, 1870-08-14
TIE SPOTS ON TIE SUN.
How They Arise and What They Fl
fcct-Thc ssrought n1ld l1cnt Astfi-
buted to Them.

fcct-Thc esrought ami l1cnt Astri
buted to Them.
M1. E Colbert, Of THE CHICAGO TnzRrx1
(aAys the New York Epf7sing Po't), bss' IN the
Hfssk,n Monthly, published at Chicago, An ita'
tercetiug and Ingenious article On he snn
tpots. which. as:onomsn tell us, are extraor'
dipx.ilv numerous tais year, and On their con.
nec,ion uitl, tie remarkable season. the
drought aud the HEAT, from which not We only
b,, III The world secu3e to 10 suffering. The
following extract. from bis article will give our
RAIDERS Mr. [.alhert's theory-we must refer
Ibem /, he Hcssrn iAonhly for August IL.
the whole atticles
How THE sFors LooK.
The central body Of The solar gyetem Is
passins through an epoch In his history. To
liz naked eye he is brilliant and dazzling "a
eyer, and during portion OF the present
GUNNER tho unusual abses1ce Of moisturo IN
tbs ssnosphcre l,as permitted his ra5s to fall
nA1y force But When cx.riaed through the
telcrcope, tho solar hursaco Ia seen 10 bo
tlicklv s:rern with dark spots.
Molc.u scisucs h.s already Discovered that
these affections arc periodic, and has enable !
us 70 point ont the taet that :ea-, cf
ticn occur regularly in cycles Of about
eleven yearo, ever since the firtt re-
ccsicd epot vas observed by Fabricins in tho
beginning OF tho seventeenth ceututy. But
the present year, though previously Indicated
~ one Of maximum, Is marked ty tho apueaz-
anee OF An extraordinary number Of spots,
WHICH Lave no parallel in number aud magui-
tu1r wi,hin ,he space Of a hundred years past.
Ne premise that the spots arc black patches
On tho bright eurfacc Of the sun, and verr
irregular. both in form and magnitude. All
arc variable with regard to location but SON,
rh.rsge their plaees much more rapidly tllau
others From this fnct It has been inferred
that the srots arc not solid substances, or
cavities i'll = sohd maas. like the invAEi4ble
mouutAlun and val1eys in tho moon, but taat
they exist ia 4 tuid medium, and are subject
TO rnrid change Of place: ..-..,
Tue Observed motiou OF some has been equal
to several fht ueat,da Of uli!es per hour. II
Las also been z4;ctttainel that tho spots are
detrs 1.ioua, not rrotubetances, from tho OBJ
her.ed fact that when near tho edge Of tho
suns a.rc the Gssyi-h outer edge Increases In
a.rsseut width, while the edge nearest to tho
contrary woulI be the case il tho spota wore
dark mssres projecting above the SIMS nor
nal surface. The form Indicates that many
OF them have rapid rotary motion, ike the
wasez IN whirlpool OF in funnel; and in al
there II 4 rncid downward movement toward
the centre.
In nlapy cases tbe neighborhood Of the spot
is marked by the presenco Of MASSES OF un-
usual br11liancv, which A1s called fArule, And
often seen az il they projected outward from
Tho general s,lar 1nAes-
Some OF these spota a1eof great magnitude
4 moderately sized instrument would scarcely
show ono Of 1esa diameter than 400 miles. ut
the great distaLce of the earth from the sun
I9l liz ODQ rniles1. But ppota hxyo not in
Frequently been large enough to be seen with
the eyc, unaded except by piece ct smoked
glaA., which aEutH on portion OF the light
~ n,,n r.
se1y+ts iii 1853. the longest diameter Of which
was computed to he 1877 900 miles and \ pot
was visttls III May lat, the area OF which was
about 32O, 900 square miles. At the time
the mentioned spot wAa measured (May
2sy there werc eighteen large spota visible,
besides several smaller ones; the aggregate
area OF iLeso spots was not loss shan one patt
in one hundred and thirty Of the rholo per.
renticaias area OF the solar disc.
Tho frst ESQ rnade OF tho observations On
Sun eEotp vas to prove-Ehat had bean ~
serte.t some years preriously-!h,s the sur
1otates OF an skis OF hls own, like tho ca1th
WHAT TIE SPOTS ARE
II has been known fnt somo time thst thost
srotE arc phcnomena OF motion in hutd sur
rounding the run, which auid IL RENDERED
gsseuus by Intense heat, as We shall see anon
II VIC turn to the earth, which is similarly
tnE1nnnled ny gaseous envelope. wo shal
lind remarkable parallel; ono 50 close thu
We cannot doubt that the two sets Of phenome
na arc produced by similar caases. Tho bar
cneter shows that in the 11tituics OF about
thirty y-t~odcgres> north and twenty FIVE dcsree!
south the mercury stands higher ia tue fubt
than It any other past Of tho surface tho all
il heavier on those belts OF latitude than any.
where etsc. II is easy to understand that tlle
cau.c of this greater weight, or downward
pressure, ia found in the fact Mat the
lower strata Of mir in the tropical regions arc
heated by ;he reflection from the earth of tlls
almost vertical tnlar rays. and are also Te:,.
dc.cI lighter by the immense quantities Of Va
por farn,e-3 in the t1opic o:ean4-
Tie sit, t;us he.tcd- e1pacls and rises tt
the upper regions OF tho atmosphere; tho,
flows po'cHArd Til it reaches tho taituls
stove mentioned. There it moots other cur
rents. which have been forced upward by thi
rotation Of the earth upon it4 axis. The 70
rutt Of this meeting Is hearing up at tie linz
OF junction, followed By . downward rusL tc
supIlr the place ct the air which Las boen
forced upward in the tropics. THIS produces
the augmented pressure upon the mercury ID
tir barometer, ami thus results tho ssstein ot
trade winds and their counter currents, wl.ic.,
are 70 familiar to the mariner.
