sur la Projection des Raies brillantes des Flammes Colorees par

les Metaux. Ann. Chem. Phys. (3), lxv., 331 Sill. Jour. ;

(2), xxxiv., 407.

Diacon, M. E. :

Recherches sur lTnfluence des Elements electro-negatifs sur le

Spectre des M^taux. Ann. Chim. Phys. (4), vi., 1.

(With drawings of the Spectra of Copper Chloride and
Bromide.)
Diacon and Wolf :

Sur les Spectres des Metaux Alcalins. Mdm. de PAcad. de

Montpellier, 1863.
Dibbits :

Ueberdie Spectra der Flammen einiger Gase. Pogg. Ann., cxxii.,

497 -

Ditscheiner, L. :

Ueber die Krümmung von Spectrallinien. Wien. Ber., li., 2,

p. 368. Les Mondes, viii., 471.

F izeau :

Note sur la Lumiere emise par le Sodium brillant dans TAir.

Compt. rend., liv., 493.
Frankland, E.
On the Combustion of Hydrogen and Carbonic Oxide in Oxygen
under great pressure. Proc. Roy. Soc., xvi., 419.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. 639

Frankland, E. :

On the Blue Band of the Lithium Spectrum. Ph. Mag. (4), xxii., 472.
Frazer, W. :

On the Spectrum of Osmium. Chem. News, 1 8th July, 1863.

Gladstone, J. H. :

On an Optical Test for Didymium. Chem. Soc. journ., 1858, 219-

On the Use of the Prism in Qualitative Analysis. Chem. Soc.
Journ., x., 79. Zeitschr, f. Naturw., x., 52.

On the Violet Flame of many Chlorides. Phil. Mag. (4), xxiv.,417.

Gottschalk, F. :

Ueber die Möglichkeit, Uebereinstimmung unter den Spectral,

apparaten zu erzielen. Pogg. Ann., cxxi., 64.
Grandeau, L. :

Recherches sur le Presence de Rubidium et Caesium dans les Eaux

Naturelles, les Mineraux et les Vegetaux. Ann. Chim. Phys.
(3), lxvii.
Hinrichs, G.
On the Distribution of Lines in Spectra. Sill. Journ., July 1864.
Huggins, W.
On the Spectra of some of the Chemical Elements. Phil. Trans.,

1864, p. 139. — Pogg. Ann., cxxiv, 275, 621.

(Valuable treatise, giving exact measurement of the spectrum
lines of twenty-four metals, with maps.)
Ketteler :

Wellenmessungen der Metalllinien, Monatsber. der Berl. Akad. d.

Wissensch, 1864, p. 632.
Kirchhoff and Bunsen :

Chemische Analyse durch Spectralbeobachtungen. I. Theil. Pogg.

Ann., cx. 161. — II. Theil. Pogg. Ann., cxiii., 337.
Kindt
Phosphorescenzlicht. Pogg. Ann., cxxxi., 160.
Lamy, A.
De 1 ’Existence d’un Nouveau Metal, le Thallium. Ann. Chim.
Phys. (3), lxvii., 385.
Leeds, A. R.
On the Spectra of certain Metallic Compounds. Journ. of the
Franklin Inst., lx., 194.

Lielegg, A.
Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Flammenspectren kohlenstoffhaltiger
Gase. K. Akad. d. Wiss. Wien, April 1868.
Mascart :

Bestimmung der Wellenlängen der Metalllinien vermittelst des

Gitterspectrums. Ann. scient. de l’Ecole Normale superieure.
Paris, iv., 1868.
 : : :: : ;

640 LIST OF WORKS ON

Melville, Th. :

On the Examination of Coloured Flames by the Prism. Edinburgh,

Phys. and Lit. Essays, ii., 12 (1752).
(One of the first investigations by Spectrum Analysis.)
Merz, S.
Ueber des Farbe'nspectrum. Pogg. Ann., cxii., 654.
(The D-line is resolved into seven lines.)
Miller, W. A. :

Note on the Spectrum of Thallium. Proc. Roy. Soc., xii., 407.

Mitscherlich, Al. :

Beiträge zur Spectralanalyse. Pogg. Ann., cvi., 499; cxvi., 499.

Ueber die Spectren der Verbindungen und der einfachen Körper.

Pogg. Ann., cxxi., 459.

Morren, M. A.
De la Flamme de quelques Gaz Carbures et en particulier de
celle de FAcetylöne et du Cyanogene. Ann. Chim. Phys. (4),
iv., 305.
(With drawing of the Carbon Spectrum.)
Mulder, E.
Ueber die Spectren von Phosphor, Schwefel und Sellen. Journ.
• f. pract. Chem., xci., 1 1 1.

Muller, J.
Bestimmung der Wellenlänge einiger hellen Spectrallinien. Pogg.
Ann., cxviii., 641.
Wellenlängen von Metalllinien. Fortschr. d. Physik. 1863, p. 191

1865, p. 229.
Wellenlänge der blauen Indiumlinie. Pogg. Ann., cxxiv., 637.
PlÜcker, F.
Analyse Spectrale. Cosmos, xxi., 283, 312.
Messungen der Wellenlängen von Metalllinien. Wiedemann,
Galv., ii., 875.
Ueber die Constitution der elektrischen Spectra der verschiedenen
Gase und Dämpfe. Pogg. Ann., ciii., 88; civ. 113, 622;
cv., 67 ;
cvii., 77, 41 5.

On Spectral Analysis. Rep. Brit. Assoc., 1862, 2. p. 15.

Plucker and Hittorf:

On the Spectra of Ignited Gases and Vapours, with regard to
the different Spectra of the same Elementary Gaseous
Substance. Phil. Trans. 1865, 1. Jahresbericht, 1864, no.
(With drawings of the Spectra of the various orders.)

Roscoe and Clifton :

On the Effect of Increased Temperature upon the Nature of the

Light emitted by the Vapour of certain Metals or Metallic
Compounds. Chem. News, v., 233.
 SPECTR UM ANAL YSIS. 641

F. Reich and Th. Richter :

Vorläufige Notiz über ein neues Metall (Indium). Erdmann’s

Journ., Ixxxix., 441.
Ueber das Indium. Erdmann’s Journ., xc., 172. Phil. Mag.
(4), xxvi., p. 488.

Secchi, A.
Spectrum des Gasgemische. Naturforscher iii., 93 ; Les Mondes'.,
xxii., 144, 187.

Seguin, J. M.
Note sur les Spectres du Phosphore et du Soufre. Compt. rend.,
liii., 1272.

Simmler, R. T. ;

Beiträge zur chemischen Analyse durch Spectralbeobachtungen.

Pogg. Ann., cxv., 242.
SORBY, H. C. :

On Jargonium, a New Element, accompanying Zirconium. Chem.

News xix., 121. Proc. Roy. Soc., xvii., 51 1.

On some remarkable Spectra of Compounds of Zirconia and the

Oxides of Uranium. Proc. Roy. Soc., xviii.. 197.
Steinheil :

Wie vollständige Uebereinstimmungin den Angaben der Spectral-

apparate leicht zu erreichen sei. Pogg. Ann., cxxii., 167.

Stokes, G. G.
On the Discrimination of Organic Bodies by their Optical
Properties. Roy. Instit., March 4, 1864. — Phil. Mag. (4),
xxvii., 388.

Swan :

On the Blue Lines of the Spectrum of the Non-luminous Gas-flame.

Edinburgh Phil. Trans, iii., 376 xxi., 353 (1857).
;

(Giving accurate measurements of the lines.)

