The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-09-10
THE SUN AND THE WEATHER.

THE SUN AND THE WEATHER.
Recent speculations of European Scientists.
The summer in Europe has been cold and
rainv. 1t was rainy and cold last year.
The scientific men are discussing the why
and wherefore of this unwelcome weather,
and Emile Flammarion, the French astrono-
mer, thinks he has solved the problem.
"If it were only in France, or in Europe
that that the summer was rainy" he writes,
"the'question Would be purely meteorolog-
ical one, and its solution would be found in
some atmospherical movements. But now
we have to deal with facts of very differ
ent nature. The sky has been covered with
clouds around the whole surface of our globe
for more than year. The last winter was
unusually long and cold in Asia, Africa, and
America, as well as Europe. Such state of
things must have general, and, therefore,
an astronomical cause. The sun governs
our planet; it regulates our temperature, eli
mate and seasons. Therefore we have to
turn our attention to the sun for the solution
of our question. We find that::thesu is now in
an unusual condition. During the whole of
last year it seemed to be in a state of repose
that is very rare. At present there are no
spots and eruptions to be seen on the sun.
Il looks like an ocean of light undisturbed
either by wind or by storm, which is unusual.
The suns spots are the signs of its activity;
they appear simultaneously with the erup-
tions that appear on its surface. At such times
torrents of white-hot hydrogen, of magnium
steam, and of fire are thrown up several hum
dreds of thousands miles. The whole of our
globe could be thrown up from one of these
apertures, and be melted and transformed
into gaseous state, like drop of water in.
an eruption of Etna. These clouds of gases
are SO hot that they can not burn, and SO
they fall down upon the surface of the sun as
fiery rain. The immense heat fthe sun dur
ing eruptions could burn up over ii milliards
of tons of coal in second. Sometimes the
suns surface appears to be in motion, like an
| ocean tossed by a storm; sometimes it is quiet
| as the clouds observed from above by the
aronaut. But even in the period of repose
the sun emits such an awful heat that if our
| globe were to approach it it would be instant
| " melt like wax.
"Now the cold and rainy summers coincide
with the unusual repose of the sun. This CO.
| incidence does not seem to be accidental, for
it appears to repat itself periodically, just as
the formation ofthe suns spots and the erup-
lions are periodical. In 1870 and 1871 the
number of the sunsspots was about 300, and
there were several thousands of eruptions.
One of the spots / have found to be three
times as large as the diameter of the earth.
| Since then the number of the suns spots and
eruptions has regularly decreased year by
year. The decrease goes on for u years,
| and then it takes 81 years to reach again its
maximum. It is known that 1870 and 1871
were dry and warm years. The last min
imum of the suns spots and eruptions was in
1866 and 1867, and these years were rainy
/ especially 1866. The last maximum was
in 1859 and 1860, those years being dry. A
previous minimum was in 1856. which was q
rainy year. Apparently, the maximum pc
Rod of the suns spots and eruptions comedies
with and causes dry and warm years; while
the minimum means rainy and cold years
This explanation is offered only as hypothe-
sis, however, for as yet positive mathematical
proof is wanting"
Another French savant, De Perville, puts
forward this explanation in the Journal des
Debats: The annual apparent declination
| of the moon is not constant; it varies from IL
deg. 19 min. to % deg. to SO min. 1t takes
nine years for the moon to reach its maxi.
mum of declination. De Perville assert:
that each period of maximum defamation is
4 accompanied by excessive rains. This opinion
he supports by observations made during 7(
years. The rainy summers of Europe have
always correspondent, he says, to that position
of the moon. This year the declination O.
the moon is 26 deg. In 1872 and 1875, the
rainy years, it was from 26 deg. to % deg
According to this we shall have a rainy sum
mer in 1885, while the summers of 1881, '82
'83 and "a shall be dry.
An English scientific man, Henry Ray
from his observations of 80 years past. make.
the following calculations: If the number O
year is even and Invisible by three, then il
is the middle one of three rainy and colo
years. For example, 1860 is an even mum
Der, divisible by 8; 1859, 1860 and 1861 wer,
rainy and cold. If the number of the yea
is odd and divisible by 8, then it is the mid
die one of three dry and warm years. For ex
ample, 1868 is an odd number, divisible by
1862 1868 and 1864 were dry and warm
According to this calculation, 1880, 1881 and
1882 will be dry years.