Maumee express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1837-1838, 1837-05-13
[Trom the New York New Era.


curious concerning the physical con=::tu-
,ionlof the mysterious orb which gives
light and life to the planetary universe
Of which our earth isa member, favor
ableSopportunity for investigation is now
afforded, by the remarkable cluster Of
MAcuLAE, OF, spots, at present visible on
its disk. 1t not unfrequently exhibits
similar phenomena but whether it be
,hatthe task Of observing them with hour
" and daily care has proved too tedious,
or that the attention hitherto devoted to
them has proved too unproductive Of sat
isfactory results 10 encourage its patient
perseverance, they certainly are con-
signed by men Of science TO greater ne
glect than their'peculiar importance de-
serves. The mere fact that they form
the only avenues by which we can OBJ
tain any knowledge Of the physical ma
ture ofthe god-hke luminary upon which
all known existences depend, entities
them to the deepest homage our curosi-,
ty can render. Tired to-day, alike Of
politics, monopolies, paper currency, and
pauperisn, we will tell our readers all
we know about these exalted myste-
ries, and some OF the well ascertained
facts which we shall state may appear
both new and wonderful.
The dark objects upon the face of the
sun, as bebeld through powerful tele-
scopes, which are provided, of course.
with colored glasses to mitigate the focal
light and heat are perfectly and intensly
black, in their central parts, and are sur
rounded with border or penumbra OF a
fainter and more shadowy aspect which
seems to form profound and precipi-
tous cavern around them... These spots
and their shadows change their size and
shape almost every hour, and sometimes
contract or expand, or otherwise vary
their appearance, during even much
shorter period of observation; land the
same spots seldom continue in any form
longer than four or five weeks. They
citherclose up, and entirely vanish, or
are lost to our view by The revolution Of
the sun upon its axis, which, it is believed.
IS performed in the period required for
5bout twenty-five diurnal revolutions of
The earth. This latter fact, however is
not SO well established as is commonly
supposed; for as the suns spots supply
our only proofs that is has any rotation
upon its axis, and easmany ofthese are of
very transitory duration, the precise time
in which this is accomplished has not
yet been mathematically demonstrated.
someof the larger spots moreover, oc-
casionally divide asunder, into two dis
tinctparts andlhus render it extremely
difficult to. determine their original iden-
tity.
s7:But lis their astonishing magnitude,
and the immense scale of their opera
tons, which invests them with SO much
grandeur to the truly rejecting mind
The astronomer, Mayer, observed one
in the year 1855, of which he says " In
gems macule in sole conspiciebatur Gu
jus diameter equals l-20 diam. solis,"
which would be more than $4,000 miles
;indlameier; and some spots have been
described by observers, of inferior au-
fathority, as being yet OF greater magni-
stude.s Indeed, it has been pretty clearly
established that nc. object on the sun Of a
less circumference than 1896 miles can
be discernedsby us at all andi if we com
pare a scarcely discernible point with
those spots on the suns disk which are,
familiar IL, all who have been IN the
practice Of the solar telescope, the as,
900 miles diameter ofmany Of them will
not be difficult credendum in our as
Economical creed.
Since many of these largest spots
close up, contract to point, and entire
.tlysdisappear in two weeks, it is evident
that the borders OF one whose diameter
is such as we have stated must travel
with concentrating speed Of 6,000
miles a day for each opposite section Of
I circumference which, we may be per-
mitted to say, is pretty swift travelling
+. in the sun. The region of the solar sur
face on which, these large .nIacule ap
pear, is confined within the thirteenth
degree from its equator, the spots which
are now apparent are said TO lie mid
way between its centre and its circum-
frence, but we doubt the accuracy Of the
!, statement. Yet the error, ifit be. one,
is ofliitle Importance for in truth, eve
ryregion OF the solar area is everGsyer-l
ed with spots Of greater lesser dimen7
tions:sit is compulsory mottled with
them, though they mostly appear. as the
smallest preceptible points, And, what
are they one and all ? Lalande suggests
that they are solar mountains, protesting
beyond theluminousatmosphc ;but the