On the Prismatic Spectra of the Flames of Compounds of Carbon,
and Hydrogen. Proc. Edinb. Soc., iii., 376. Pogg. Ann., c., 306.
Talbot, H. Fox
Some. Experiments on Coloured Flames. Brewster’s Journ. of
Science, v., 1826.
On a Method of obtaining homogeneous Light of great Intensity.
Phil.Mag. (3), iii., 35.
On the Flame of Lithia. Phil. Mag. (3), iv., n.
On Prismatic Spectra. Phil. Mag. (3), ix., 3.
Thalen, R.
Memoire sur la Determination des Longueurs d’Onde des Raies
Mdtalliques. Nova Acta Reg. Soc. Sc. Upsal. (3), vi.
41
 : : :

642 LIST OF WORKS ON

Published in a separate form by W. Schultz, Upsala, 1868.
(An admirable memoir on the wave-lengths of the metallic
lines.) ,
Tyndall and Frankland :

On the Blue Band of the Lithium Spectrum. Phil. Mag. (4), xxii.,
151,472.
Wartmann, E. :

Sur les Lignes Longitudinales du Spectre. Arch. d. sc. ph. et nat.

vii., 33 ;
x., 302. Ph. Mag., xxxii., 499.
Watts, W. M. :

On the Spectra of Carbon. Phil. Mag. (4), xxxviii., 249.

Weinhold, A.
Ueber eine vergleichbare Spectralskala. Carl’s Rep. d. Exp.
Phys., vi., 84.

Wolf and Diacon :

Note sur les Spectres des Mdtaux Alcalins. Edin. Journ.,

lxxxviii., 67.
WuLLNER, A.
Ueber die Spectra einiger Gase in GeisslePschen Röhren. Pogg*
Ann., cxxxv., 174 cxxxvii., 362. ;

(Describing the spectra of various orders, and the influence

of density and temperature.)
Die Spectra des Wasserstoffs und des Aluminiums. With draw-
ings by Bettendorff. Festschrift der Niederrhein. Ges. f.
Nat.-u. Heilkunde. Bonn, Markus, 1868.
Zantedeschi, F. :

Sur les Causes des Lignes Longitudinales du Spectre, etc. Arch. d.

sc. ph. et nat., xii. 43 ;
Corresp. scient. di Roma, Nr. ix., p. 69.
Zöllner, F.
Ueber den Einfluss der Dichtigkeit unc Temperatur auf die
Spectra glühender Gase. Ber. Sächs. Ges. d. Wiss. (Math.
Phys. Kl.) 31 October, 1870.

2. Relating to Absorptive Phenomena, the Emissive and

Absorptive Powers of Various Substances, and the
Reversal of their Spectra.*
o
Angstrom, A. J. :

On the Discovery that a Glowing Gas emits Rays of the same

Refrangibility as those it has power to absorb. Memoir of
the year, 1853.

* For the absorptive phenomena of aqueous vapour and the telluric lines of
the solar spectrum, vide III., 1, A ;
of Blood, etc ,
vide IV., 6.
 SPECTR UM A NA L YSIS. 643

Bahr and Bunsen :

Ueber Erbinerde und Yttererde. Ann.d. Chim. (4), ix., 484. — Comp.
Lieb. Ann., cxxxv., 376.
Bunsen, R. :

Ueber die Umkehrung des Absorptionsspectrums des Didyms.

Ann. Chem. Pharm., cxxxi., 255.
Ueber die Absorptionsspectra der Didymsalze. Pogg. Ann.,
cxxviii., 100.

Brewster, D. :

Observations on the Lines of the Solar Spectrum, and on those

produced by the Earth’s Atmosphere, and by the action of
Nitrous Gas. Edin. Trans. Roy. Soc.,xii. (1834), 522 Pogg. —
Ann., xxxiv., 233 xxxviii., 50. ;

On the Action of various Coloured Bodies in the Spectrum. Phil.

Mag. (4), xxiv., 441.
Crookes, W. :

On the Opacity of the Yellow Soda Flame in Light of its own

Colour. Phil. Mag. (4), xxi., 55. — Pogg. Ann., cxii., 344.
Delafontaine :

Ueber die Absorptionsspectra des Didyms, des Erbiums und des

Terirums. Ann. Chem. Pharm., cxxxv., 194.
Feussner :

Ueber Absorption des Lichtes bei verschiedenen Temperaturen.

Mon. Ber. Berl. Akad. d. Wiss. Berlin, 1865, March.
Fizeau :

Note sur la Lumikre emise par le Sodium brülant dans l’Air. Pogg.
Ann., cxiv., 492 ;
Cosmos xx., 307.

(Reversal of the D-line.)

Foucault :

The Reversal of the double Sodium-line in the Spectrum of the

Electric Arc. Instit. 1849, 45.

Gamgee, A. :

On the Action of Nitrides on the Blood. Phil. Trans. 1868, 589.

Gladstone, J. H. :

On an Optical Test for Didymium. Chem. Soc. Journ. 1858, 219.

On the Emission and Absorption of Rays of Light by certain
Gases. Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1861, 2, p. 79.

Haerlin, J. :

Ueber das Verhalten einiger Farbstoffe in Sonnenspectrum. Pogg.

Ann., cxviii. (1863), 70.

Hoppe-Seyler, F. :

Ueber die Absorptionslinien im Blutspectrum. Schmid’s Jahrb.

ges. Med., cxiv., 3 (1862).

41 A
 : :

644 LIST OF WORKS ON

Kirchhoff, G.
Ueber das Verhältniss zwischen dem Emissions-Vermögen und
dem Absorptionsvermögen der Körper für Wärme und Licht.
Pogg. Ann., cix., 275.
Ueber den Zusammenhang zwischen Emission und Absorption
von Licht und Wärme. Mon.-Ber. d. Berl. Akad. 27 Oct. 1859.
(The discovery of the cause of the Fraunhofer lines.)

Mad an, N. G. :

On the Reversal of the Spectra of Metallic Vapours. Phil. Mag.

(4), xxix., 338. (Compare Phil. Mag. (4), xxx., 390.)
Melde, F. :

Ueber die Absorption des Lichtes durch gefärbte Flüssigkeiten.

Pogg. Ann., cxxiv., 91 ;
cxxvi., 264.
Miller, W. Hallows :

On the Absorption Bands of Nitrous Acid Gas, etc. Phil. Mag.

(3). 381-
Miller, Will. Allen :

Experiments and Observations of some cases of Lines in the

Prismatic Spectrum produced by the Passage of Light through
coloured Vapours and Gases, and from certain coloured
Flames. Phil. Mag. (3), xxvii., 81 Pogg. Ann., lxix., 1846. ;

Morren :

Ueber die im Sonnenlichte beim Durchgänge durch Chlor erzeug-

ten Absorptionslinien. Pogg. Ann., cxxxvii., 165.
Rood, O, N. :

On the Didymium Absorption Spectrum. Sill. Journ. (2), xxxiv.,

129.
SlMMLER, R. Th. :

Beiträge zur chemischen Analyse durch Spectralbeobachtungen.

Chur, 1861. — Absorption des Chlorophylls. Pogg. Ann., cxv.,
1862, 61 1.

SORBY, H. C. :

Vide Microspectroscopic Investigations, iv., 3.

Stewart, Balfour :

Report on the Theory of Exchanges. Brit. Assoc. Rep. 1861.

