Physical Science for Artists

Abstract

THE curious phenomenon described by Prof. Brücke and Mr. Norman Lockyer, under the name of “les rayons de crépuscule,” though rare and uncommon in the island of Ceylon, is well-known to the natives under the title “Buddha's rays.” It has also, I believe, been noticed in Cashmere. The phenomenon, which is very striking indeed under favourable conditions, is confined to the mountain region in the central parts of the above-named island, and is never, as far as I am aware, seen in the low country. It was therefore with considerable interest that I learnt that it is well known to the French, and had been seen by Mr. Lockyer at sea. In May, 1876, in a paper on “Remarkable Atmospheric Phenomena in Ceylon,” read before the Physical Society and published in the Proceedings, I offered an explanation of this phenomenon, in accordance with the conditions under which it appeared. As this explanation is very brief, may I ask your permission to reproduce it verbatim?