THE SOLAR ECLIPSE,

The solar eclipse which took place on lion* day was invisible in • New Zealand, and consequently very few of us gave it even a ' thought. In Europe aud America, however, t'heve was quite an "eclipse boom," if we nuiy use such an expression iiv connection with a scientific subject- of bo august a

nature. Although only seen us a partial, eclipse in England, its total phase was visible in Spain, Portugal, and over a huge part oi t-he United States. Not only were scien tific expedition?.! fitied out for its observation, but "personally conducted tours on v large scale were organised,, so as to enable the British public to study astronomy in one 0/ its most interesting, forms and to see ibe people and the scenery.of tho Bpani.su Penin sula under very favourable auspices at the same time. Fortunately we learn from our cable messages the weather was good, so that the tourists tire to be congratulated on getting good value for their money. At the same time the scientific observers appear to have secured some interesting and valu able results. The main ijoiufc noted is that the corona was'-tlie exact duplicate of the corona of 1889, thus confirming the theory of the eleven-year period of the variation of sun-spots.. The corona, we need hardly remind our readers, is the kind of halo or nimbus .which is seen to surround the sun at the period of total eclipse. At one time there was some doubt as to whether ifc belonged to the sun or the moon, but it is now known, that it belongs to the sun and that the moon merely enables us to set ib by blocking out the more dazzling rayj of light from the body of the sun. What tho corona really is astronomers have oot yet been able to tell us; they can only de scribe itx appearance. The spectroscope, however, has enabled them to decide that it shines with a light of its own—in other words, that its constituents are heated to such a high temperature that- they are self luminous. Among those constituents they Jiuve identified hydrogen, and two otiier bodies which have been christened helium

and coroiiium. 