On the Theory of Exchanges, etc. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh,
1858 ;
Rep. of Brit. Assoc. 1861, 2, p. 97.
Stokes, G. G.
On the Reduction and Oxidation of the Colouring Matter of the
Blood. Proc. Roy. Soc., xiii., 355.
Thalen, R. :

Das Absorptionsspectrum des Joddampfes. Kongl. Svenska

vetensk. Acad. Handl. f., 1869. (With Drawings.) Pogg.
Ann., cxxxix., 503.
 SPECTR UM ANAL YS1S. 645

VlERORDT, C. :

Die Messung der Lichtabsorption durchsichtiger Medien mittelst

des Spectralapparates. Pogg. Ann., cxl., 172.

Weiss, A. :

Ueber die Aenderungen, welche die Lage der Linien im Spectrum

der Untersalpetersäure erfahren, wenn man die Dichte
derselben ändert. Pogg. Ann., cxii., 153.

WULLNER, A. :

Zur Absorption des Lichtes. Pogg. Ann., cxx., 158. — Phil. Mag.
(4), xxvii., 44.

III.

MEMOIRS RELATING TO THE APPLICATION

OF SPECTRUM ANALYSIS TO THE HEA-
VENLY BODIES.-
1. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of the Sun, the Spots,
Eclipses, the Chromosphere, the Prominences, etc.

a. The Solar Spectrum.

Airy, G. B. :

Wave-lengths of Lines in Kirchhoff’s Maps. Phil. Trans. 1868,

p. 29.
Angstrom, A. J. :

Memoire sur Ies Raies Fraunhoferiennes du Spectre Solaire.

Oefvers, af K. Vet. Akad. Förh., 1861, p. 365 ; 1863, 41.
Pogg. Ann., cxvii., 290.
Sur lesRaies Telluriques et les Raies Lumineuses que prdsente
le Spectre Electrique de FAir. Compt. rend, lxiii., 1866, p. 647.

Recherches sur le Spectre normal du Soleil, avec Atlas de 6 pi.

Upsal, W. Schulz, 1868.
Bernard, F. :

Memoire sur la Determination des Longueurs d’Onde des Raies

du Spectre Solaire, etc. Compt. rend., lviii., 1153 ;
lix. , 32.
Brewster, Sir D. :

Observations of the Lines of the Solar Spectrum, and on those

produced by the Earth’s Atmosphere, and by the Action of
Nitrous Acid Gas. Phil. Mag. (3), viii., 384.
Brewster and Gladstone :

On the Lines of the Solar Spectrum. Map of the Solar Spectrum

giving the Absorption Lines of the Earth’s Atmosphere. Phi).
Trans, i860, cl., p. 149.
 :

646 LIST OF WORKS ON

Cooke, J. P. :

On the Aqueous Lines of the Solar Spectrum. Phil. Mag. (4),

xxxi., 337.

Crookes, W. :

Photographic Researches on the Solar Spectrum, etc. Pogg. Ann.,

xcvii., 616. Cosmos viii., 90.

DlTSCHEINER, L.:
Wellenlängemessungen der FraunhofeBschen Linien. Sitz-Ber.
der Wiener Akad., 1 2, p. 296 (1864). .,

Eine absolute Bestimmung der Wellenlängen der FraunhofePschen

D-Linien. Wien. Ber., lii., 2, p. 289.
Draper, W. :

On the Variation in Intensity of the Fixed Lines of the Solar

Spectrum. Phil. Mag. (4), xxv. 342.

Fraunhofer, J.
BestimmungdesBrechungs-unddesFarbenzerstreuungs-Vermögens
verschiedener Glasarten. Denkschriften der Münchener Aka-
demie,v., 1814, 1815. München, 1817, 4, pp. 193 — 226.
(An abstract, with map, of the Solar Spectrum in Gilbert’s
Ann. der Phys., 1817, xxvi., 264.)
Gibbs, Wolcott :

On the Normal Solar Spectrum. Sill. Journ., January, 1867.

On Wave-lengths, Sill. Journ., March, 1869 ; July, 1870.

Gladstone, J. H. :

Notes on the Atmospheric Lines of the Solar Spectrum, and on

certain Spectra of Gases. Proc. Roy. Soc., xi., 305.
On the Fixed Lines of the Solar Spectrum. Rep. of Brit. Assoc.,
1858, p. 1 7.

Glaishier, J. :

Scientific Balloon Ascent. The lines in the spectrum. Month.

Not., xxiii., 191.

Janssen, M. J. :

Mdmoire sur les Raies Telluriques du Spectre Solaire. Compt.

rend., 1280; lvi., 213.
liv.,

Sur le Spectre de la Vapeur d’Eau. Compt. rend. 1866, Ixiii., 289.

(With map.)
Sur quelques Spectres Stellaires remarquables par les Caracteres
optiques de la Vapeur d’Eau. Compt. rend., lxviii., 1545.
Rapport sur une Mission en Italie, etc. Paris, Imprimerie Im-
periale, 1868.
(With Plates. Contains a collection of Janssen’s observa-
tions on the telluric lines of the solar spectrum with those on
the spectrum of aqueous vapour.)
 SPECTRUM ANAL YSIS. 647

Kirchhoff, G. :

Uber die Fraunhofer’schen Linien. Abh. derBerl. Akad., i86i,p.63 ;

1862, p. 227. Published in a separate form by Dümmler,

Berlin, 1866.
Untersuchungen über das Sonnenspectrum und die Spectren der
chemischen Elemente.
(With four plates of the solar spectrum, with Hofmann’s
continuation.)
Zur Geschichte der Spectralanalyse und der Analyse der Sonnen-
atmosphäre. Pogg. Ann., cxviii., p. 94.
Lockyer, J. N. :

Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun. Proc. Roy. Soc., xv.,

256 xvii., 91, 128, 350, 415 xviii., 74.
; ;

Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun. Phil. Trans. 1869, 425.

(With drawing of his Telespectroscope.)
Mascart :

Sur les Raies du Spectre Solaire ultra-violet. Compt. rend., lvii.,

789 lviii., mi. ;

Determination de la Longueur d’Onde de la Raie A. Pogg. Ann.,

cxviii., 367.

Merz, S. :

Ueber das Farbenspectrum. Pogg. Ann., cxviii., 654.

Muller, J. :

Ueber die Photographie des Spectrums. Pogg. Ann., xcii., 135 ;

cix., 1 51.

Rayet :

Sur le Spectre de 1’ Atmosphere Solaire. Compt. rend., lxviii., 1321.

ROSCOE, H. E.
On the Opalescence of the Atmosphere for Chemically Active
Rays. Chem. News., xix., 158.

Seccht, A. :

Sur l’Origine des Raies Atmosphdriques du Spectre Solaire. Arch

Sc. Phys., xxviii., 49.
Sur rinfluence de 1 Atmosphere sur les Raies du Spectre ’ et sur la
Constitution du Soleil. Compt. rend., lx., 379.
Raies Spectrales Atmosphdriques. Les Mondes, vii., 142.
Observations sur le Spectre Solaire. Les Mondes, viii., 645.
Spectrum Observations on the Rotation of the Sun. Naturforscher,
iii., 205, 237 Monthly Not. Roy. Ast. Soc., xxx., p. 197 (1870).
;

Van der Willigen :

Bestimmung der Wellenlängen. Arch, du Musee Teyler. Vol. i., p. 1.

WEifS, A. :

Kurze Notiz über eine Beobachtung über das Sonnenspectrum.

Pogg. Ann., cxii., 153.
 :

648 LIST OF WORKS OK

Wollaston, W. H. :

On a Method of Examining Refractive and Dispersive Powers by

Prismatic Reflection. Phil. Trans. 1802, p. 365.
(Containing the first discovery of the dark solar lines.)
Zantedeschi, Fr. :

De mutationibus quae contigunt in spectro solari fixo elucabratio.

München Abh., viii., 99.

