Two projects – “Mapping the Sun” and “Reading the Hurlers” – have shone new light on the multiple stone circle complex, The Hurlers, on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, in southwest Britain. In 2013, excavation revealed a stone “pavement” between the central and northern circles: this inter-circle link had first been discovered in 1938 but had then been re-covered. Work in 2016 discovered a solitary fallen (once standing) stone which lay 100 m to the north of The Hurlers complex. Geological studies of the standing stones accompanied by astronomical surveys have prompted new insights into the make-up of this monument, its landscape setting and astronomical significance. Astronomical observations of this major Bronze Age landscape reveal a design with significant alignments between key monuments and near and distant landmarks. Additional astronomical links suggest a number of interesting phenomena which would be experienced at the site, particularly surrounding the materiality of the inter-circle link.

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An experiment was performed at the Roseland Community Observatory, Cornwall, during the 11 August 1999 total solar eclipse. The main objective was to search for strong infrared coronal lines with a view to identifying candidates for subsequent coronal magnetic field measurements. In particular we hoped to measure the intensity of the Si IX line at 3.93 ?m, the most likely candidate line. The secondary aim of the experiment was to search for Rydberg transitions of neutral hydrogen and helium in the corona, previous observations of the infrared corona having produced evidence that cool, in coronal terms, material may co‐exist in the corona with the hot (106 K) plasma. The experiment did not succeed in the above aims as the Sun was obscured by cloud on the morning of the eclipse at the Roseland Observatory site. However, infrared observations of the sunlight scattered through the clouds produced a remarkable result. The infrared intensity fell precipitously 6.5 minutes before second contact and rose just as suddenly 6.5 minutes after third contact. The authors are unable to explain this result but suggest that it might be a terrestrial atmospheric rather than a solar phenomenon. Intriguing observations from the total solar eclipse in Cornwall last year are reported by A Ridgeley, B Sheen, G Barnard, C Corrigan, G E Derbyshire, R Jones, P Moir‐Riches, C Purchase, P D Read and T Richards.

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