The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-09-19

An eminent sclentlst addresses bne
following letter to the N. Y. Ecening
Post:
In your editorial article yesterday on
"The Wrath of the Elements you refer
to the previous occurrence of the unusual
phenomena experienced du ring the pres
ent summe-, and quote from Cowper's
E Task" to show that similar ones ap-
peared in 17s3-that is, eighty-nine years
ago. The simultaneous recurrence Of
these phenomena must suggest, even to
the unscientifc mind, that they are pro-
duced by common cause, and scientific
men have done much towards establish
ing this simple induction as an ascer-
tanned fact. The common cause to which
all Investigations unmistakably point is
the sun, the periodic variation of whose
spots meets sympathetic response in
the electrical conditions of the earth.
For the benefit of the unscientifc
reader it may be well to explain in a
word the nature of sunspots. The sun
is supposed to be solid body, enveloped
in an atmosphere of incandescent metal
lie vapors, called the photosphere, from
which we receive our light and heat.
This gaseous envelope, instead of being
uniformly spread over the surface of the
sun, is at times broken into immense
chasms, at the lottom of which parts of
the solid mas of the sun are visible as
black spots. The cause of these spots
and their relation to terrestrial phe-
nomena have long been the subject of
deep investigation with astronomers,
and the results of these Investigations
are likely, at no distant day, to have an
important bearing on the duties OF our
meteorological reporters.
But without anticipating these results,
it is especially interesting to know what
has been definitely ascertained in regard
to certain aspects of body with which
our own planet is so intimately connect
ed. I shall quote only the most trust
worthy authorities, and thence draw
such conclusions as may seem pertinent.
THE SUN A VARIABLE STAR.
Here I quote from the interesting lit
tie astronomical work of j. Norman
Lockyer, tie editor of Nature: "Some
spots cover millions of square miles, and
remain for MONTHS others are visible
only in powerful instruments, and are of
very short duration. There is great
difference, in the number of spots visible
from time to time; indeed, there is a
minimum period, when none are seen for
weeks together, and maximum period,
when more are seen than at any other
time. The interval between two maxi
mum or two minimum periods is about
eleven years. Now, as we must get less
light from the sun when it is covered
with spots than when it is free from them,
we may look upon it as a variable star,
with period of eleven years."
CAUSE OF sUNsPoTs.
Here quote from the works of Pro-
fessor Norton, of Yale College: The
suns spots are for the most part develop
ed by or il, some way connected with the
operation Of physical agency exerted
by the planets upon the photosphere
This remarkable fact has been conclusive
ly established by the observations Of
Schwabe, Darlington, Secchi and others
and especially by the detailed discussion
to which all the reliable observations
upon the spots made during the last one
hundred years have been subjected by
Professor Wolf, of Zurich. The planets
which exercise the greatest influence are
Jupiter and Venus. The planetary
agency is directly recognised in the
srigination of the spots on the part oi
the suns surface brought by the rotation
nto favorable position. It i!
lso shown by the dependence of the
epochs Of the maximum and minimum
of spots upon the positions of the planets
especially Of Jupiter and Venus"
RPFEcTs OF sUNspoTs UPON THE EARTH
We have just seen that the variation.
of the sunspots are accompanied by cor.
responding variations in the supplies o.
light and Leat received at the earth
from the sdn but more important re.
suits are noticed. To continue the quo.
tation from Locks ar: at is also known
that the magnetic needle has period
of the same length eleven years., its
greatest oscillations occurring when
there are most sunspots. Aurore and
the currents of electricity, which trav.
erse the earth's surface, are affected by q
similar period"
This is sufficient to demonstrate the
existence of some connection between
the solar spots and the electrical condi.
ton of the earth and when it is re.
membered that electricity and magnet.
ism are themselves but imperfectly
understood, no one will wonder that the
precise nature of this connection re,
mains unexplained. Mr.. Schuster, O.
Manchester, also remarks in Natur,
upon the clese coincidence of the year,
in which the wine crop of Germany ha,
been unusually good and those in which
there was minimum of sunspots.
The very intensity of the heat from
which we have suffered during the sum
mer is clearly attributable to the culmi
mating pswer of the suns rays. The
phenomenal brilliance of the recent
auroras may be attributed to electrical
disturbances from the same cause, fol
the aurora is now generally recognised
as an electrical phenomenon; while tn,
thunderstorms which have proved 81
destructive are only another manifesto
tion of the same disorganization. The
cloudbursts, waterspouts and hurricane
can only be referred to the capricious
ness of the heat and the electrical dis
turbancss.
But all these things happened eighty
nine years ago. The sun at that tim,