B. The Spectra of Solar Spots and Faculce.

Lockyer, J. N. :

In almost all his “Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun,” vide III.,

A ;
as well as in his paper entitled “ On Recent Discoveries,”
etc., vide III., e.

Rayet :

The Reversal of the C-line. Compt. rend., 18 April, 1S70.

Secchi, A. :

Le Soleil, etc., vide III., E.

(This memoir contains detailed observations of the spots

and faculae, with plates.)
Also Compt. Rend., lxviii., 764, 959, and especially 1082.
Young, C. A.
Spectroscopic Notes. Franklin Journ., lviii., 287 ;
lix., 132; lx.,

64, 232 (a—b).

Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, ii., 109, 181, 199,
297 ;
iii., 212.

C. Total Solar Eclipses of 18th August ,

1868.

Faura, F. :

Account of the Expedition of the Jesuits from Manilla, contained

in Bulletino meteor, dell. Osservatorio del Collegio Romano,
vol. vii., No. 12 ;
in Heis’ Wochenschrift für Astron. und
Meteorol., Halle, 1869; also in Natur und Offenb., Münster,
Aschendorff, 1869, 145.
Herschel, Alex. :

On the Total Eclipse of the Sun of August 18, 1868. Proc. Roy.
Instit., 1868-69.
Herschel, Capt. John :

On the Solar Eclipse of 1868, seen at Jamkandi. Roy. Ast. Soc.

Mem., vii.

Janssen, M. J. :

Eclipse du 18 Aoüt, 1868. (Cocanada, 19th Sept., 1868.) Compt.

rend. 26 Oct., 1868.
Account of the Solar Eclipse of 1868, observed at Guntoor, in the

Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes, 1868, p. 584.

See also III., 1, A and D.
 SPE CTR UM A NA L YSIS. 649

Tennant, Colonel :

Report on the Indian Eclipse, 1868. Roy. Ast. Soc. Mem., vii.
Report on the Total Eclipse of the Sun, August 17-18, 1868. As
observed at Guntoor. Mem. Roy. Ast. Soc., xxxvii., Part 1.

(With several plates.)

Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i., 31 1, 319, 327,
35 L 369, 393 Ü-, 59- 5

Papers in the Periodical Les Mondes, Paris,

: xviii., 130, 168, 272, 296?
362, 413.

Of 7th August ,
1869.
Hough, G. W. :

The Total Eclipse of August 7, 1869 ;

Albany, J. Munsell, 82,
State Street, 1870.
Journal of the Franklin Institute, ed. by Prof. Henry Morton ;

(3) lviii., 149, 150, 200, 224 (Abstr. of Prof. Young’s Rep.) 226
(Phot, of the Corona), 249 (Rep. of Prof. Meyer), 276 (Rep.
of Prof. Himes), 281 (Rep. of Prof. Pickering), 354 (Rep.
of Mr. Brown), 356 (Rep. of Mr. Willard) lix. 58 (Rep. of ,

Prof. Hough), 417 (with drawing of the “Anvil” prominence).

Lockyer, J. N.:
Remarks on the recent Eclipse of the Sun as observed in the
United States. Proc. Roy. Soc., xviii., 179.

U. S. Naval Observatory, Washington :

Reports on Observations of the Total Eclipse of the Sun, August

7, 1869, conducted under the direction of Commodore B. F.
Sands. Appendix ii., Washington, 1869, Government Printing
Office.
(This valuable work contains, with several drawings, the offi-

cialcommunications of Commodore Sands, Prof. S. Newcomb,

W. Harkness, J. R. Eastman, E. Curtis, J. H. Lane, W. S.
Gilman, F. W. Bardwell, A. J. Myer, A. Hall, and Rogers.)
Young, C. A. :

On a New Method of observing Contacts at the Sun’s Limb and

other Spectroscopic Observations during the recent Eclipse.
Amer. Journ. of Science and Arts (2), xlviii., 370.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, ii., 253, 379,
533 iii., 16,
; 53, 142, 163, 175.
Papers in the Periodical Les Mondes, Paris, : xxi., 238, 600.
Papers in the Periodical : Nature, London, i., 14, 170, 203, 336, 532.

D. Prominences Corona , ,
Chromosphere.

Herschel, Captain J. :

Spectroscopic Observations of the Solar Prominences. Tree.

Roy. Soc., xviii., 62.
 :: :

650 LIST OF WORKS ON

Huggins, W. :

On a possible Method of viewing the Red Flames without an

Eclipse. Monthly Not. Roy. Ast. Soc., xxix., 4.
Note on a Method of viewing the Solar Prominences without an
Eclipse. Proc. Roy. Soc., xvii., 302.

Janssen, M. J. :

Sur les protuberances solaires et la constitution du Soleil, etc.

Compt. rend., lxviii., 93, 112, 181, 245, 312, 367, 731.
Lockyer, J. N. :

Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun (

vide III., 1, A).

Notice of an Observation of the Spectrum of a Solar Prominence.

Proc. Roy. Soc., xvii., 91, 104, 128.

Norton, W. A.
On the Corona seen in Total Eclipses of the Sun. Sill. Journ. (2),
1., 250.

Rayet :

Sur le Spectra des Protuberances Solaires. Compt. rend lxviii., 62. ,

Sur la Refrangibilite de la Raie jaune brillante de PAtmosph^re

Solaire. Compt. rend., lxviii., 320.
Sur le Spectre de PAtmosphere Solaire. Compt. rend., lxviii., 1321.
Renversement des Raies D dans une Protuberance. Les Mondes,
xxiii., 399 ;
Naturf., iii., 262, 278.
Respighi, L.
Observations of the Prominences round the entire Limb of the Sun.
Compt. rend., Ixix., 1178 ;
Nature, i., 292 ;
Naturforscher iii.,

39, 189.
Secchi, A. :

Existence d’une Couche donnant un Spectre Continu entre la

Couche rose et le Bord Solaire. Compt. rend., lxviii., 580.

Nove Ricerche sulle Protuberanze Solari. Bulletino Meteorol.
delP Osserv. del Coll. Romano x., Nr. 9. (30th September,
1870.)

Young, C. A.
Spectroscopic Notes. Journ. of the Franklin Inst-, lviii., 141,
287, 416 (drawing of Prominence); lx., 64, 232 ( a b ) (lx., — ;

No. 5, with drawings of a new Telespectroscope and Prom.)

ZÖLLNER, F. :

Beobachtungen von Protuberanzen der Sonne. Ber. d. Sächs.

Ges. d. W., 1 Juli, 1869. Pogg. Ann., cxxxvii., 624. With —
drawings.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i., 417; ii.,
9, 33,

51, 74, 91, 1 16, 133, 213, 245, 338 ;

iii., 39, 175, 189, 205, 262,
263, 278.
 SPEC TR UM ANAL YSIS. *5i

Papers in the Periodical : Les Mondes, Paris, xviii., 362, 413 ;

xix.,

213, 215, 232, 498.

Papers in the Periodical : Nature, London, i., 172, 195, 607 ;
ii., 131.
On the Corona specially : Naturforscher, Berlin, ii., 167, 253, 379,

395 ; 91, 392. — Les

iii., Mondes, Paris, xxi., 345, 602 ;
xxii.,

142. — Nature, London, i., 15, 139, 146, 533, 543 ;

ii., 114, 164,
277 ;
iii., 163, 175, 262, 263, 278. — Phil. Mag., xxxviii., 281 ;

xxxix., 17.— Monthly Not. of the Roy. Ast. Soc., xxx., 193.