Tl,ere bc),s OF greater pressure vary theit
position With the changing movements Of thu
sun, lrack ard fatth acrosa the eartllA elrR.
They arc tne true storm regions Of the
cartl,-tle lines uear which tho hurricane and
tho wl4irlwihd arc most frequently encounter.
aition far outHilo u cur ae:iss rns slope, Will,
eyes lifted to olmeEre the phenomenon, We
SHOULD doubtless res the turmoil produced by
the meeting Of these mighty atmospheric cur
rents, in tho Same n4auner a. we now observc
the analogous sec'ling all lnbblins excite
mentr, the rotary wl,illpunl motion, and The
Iuwn~ ard iml4taohisv which n,srk The meet
ing Of wattr currents On land Ut sea-
Tie great agents in this phenomenon arI
tho solar heat snd the rotation Of the eartl
un her axis; tho moon causes tidal move
menta in taie waters Of the ocesu
aud uudoubsed1y also produces &tda
wares in tho atmosphere, but mos
markedly in tue exterior portions Of tho air
II in tho water. 1t would te Just as rationa
to conclude that tho m. Oh causes no stuuos
phcric ware. hccAuse we cannot measure it .
the Interior OF the envelope, ~ it would bo 70
the oyster Al tho bottom Of tho ocean, repos
lug IN eternal -tillncss, to assert that theirs
no tidal movement 1T the surface The actu7
distances and meridian a1titules Of tho lum
naries ars continually varying, aud titus y
have cles1euta Of inccssant irreSlilanty, in til
magnitude, and 10 the points OF the Location
Of ihc greatest forc.: and thus also tho pla
Of these atmospheric forces is extended int
other regions. 1sut lie exterior storm burst
can ,evtr bo on 70 imposing scale as iu til
two bcstA We have named. where tha air cui
rents dash against each other necessarily an
forever. ~
In the eo!ar epots ITO have evidences Of II,
existence Of htar1n belts in the sun; an
nearly in the aame positions with respect to Ii
equator a. the parallels Of Eroatcst b1romctr
pressure on tie earth. The sposs are u1
lrultctlly cansed ly the meeting Of opVosiu
Currents IN tho exterior regions of tlaa sIn
atmospheric envelope, and tue corresIuudit
upward ilow is presented in the rosy prot
lesanccs visible during tho total eclipse, Al
in the SINE ttiugsl the facui.e altoaiy note
For one corresponding cause wc have tho +
tAtiun at tl1e Rnn unon flis Own axis: for u
Other, We Ini.et fook outHidc, to the plant
arv nlah-es Which circle AFpunl hlul.
lSt1llN,'E or TUE PLANETS OK TIE srS.
Astronomers arc we'll aware OF the {.
that run sl:ota appear in greater AMI Il
number and magnitude At Iegula- int
va!r. which 70 nearly coincide with t
mTipde OF planeiary revolution Al to les
no doubt ,llat m iu,imatc couuecti
exists bttveeu them. The spot m7uifes
fjors Increase and decrease most n1arke4
wiil, tic Distance Of Jupiter, which il hy
tho 12recet l1Auet in tho system. aud the OF
orc which We have reason t. believe has an Il
solidifsd eStencr. and gives OF heat aud h:
independently Of the eut. 1lispcriod Of ro'
l,stien is little ruore tlau eleven years aud t
months, arl thi. corresponds very nearly vi
tie ti.nc fronl one spot maximum to Auoth
whfcA il about eleven yca1s and oue-tenth.
Venus is also found to crazt powerful
flucnce in the formation Of epots; thsy
alaay. most numerous when Venus and jn
ter arc o1, tho sAmc side ct the aun-at
opcTaticr IL tho ea1ne direction. II is !
considered as established that there ia = Erea
rvela of fttx.eight to sixty yeare, eorrespo
ins to five revolutions nf Jupiter and two
Saturn, within which the nan5stna and mini
Of the smaller period exhibit regular va1
tion Of intensity.
4 still larger cfclc ia indicated in tue rcco
Of FUN bpnt+-4 PERIOD Of 1Gs !cara, col
spondinE to two revelations Of Uranus .
one OF Neptune. There can he no doubt I
rmal!er variations arc prttlnccd bv the roti
of the lessee planets, though they have
been watched Win ~ much .tsontion "a u
sur, Jupiter. Mars. and Venus were all nc
in straight limo in the heavens last epr
and tlat this unusual co-posftiou ~.s aee
n.n;asl IN m exhibition Of sun epota viii