The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-10-28
Storms in the Sun.

lowed each other with such startling
rapidity as to modify all previous theories
as to the constitution, aud province in the
economy of the universe. 1t is now an
established fact that the gaseous envelope
surrounding the sun, called the chromos-
phere, is in highly excitab.e condition,
sending out forked tongues OF glowing
hydrogen in every direction from It's sur
face. These il ckcrIng streams OF light
extend to the enormous distance of from
10 900 to 100000 miles, and Often-i i'm ~
take on most fantastic forms Some Of
them were photographed during the r.:
cent total eclipse; the largest one Re
sembled ship under full sail; another
has branching horns like those of an ante
lope aud each curious protuberance
possessed a character peculiarly its oWu.
Moreover great periodical disturbances
take place in this seething cauidran Of
blazing gas, witch strangely enough, are
now thought To to DE produced ny certais,
combinations in the movements Of tAa
little solid bodies, on one of Which, We
live in their revolution round tar sun.
There is every threatening appears.n C.
now manifest that we are on the confines
of great epoch ct magnetic storm. The
sun has recently been exhibiting surpris
ing f.,rR1s of disturbance, and presenting
to scientific eyes features which mex
tent and rapidity of motion are almost
lncompreheEsible Vast spots have APP
peared, whose dimensions must be estt-i
mated by millions of square miles, ana
have presented rapid chaoges 4 figure,
indicating the action of forces nt inc0ncci}-
able intensity, and moving with a yeiDc
lty of which figures give 40 idea. .Hr
uuggins recently traced the course of
one which moved one hundred Thousand
miles IN second. Clusters of smaller
apots have exhibited every conceivable
form of solar urbancc, and every
degree of light from the apparent black
ness of the nuclei ttJthe intense brilliancy
of the fabulous ridges
Neither are these disturbances simply
matters of curious speculation, whicb,o
curing at distance OF more than n,n@ty
millions of miles, are of no practical iru
portance. For he startling fact Is well
established, That the changes now going
on In tue physical constitution of the sun
most powerfully affect the electric conii-
ton of our earth These changes havu lii
former years caused violent disturbance
in magnetic instruments all over the
world, and seem to be mysteriously and
intimately connected with & he most mag
niticent auroral displays which has ever
been. witnessed.
The solar magnetic storms, like every
thing else in the universe, are regulated
by fixed laws. They occur a, regular in
teryals of eleven years The last one took
place in 1859; we may therefore look for
its recurrence in the coming year, 1870.
Some very interesting observations VIZ re
male of the one that occurred in 1859,
by two astrone mers, Messrs. Hodgson
and Darlington, one being at Oxford and
the other in London. where they were at
the same moment carefully examining a
large group OF sun spots Suddenly, two
intensely bright patches oflight appeared
in front of the cluster. They were of
such surprising brilliancy that the OBJ
servers Thought the darkening screens at
tached TO their telescopes must have been
broken, and the full blaze of the sunlight
let in. This was not the case, how yer
but some mysterious process was going on
upon the suns surface, attended with
such rapIdity OF motion that Ill five min
utes the spots travelled over space of
thirty-four thousand miles.
At the Kew Observatory there are self
regestiring magnetic instruments which
indicate the processes of change by which
the subtle influences OF terrestrial magnet
ISM wax and wane In a quiescent state
of the great terrestrial magnet the
line traced by the pointer will be
marked by undulations which are scarce
ton, welimarked waves along the line
show the pulsations of the magnetic
system, in manner perfectly Ineligible
to the practiced operator. And there is
third form of disturbances, where the
sharp, sudden jerks of the pointer exhibit
the occurrence of those mysterious phen-
omena, winch are called magnetic storms.
When the records of The Kew Obserya
tory were examined, it was found that at
the exact instant at which the brilliant
spots OF light had appeared to Messrs.
Hodgson and Darlington, the self-register
ing Instrument mad been subjected to the
third and most significant form of disturb
ance a great magnetic storm let loose
It's pent up forces just as the light broke
suddenly forth. Neither was this the
sole evidence of the sympathy between
the sun and its planetary subordinate. 1t
was afterward found that the whole frame
of the earth had thrilled under the
magnetic influence.
In the Vest Indiess fnSouth America,
in Australia, wherever magnetic obserYa.
tions are Systematically made, the same
remark bic developments were registered.
In the telegraph stations at Washington
and Philadelphia, the signalemen receiy-
ed strong electric shocks. In Norway.
telegraphic machinery was set on IRE.
The pen of Bain's telegraph was followed
by flame. Wherever Geographic wires
,nnra found we'll marked indications. of