E. Physical Constitution , Temperature of the Sun.

Bernaerts
Ueber die Beschaffenheit der Sonne. Sitz, der Belg. Akad
3 March, 1870.
Chacornac
Sur la Constitution Physique du Soleil. Compt. rend., Ix., 170.
Faye :

Sur la Constitution Physique du Soleil. Compt. rend., Ix., 8o,

138, 468.

Frankland and Lockyer

Preliminary Notes of Researches on Gaseous Spectra in Relation
to the Physical Constitution of the Sun. Proc. Roy. Soc.,
xvii., 288.

Researches on Gaseous Spectra in Relation to the Physical Con-

stitution of the Sun, Stars, and Nebuke. Proc. Roy. Soc.,
xvii., 453 ;
xviii., 79.

Gould, B. A. :

The Physical Constitution of the Sun. Journ. of the Franklin

Inst., lix., 228.

On Faye’s Theory of the Physical Constitution of the Sun.

Compt. rend., lxix., 1176.
The Sun. A Course of Five Lectures before the Peabody Inst, ot
Baltimore. Franklin Journal, lx. (August 1870, and follow-
ing Nos.)
Guillemin, A. :

Le Soleil. Paris, 1869, Hachette et Cie.

Kirchhoff, G. :

Untersuchungen über das Sonnenspectrum. Berlin, Dümmler,

1866. (Contains Kirchhoff ’s Views on the Physical Constitu-
tion of the Sun.)

Lallemand, M. :

Constitution Physique du Soleil. Conference. Montpellier, J.

Martel ain£, 1867. (Pamphlet.)
 : : : ;

652 LIST OF WORKS ON

Lockyer, J. N. :

On Recent Discoveries in Solar Physics made by means of the

Spectroscope. Roy. Inst, of Great Britain, 28th May, 1869.
Reply to some Remarks of Father Secchi on the recent Solar
Discoveries. Phil. Mag., January 1870.
Maibauer, R. O. :

Ueber die physische Beschaffenheit der Sonne. Berlin, 1866.

Liideritz’ Buchh. (Pamphlet.)
Rayet :

La Constitution Physique du Soleil. Deherain, Annuaire scienti-

fique. Paris, Masson, 1870 (ix.)

Reis, P. :

Die Sonne. Zwei physikalische Vorträge. Leipzig, Quandt und

Händel, 1869.
Secchi, A.
Le Soleil ;
Exposd des principales Ddcouvertes modernes sur la
Structure de cet Astre, etc. Paris, 1870. Gauthiers-Villars.
Sulle ultime Scoperte Spettroscopiche Fatte nel Sole. Lettura
all’ Academia Tibernia. Roma, Typ. delle Belle Arti, 1869.
Stoney :

On the Physical Constitution of the Sun and Stars. Proc. Roy.

Soc., xvi., 25 ;
xvii., 1.

On the Bearing of recent Observations upon Solar Physics. Phil.

Mag. (4)> xxxvi., 447.
Tyndall, J. :

On the Physical Basis of Solar Chemistry. Proc. Roy. Inst.,

7th June, 1861. — Phil. Mag. (4), xxii., 147.
Warren De la Rue, Stewart and Loewy :

Researches on Solar Physics. Phil. Trans. London, 1869, clix., 1

1870, clx., 389.

ZÖLLNER, F. :

Ueber die Temperatur und die physische Beschaffenheit der Sonne.

Ber. K. Sächs. Ges. d. Wiss. Leipzig. (Math. Phys. Klasse,
2 Juni, 1870.) Naturf. iii., 311.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, iii.,
93, 189, 233,
3II-

2. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of the Moon and

Planets.
Fraunhofer, J.
Resultate von Versuchen mit dem Farbenspectrum des Mondes,
etc. Gilb. Ann., 1823, xiv., 374.

Huggins, W.
On the Spectrum of Mars. Month. Not. Roy. Ast. Soc., xxvii., 178.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. ('53

Janssen, J.
Application de TAnalyse Spectrale ä la Question concernant
PAtmosph&re Lunaire. Compt. rend., lvi., 962.
Le Sueur
On the Spectrum of Jupiter. Proc. Roy. Soc., xviii., 245. Nature, i.,

517 .

Secchi, A. :

Sur les Raies Atmosphdriques des Planstes. Compt. rend., lix.,

182.
Sur les Raies du Spectre de la Planste Saturn. Compt. rend., lx.

543 -

Observation du Spectre de Jupiter. Compt. rend., lix. 309.

Resultats fournis par l’Analyse Spectrale de la Lumiere d’Ura
nus. Compt. rend., lxviii., 761.
Sur le Spectre du Neptune. Compt. rend., Novbr. 1869, lxix., 1051.
Le Soleil ( vide III., 1, e), p. 342.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, ii., 125, 197 ;
iii.,

26, 149.

3. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of the Fixed

Stars.
Airy, G. B. :

Measurements of Stellar Lines. Monthly Not. Roy. Ast. Soc., xiii.,

190, and further in xxiii., 188.

Donati :

Intorno alle Strie degli spettri Stellari. II Nuovo Cimento, xv.,

(With a lens 41 centimetres in diameter.)
292.
Memorie Astronomiche. Month. Not., xxiii., 100.
(Researches on the Spectra of Fifteen Stars.)
Fraunhofer, J.
Resultate von Versuchen mit den Farbenspectris vom Sternen-
lichte. Gilb. Ann., 1823, xiv., 374.
Huggins, W. :

On the Disappearance of the Spectrum of e Piscium at its Occulta-

tion on Jan. 4, 1865. Month. Not. Roy. Ast. Soc., xxv., 60.
Further Observations on the Spectra of some of the Stars and
Nebulae, with an attempt to determine therefrom whether
these Bodies are moving towards or from the Earth. Phil.
Trans., 1868, 529.
Spectrum Analysis, vide I.

On some further Results of Spectrum Analysis as applied to the

Heavenly Bodies. Chem. News, xix., 187.
Huggins and Miller :

On the Lines of the Spectra of some of the Fixed Stars. Proc.,

Roy. Soc., xii., 444.
 : :

6 j4 LIST OF WORKS ON
Huggins and Miller :

On the Spectra of some of the Fixed Stars. Phil. Trans., 1864,

413 Mag., June 1866.
;
Phil.
On the Spectrum of the Variable Star a Orionis. Month. Not. R.
Ast. Soc., xxvi., 215.
On the Spectrum of a New Star in Corona Borealis. Proc. Roy.
Soc., xv., 146.
Janssen, M. J. :

Sur quelques Spectres Stellaires remarquables par les Caract^res

optiques de la Vapeur d’Eau. Compt. rend., lxviii., 1845.
Lamont
Untersuchungen über das Spectrum der Fixsterne. Jahrbuch der
Sternwarte bei München, 1838, p. 190.

Le Sueur :

On Spectrum of 77 Argo with Bright Lines. Nature, i., 517.

the
Rutherfurd, L. M. :

Measurements of the Stellar Spectra. Sill. Journ. (2), xxxv., 71,

407 ;
xxx vi., 1 54.
Secchi, A. :

Notes sur les Spectres Prismatiques des Corps Celestes. Compt.

rend., lvii., 71.
Sur les Spectres Stellaires. Compt. rend., lxiii., 364, 621 ;
lxiv.,

774; lxv. 662 lxvi., 124, 398; lxii. 373.

, ;

Catalogo delle Stelle, etc. Parigi, 1867, Gauthier-Villars.

Sugli Spettri prismatici delle Stelle fisse. Memoria, i. e ii. Atti
della Soc. Ital., 1868, Rome.
La Soleil, Paris, Gauthier-Villars, 1870, p. 385.
Wolf and Rayet:
Sur la Spectroscopie Stellaire. Compt. rend., lxv., 292.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i.,
59, 127, 215,
279, 357 ;
H., 199, 215, 353 ;
iii., 343.

4. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of the Nebulae

and Clusters.
Herschel, Capt. J. :

On the Spectra of Southern Nebulae, etc. Proc. Roy. Soc., xvi.,

416, 451 ;
xvii. 303.

Huggins, W.
On the Spectra of the Nebulae. Phil. Trans. 1864, p. 437.

On the Nebula in the Sword-Handle of Orion. Proc. Roy. Soc.,

xiv., 39.

Further Observations on the Spectra of some of the Nebulae, with

a Mode of determining the Brightness of these Bodies. Phil.
Trans. 1866, p. 381 1868, 529.— Phil. Mag. (4) xxxvi., ; 57.
Q’uest ce qu’une Nebuleuse. Les Mondes, ix., 18.
 SPECTRUM ANAL YS1 S. 655

Le Sueur :

On Argo and Orion. Proc. Roy. Soc., xviii., 245.

the Nebulae of
Secchi, A. :

Sur la Lumikre Spectrale de la Ndbuleuse d’Orion. Compt.

rend., lx., 543.
Sulla grande Nebulosa di 0’Orione. Firenze, Stamperia Reale,
1868, p. 29.
Le Soleil (
vide III., 1, e), p. 400.
Spettro di alcune Nebulöse. Sugli spettri prism, dei Corpi celesti.
Mem. I. Roma, 1868, p. 33.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i. 279 ;
ii. 279,
356.

5. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of Comets.

Donati :

Ueber das Spectrum des Kometen II., 1864. Astr. Nach., lxii.,

375 -

Huggins, W. :

On the Spectrum of the Comet I., 1866. Proc. Roy. Soc., xv., 5.
Spectre de la Comete de Tempel. Les Mondes (2), i., 251.
On the Spectrum of the Comet II., 1867. Monthly Not. Roy. Ast.
Soc., xxvii., 288.
On the Spectrum of Brorsen’s Comet, 1868. Proc. Roy. Soc., xvi.,

386. Mag. (4), xxxvi., 60.

Phil.
Spectrum of the Comet II., 1868. Phil. Trans. 1868, 529.
Huggins, W., and Tyndall, J. :

On Cometary Theory. Phil. Mag. (4), xxxvii., 241.

Secchi, A. :

Le Soleil {vide III., 1, e), p. 360.

Spectre de la Com&te de Tempel. Compt. rend., lxii., 210.

On the Spectrum of Brorsen’s Comet. Ph. Mag. (4), xxxvi., 75.

Wolf and Rayet :

Spectre de la Com&te Me Winnecke (L, 1870). Compt. rend.,

4 Juillet, 1870.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i., 263, 295 ;

iii., 302.
Papers in the Periodical : Les Mondes, Paris, xvii. 95, 270 ;
xxiii. 498.

6. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of Meteors and

Falling Stars.
Browning, J. :

On the Spectra of the Meteors of November 13-14, 1866. Phil.

Mag. (4), xxxiii., 234.
 :
. :

656 LIST OF WORKS ON

Browning-Herschel :

The Coming Meteor Shower; the Spectra of Meteors. Intell.

Observ. Rev., London, x., 38.

Herschel, A. S.
Prismatic Spectra of the August Meteors, 1866. Int. Obs. Rev.,
x., 1 61
Spectre d’une Etoile filante. Les Mondes, vii., 139.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, ii., 2, 99, 404.

IV.

MEMOIRS RELATING TO VARIOUS OTHER

SPECTRUM OBSERVATIONS, AND THE AP-
PLICATION OF SPECTRUM ANALYSIS TO
TECHNOLOGY, INDUSTRY, PHYSIOLOGY,
ETC.
1. Relating to Spectrum Apparatus and the various
Appliances connected therewith.

Abbe, E. :

Ueber einen Spectralapparat am Mikroskop. Jena’sche Zeitschr.

v. Hft., 4, 459.
(Manufactured by C. Zeiss in Jena.)
Browning, J. :

On a Spectroscope in which the Prisms are automatically adjusted

to the Minimum Angle of Deviation for the particular Ray
under examination. Monthly Not. of the Roy. Ast. Soc., xxx.,
198 (1870).
Cooke, J. P. :

On the Construction of Spectroscopes. Sill. Journ., xl.. 305 ;

Phil.Mag. (4), xxxi., no.

An Improved Spectroscope. Chem. News 1863, 4 July. Sill.

Journ. (2), xxxvi., p. 266.

Crookes, W. :

On Spectroscopes. Mech. Mag., June 1861, p. 308.

Binocular-Spectrum-Microscope. Phil. Mag. (4), xxxviii., 383.
Gassiot, J. P.
Description of a large Spectroscope. Proc. Roy. Soc. 1863, xii.

536. (Compare Proc. Roy. Soc., xiv., 320.)

Spectroscope with Eleven Prisms. Proc. Roy. Soc., xiii. 183
Phil.Mag. (4), xxviii., 69.
On an Automatic Spectroscope. Les Mondes, xxiii., 95.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. 657

Gibbs, Wolcott :

Description of a large Spectroscope. Sill. Journ. (2), xxxv., no.

Hofmann, J. H. :

Spectroscope ä vision directe. Cosmos xxii., p. 984.

Huggins, W.
Description of a Hand Spectrum Telescope. Proc. Roy. Soc.,xvi.
241.
A new Telespectroscope. Nature, i., 145.

Janssen, M. J.
Note sur de Nouveaux Spectroscopes Spectroscope ä Vision Di- ;

recte, ä Reflexion. Compt. rend., 1862, 6 October.

(The first construction of a direct-vision spectroscope.)
Littrow, O. :

Eine neue Einrichtung des Spectralapparates. Wien. Ber. xlvii.

(2), 26.

Lockyer, J. N. :

Spectroscopic Observations of the Sun. Phil. Trans. 1869, 425.

(Contains description and drawing of a large telespectroscope.)
Mathiessen, A. :

Du Lentiprisme. Cosmos ii.

(A complete spectroscope, 1844.)

Merz, S. :

Objectiva Spectralapparat. Carl’s Rep. f. Exp. Phys., vi., 164.

Compt. rend., lxix., 1053.
Kleines Universal-Stern-Spectroskop. Carl’s Rep. f. Exp. Phys.,
vi., 273.
Spectralapparat für Mikroskope. Carl’s Rep. f. Exp. Phys., v.,

390 -

Meyerstein, M. :

Das Spectrometer. Göttingen, 1870, Deuerlich.

Pickering :

Comparative Efficiency of different Forms of Spectroscopes. Sill.

Journ., May, 1868.

Proctor, R. A. :

The Use of the Spectroscope in Astronomical Observation. Pop.

Sc. Review, 1869, April, p. 141. (With drawings.)
Rood, O. N. :

On the Use of Prisms of Flint Glass and Bisulphide of Carbon for

Spectrum Analysis. Sill. Journ. (2), xxxv., p. 356.
Rutherfurd, L. M. :

On the Construction of the Spectroscope. Amer. Journ. of Sc. and

Art, xxxix., 129. Sill. Journ. (2), xxxv., 407.

42
658 LIST OF WORKS ON
Secchi, A. :

Sugli Spettri Prismatici dei Corpi celesti. Roma, 1868.

(Contains a discussion on Stellar Spectroscopes, with a
drawing.)
SlMMLER, R. Th. :

Ein Hand und Reisespectroskop. Pogg. Ann., cxx., 623.

