The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1869-08-14
4 Magnetic Storm.
FROM ihc Lon I'm SpcctatorI

On September l. 1859, shortly before noon.
two astronomers, Hodgson and Carrington-
one At Oxford, the other in LOndun-wcrc at
the same instant scrutiulzins a large group Of
sun spots. On Il sudden two intensely bright
patches of light appeared in front of the clus-
ter. SO brilliant were they that the observers
thought the darkcning screens attached to their
telescopes must have become fractured But
this was found not 10 be the case. The BRIGHT
spots indicated some process going Oh upon
the suns surtacc-a process of such activity
that within five minutes the spots Travelled
over a space of -, 600 miles Now at the Kew
Observatory there are selircgistcring magnetic
instruments, which indicate the processes Of
change by which the subtle influences of ter
rcstrIal magnetism WAX and wane. At one time
the line traced lay the pointer will be marked
10y scarcely pcrCcptIhle undulatiOns, iudiCat-
ing the almost quicsccnt state of the great ter
rcstrlRl magnet. At another woll-markci
waves along the line exhibit the pulsatiOns of
the magnetic system, Influenced IN u manner
As yet unintellIgiblo to the physicist. And then
there Is IA third form of disturbance
sharp, sudden jerks Of the pointer ,.Nhibitiur
the occurrence of those mysterious phenomena
termed magnetic storms" When the records
of the Kew Observatory rlIuc To- be- looked
over, II WIS found that at the very instant in
which the brilliant spot, "i light lad appeared
- H"dvs"n and Darlington, tn ,,lf-rr2si~t"r-
in: Instruments had been subjected to the
II magnetic storm h"-,.tn. IN fact. us the l,hi
brpk" out on the suns surface. But this WIS
not th" only CyilrHD" Ui the symuutly with
which the earth responded t. tho ~pltr.rri
II wAS subsequently iOuud that SOON after the
spots uf liyli; hHl appeared the whole fr.Ir. Of
ia" earth had thrilled Uud,TH Hmv-i,riuus mug-
m"tc inilu"ucr. At th" Wr,t Imli,, IN south
America. IN Australia, wh.royrr magnetic ui,-
SrrYLtl"IS ar" Systematically made, the oh
servers hhd the sam" story Ia tell. Ia tn" t"lr-
graph stations nt Washington and PhiLulcl-
pima, tho s'guHl men received strong electric
shocks. In Norway. u tclc,,rdphc machinery
was set Oh fire. The pen of linin'- TELEGRAPH
was followed 10y flame: and wherever tclc-
graphic wires were in action w"l-Inarkcd imli-
cations of disturbance presented Themselves
Lvcn this was not all. The great magnetic
storm was not a mere instantaneous electric
throc. Hours passed before the disturbed
earth resumed its ordinary state. And thu, il
happened that in nearly all parts of the earth
night fell while the storm WAS vet in urpgr,.Ss
During the night magnificent aurnrns spread
their waving StrCamcrS over the sky between
the northern and the southern hcmisph,rcs.
As the disturbed needle vbrtcd the colOrod
Strcamcrs waved responsive nud il WIS only
when the magnetic storm was Sulniding that
the nurOral lights faded from the heavens
Now Is evident that these Phenomena show
tho most intlmntC relation between these ne.
Cular disturbances in tho sun and the magnet
&c currents Of onr own earth. Directly one of
these changes takes place, upward of 30, OOO,-
OOO of miles away, the electric condition of orr
planet is changed in some mysterious wav of
winch "ur instruments, and even the condition
al our sky bear record. The pens of all our
Geographic wires may sOmo day trace i'm hamo
a. hhndwriting moro Omnous of human destiny
tlIan was the handwriting which, ,lur,ng Bel
hii'L|at lcaSt, traced warning on the wall Of
tho fnll nf the BahylOnian dynasty. More.
over, note this: that these chnngcs IN the con
diu"h oi tho sun take place at intervals of
about eleven years. Tho variable stars which
swings round il, as we'll as supplying us with
light aud heat md apparently magnetism.
clouds over every eleven years these spots 40
thnt 1t seems most likely that every eleven
years certain magnetic conditions rccur which
nave not rCcurrcd in tho interval If so. pcr-
maps Tho magnetic excitement Of 1859 will ro-
cur, ana II mny lie in much greater force next
Eo"r. IN 1870. And If IL docs, how nro wo to
"ay wh"t may or may not occur with IL 2
b'oh now ono such epoch of magnetic storm
hooh,S 10 Dc thought pretty near nt hand. The
sun mas lately been exhibiting tho most sur
prisiug forms Of disturbance, and presenting
To scientific oycs loss "fiXiiy" of essence tl,nn
over. spots 10 vast that We must estimate
Their dimensions 10y millions Of square miles
nave broken ont from time to time, and have
presented rapid changes Of figure, indicating
tho action of forces of inconcCiynhIc intensity
Clusters of smaller spots extending rycr vol
vnstcr hrcns, have exhibited every form of dis
turbhncc known 10 the solar nhysirist onh
every degree of light, from tho npparant black
ness Un reality only rolntivc) of tho nucIoi io
mo intense brilliancy of tho faculous RIDGES.
ana we now know that these appearances arc
NOT merely matters for tho curious, with which
ns They happon nj n distance of above niuoty
millions of miles, practical men need not con.
ccrn themselves.