| RefNo | HSF/2/1/84 |
| Previous numbers | 32.8.69 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Incomplete letter from [John Herschel], Jamkandi [Jamkhandi], to [Sir John Frederick William Herschel?] |
| Creator | Herschel; John (1837-1921); British army officer and astronomer |
| Date | 19 August [1868] |
| Description | A account of the obersvation of the solar eclipse by John Herschel, commencing 'The five minutes were past in impatience & distress & annoyance...' A great fact had been grasped but the disappearance of light prevented any further success. Although cross, the reflection gradually came that he had nearly done all that was essential, and had some satisfaction that the clouds could be charged with any failure. The object glass forms an image at a distance from it, on the steel plates which form the slit. He describes how the the crescent image was observed, with a small sketch, and its appearence throught the spectroscope. The eclipse became total behind a cloud, but upon keeping a watch, the driving clouds revealed the opposite side of the Sun and an unmistakable prominence, which is also sketched. He 'threw himself' at the spectroscope and shouted out the colours of the spectral lines. He secured a measure between fleeting glimpses between clouds. John describes the view of the prominence but thinks that the corona was too faint to present a spectrum. The length of the prominence line decreased and he only just caught the blue line. He believes that the lines represent hydrogen and sodium but he is unfamiliar with the former and so cannot say for certain. He knows nothing of external appearences, being so occupied, but it must have been very dark. |
| Extent | 4p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7955 | Herschel; John (1837 - 1921); Colonel; military engineer, surveyor and astronomer | 1837 - 1921 |