Steinheil :

Ueber Verbesserungen in der Construction der Spectralapparate,

München Ber., 1863, 1, 47.
Voit :

Ueber Spectralapparate. Carl Rep. d. Phys. Techn., i., 65.

WlNLOCK :

A reliable Finder for a Spectrotelescope. Journ. of the Franklin

Instit. (3), lx., 295.

Young, C. A. :

A New Form of Spectroscope. Journ. of the Franklin Instit., lx.

( 3 ), 538 .

(With a drawing of a new spectroscope equal to thirteen

prisms.)
Zantedeschi, Fr. :

Ricerche fisico-chimiche-fisiologiche sulla luce. Venezia, 1846,

Antonelli.
Descrizione di uno Spettrometro, e degli esperimenti esequiti con
esso, etc. Published
Atti del Inst. Veneto, xv., 793 (1855-56).
in a separate form by A. Sicca, Padova, Sept. 1856.
(With drawing of one of the earliest spectroscopes.)
Zöllner, J. C. F. :

Ein neues Spectroskop (Reversionsspectroskop) nebst Beiträgen

zur Spectralanalyse der. Gestirne. Ber. Kgl. Sächs. Ges. d.
Wiss. Leipzig, 1869. (Math. phys. Klasse vom 6 Februar.)

2. Relating to the Spectrum of the Electric Light and

Discharge.
Angstrom, A. J. :

Optische Untersuchungen. Pogg. Ann., cxiv., 14 1.

Das prismatische Spectrum des elektrischen Funkens. Zeitschr. f.

Math. 1856, 1, p. 57. — Berl. Ber., 1853, p. 251.

Brassac, F. :

Das Luftspectrum, eine prismatische Untersuchung des zwischen

Platinaelectroden überschlagenden Funkens. Zeitschr. f.

Nat., xxviii., 1.

Daniel :

Analyse Spectrale de PEtincelle Electrique produite dans les

Liquides et les Gaz. Compt. rend., lvii,, 98.
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. 659

Foucault, L. :

Note sur la Lumiere de l’Arc Voltaique. Ann. d. Chim. (3), lviii.,

476.
Masson :

De la Nature de l’Etincelle Electrique.

Plucker, F. :

Spectrum des elektrischen Funkens. Pogg. Ann.,civ., 1 17. Wiede-

mann. Galv. ii., 874. (With drawings.)
Robinson, F. R. :

On Electric Spectra. Phil. Trans., 1862.

On Spectra of Electric Light as modified by the Nature of the
Electrodes and the Media of Discharge. Proc. Roy. Soc.,
xii., 202.
Schimkow, A. :

Ueber das Spectrum des electrischen Büschel-und Glimmlichtes

in der Luft. Pogg. Ann., cxxix., 508.
Seguin, J. M. :

Note sur le Spectre de l’Etincelle Electrique dans les Gaz composes.

Compt. rend., lix., 933.
Sur les Spectres de l’Etincelle Electrique dans les Dissolutions des
Sels. Rev. des Soc. sav. (Sc. math, phys., nat. iv., p. 305,
13 Nov., 1863.)^
Sur 1 ’ Analogie de l’Etincelle d’Induction avec les autres Decharges
electriques. Ann. Chim. Phys. (3), t. lxix.

Sur la Lumiere Stratifiee et sur l’Etincelle d’lnduction. Grenoble,

Maisonville et Fils, 1867.
Experiences sur l’Etincelle Electrique. Compt. rend., 16 Nov., 1868.
Stokes, G. G. :

On the Long Spectrum of the Electric Light. Phil. Trans., 1862,

599 -

Van der Willigen :

Ueber das elektrische Spectrum. Pogg. Ann., cvi., 610.

Waltenhofen, A. von :

Spectren des elektrischen Funkens in verdünnten Gasen. Dingl.

Polyt. Journ., clxxvii., 38.
Wheatstone, C. :

On the Prismatic Decomposition of the Electric, Voltaic, and

Electromagnetic Sparks. Brit. Assoc., Dublin, August 12,
1835. — Chem.
News, iii., 198.
Papers in the Periodical Der Naturforscher, : Berlin, iii., 50.

3. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of Lightning.

Herschel, Capt. J. :

On the Spectrum of Lightning. Proc. Roy. Soc., xvii., 58.

 : :: :

66o LIST OF WORKS ON

KUNDT
lieber das Spectrum des Blitzes. Pogg. Ann., cxxii., 497.

Laborde
Spectre de Les Mondes viii., 299.
la Lumiere des Eclairs.
Papers in the Periodical: Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i., 384; ii., 17,
289.

4. Relating to the Spectrum Analysis of the Aurora

Borealis.
Angstrom, A. J. :

Spectre de l’Aurore Bordale. Recherches sur le Spectre Solaire.

Berlin, Diimmler, 1869, 41. — Pogg. Ann., cxxxviii., 161.

Davis, A. S. :

On the possible Cause of the Bright Line observed by M. Angstrom

in the Spectrum of the Aurora Borealis. Phil. Mag. (4), xl., 33.
Struve, O. v. :

Beobachtung eines Nordlichtspectrums. Bull. Acad. Imp. Science.

Petersbourg, xiii., 49.
Zöllner, Fr. :

lieber das Spectrum des Nordlichtes. Ber. d. Sächs. Ges. d. Wiss.

(Math. Phys. Kl.), 31 October, 1870, p. 254.
Papers in the Periodical : Der Naturforscher, Berlin, i., 392 ;
ii., 261,
369 iii., 390.
;

Papers in the Periodical : Les Mondes, Paris, xxi., 293.

Papers in the Periodical : Nature, London, iii., 6, 28.

5. Relating to the Microspectroscope and Micro-

spectroscopic Investigations.
Church
Microspectroscopic Investigations. (Letter.) Intell. Obs. Rev.,
ix., 291.
Herapath, W. Bird :

On the Use of the Microspectroscope in the Discovery of Blood-

stains. Chem. News, xvii., 113, 123.

Huggins, W.
On the Prismatic Examination of Microscopic Objects. Quart.
Journ. Micros. Soc., July, 1865.
Merz, S. :

Spectralapparat für Mikroskope. Carl’s Rep. f. Exp. Phys., v., 390.

SORBY, H. C. :

On the Application of Spectrum Analysis to Microscopical Inves-

tigations, etc. Chem. News, xi., 186, 194, 232, 256.
On a definite Method of Qualitative Analysis of Animal and Vege-
 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. 66

table Colouring Matters by means of the Spectrum-Microscope.

Proc. Roy. Soc., xv., 433.
On a new Microspectroscope, and on a new Method of Printing
a Description of the Spectra seen with the Spectrum- Micro-
scope. Chem. News, xv., 220.

6. Relating to the Application of Spectrum Analysis to

Physiology, Histiology, and Pathology.
Askenay, E.
Beiträge zur Kenntniss des Chlorophylls und einiger dasselbe
begleitender Farbstoffe. Bot. Zeit., 1867: Nos. 29 and 30.
(Plate with eleven spectra.)
Benoit, R.
Etudes Spectroscopiques sur le Sang. Montpellier.
Cohn, F.
Ueber den Farbstoff der Phycochromaceen. Archiv für mikr.
Anat. v. M. Schultze. iii., 6 (1867).
Hoppe-Seyler, F.
Ueber das Verhalten des Blutfarbestoffs im Spectrum des Sonnen-
lichtes. Virch. Arch., xxiii., 446 xxix., 233 (Z. f. Chem.
; ;

1865, 214).
Handbuch der physiologisch- und pathologisch-chemischen Ana-
lyse. 3 Aufl. Berlin, 1870.
Erkennung der Vergiftung mit Kohlenoxyd. Z. f. anal. Chem., iii.
439. Phil. Mag. (4), xxx., 456.
Weiteres über die optischen und chemischen Eigenschaften des
Blutfarbstoffes. Centr.-Bl. f. d. med. Wiss. 1864. Nos. 52
and 53.
Maxwell :

Investigations on Colour Blindness by means of the Spectrum.

Phil. Mag. xxi., 1861, p. 145. Compare Helmholtz Phys.
Optik., p. 294.
Sachs, J.
Durchleuchtung der Pflanzentheile. Hdb. d. Exp. Phys. d. Pflan-
zen. Leipzig, 1865, p. 4.
Valentin, G.
Histiologische und physiologische Studien. Abth. ix., Zeitschrift
für Biologie, vi.

(The first eight treatises appeared in Henle and Pfeuffer’s

Zeitschr. für rationelle Medicin.)
Einige neue Beobachtungen über das Erkennen des Blutes durch
das Spectroskop. Virch. Arch., xxvi., 580.
Gebrauch des Spectroskops zu physiologischen und ärztlichen
Zwecken. Leipzig, 1863.
 : : : : : —

662 WORKS ON SPECTRUM ANALYSIS.

7. Relating to the Application of Spectrum Analysis to
Technology and Industry.
Lielegg, A.
Ueber das Spectrum der Bessemer-Flamme. K. Akad. Wiss.
Wien, Jan. 1867.
Roscoe, H. E.
On the Spectrum produced by the Flame evolved in the Manu-
facture of Steel by the Bessemer Process. Phil. Mag. (4),
xxv., 318.
SlLLIMAN, J. M.
On the Examination of the Bessemer Flame with coloured Glasses
and with the Spectroscope. Sill. Journ. (2), 1 217. .,

SORBY, H. C.
Application of the Spectroscope to Technological Researches, and
the Discovery of Adulterations in Food, etc. Deutsche
Vierteljahrschriftfür öffentl. Gesundhtspfl. ii., 1. Hft.

DinglePs Journ. 1870. November part.

Investigations on the Adulteration of Liquids. Quart. Journ. of
Micros. Soc., October 1869.
Watts, W. M.
On the Spectrum of the Bessemer Flame. Phil. Mag. (4), xxxiv.,

437 -

Ueber das Spectrum der Bessemer-Flamme. Naturforscher, i.,

7 1 ;
ii., 106 ;
Les Mondes, xv., 696, 705.

Printed by Watson and Hazell, London and Aylesbury.

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London: September 1871.

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 INDEX
Acton’s Modern Cookery 19 Cabinet Lawyer. 19
Alcock’s Residence in Japan 16 Campbell’s Norway 15
Allies on Formation of Christendom . 11 Carnota’s Memoirs of Pombal 3
Allen’s Discourses of Chrysostom 11 Cates’s Biographical Dictionary 4
Alpine Guide (The) 16 Cats and Farlie’s Moral Emblems 11
Journal 20 Changed Aspects of Unchanged Truths .... 6
Althatjs on Medical Electricity 10 Chesney’s Indian Polity 2
Arnold’s Manual of English Literature . . 5 Waterloo Campaign 2
Aknott’s Elements of Physics 8 Chesney’s and Reeve’s Military Essays . . 2
Arundines Cami 18 Chorale Book for England 11
Autumn Holidays of a Country Parson .... 6 Clough’s Lives from Plutarch 2
Atke’s Treasury of Bible Knowledge 11 Colenso (Bishop) on Pentateuch and Book
of Joshua 11
Commonplace Philosopher in Town and
Country G
Bacon’s Essays by Whately 5 v
— Life and Letters, by Spedding . . 4
Conington’s Translation of Virgil’s iEneid 18
Contanseau’s Two French Dictionaries 6
Works 5 . .

Conybeare andHowsoN’sLife and Epistles

Bain’s Mental and Moral Science 7
of St. Paul 14
on the Senses and Intellect 7
Cooper’s Surgical Dictionary 10
Ball’s Guide to the Central Alps 16
Copland’s Dictionary, of Practical Medicine 11
Guide to the Western Alps 16
Guide to the Eastern Alps 16 Coulthart’s Decimal Interest Tables 19
Bayldon’s Rents and Tillages 13 Counsel and Comfort from ä City Pulpit . . 6
Beaten Tracks 16 Cox’s (G. W.) Aryan Mythology 3
Becker’s Charicles and Gallus \ 17 Tale of the Great Persian War 2
Benfey’s Sanskrit-English Dictionary .... 6 Tales of Ancient Greece 17
Bernard on British Neutrality ? 1 Cresy’s r.11 cyclopaedia of Civil Engineering 12
Black’s Treatise on Brewing 19 Critical Essays of a Country Parson 6
Blackley’s German-English Dictionary . . 6 Crookes on Beet-Root Sugar 13
Blaine’s Rural Sports 18 Chemical Analysis
’s 9
Veterinary Art 18 Culley’s Handbook of Telegraphy 12
Booth’s Saint-Simon 3 Cusack’s Student’s History of Ireland .... 2
Boultbee on 39 Articles 13
Boubne on Screw Propeller 12
’s Catechism of the Steam Engine . . 12 D’Aubigne’s History of the Reformation in
Examples of Modern Engines . . 12 the time of Calvin 2
Handbook of Steam Engine .... 12 Davidson’s Introduction to New Testament 14
Treatise on the Steam Engine 12 Dead Shot (The), by Marksman 18
Improvements in the same 12 De la Rive’s Treatise on Electricity 8
Bowdler’s Family Shakspeare 18 Denison’s Vice-Regal Life 1
Boyd’s Reminiscences 3 De Tocqueville’s Democracy in America . 2
Bramley-Mooee’s Six Sisters of the Valley 17 Disraeli’s Lothair 16
Brande’s Dictionary of Science, Literature, Novels and Tales 16
and Art 9 Dobson on the Ox 19
Bray’s (C.) Educationof the Feelings .... 7 Dove’s Law of Storms 8
— Philosophy of Necessity 7 Doyle’s Fairyland n
On Force 7 Dyer’s City of Rome 2
Browne’s Exposition of the 39 Articles .... 13
Brunel’s Life of Brunel 3
Buckle’s History of Civilisation i
Bull’s Hints to Mothers 19 Eastlake’s GoLhic Revival 12
Maternal M anagement of Children . . 19 Hints on Household Taste 12
Bunsen’s God in History 3 History of Oil Painting n
Prayers
Burke’s Vicissitudes of Families
Burton’s Christian Church
13
4 Edinburgh Review
Elements of Botany
—
Life of Gibson 11
20
3 9
 .
.

22 NEW WORKS published BY LONGMANS and CO.

Ellicott on the Revision of the English Howitt’s Australian Discovery 16

New Testament 13 Mad War Planet 18
’s Commentary on Ephesians 14 Northern Heights of London .... 16
Lectures on Life of Christ .... 14 Rural Life of England 16
Commentary on Galatians .... 14 Visits to Remarkable Places .... 16
Pastoral Epist. 14 Hübner’s Pope Sixtus 4
Philippians,&c. 14 Hughes’s Manual of Geography 8
Thessalonians 14 Hume’s Essays 7
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Gray’s Anatomy 10 Lindley and Moore’s Treasury of Botany 9
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Griffith’s Fundamentals 13 Lectures on History of England 1
Grove on Correlation of Physical Forces . 9 Chess Openings 19
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Haughton’s Manual of Geology 8 Macaulay’s (Lord) Essays 3
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His Presence not his Memory. . 15
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‘ ’
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