The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-06-05
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SPOTS ON THE SUN.
They win be Numerous the Next Two Years
,9a.saa1n "A Number NOW yislble.it.S .a.fsi

|e' The period is approaching when when, the
greatest number Of spots appear on III,
solar surface. Even at the present time
several are visible, and some of them 8
considerable. size. Aonumber of fact.
seem to warrant the opinion of perhaps .
majority of physicists that the, change OF
the disco Of the central Ium inary Which
the spots show to be taking placc, IN IN
tiuence many phenomena On the earth
The variations, therefore, from uniform
brightness Pr ness on the great orb of day are a,
present watched with an, interest which
was unknown in the infancy, of optica
and astronomical science The discovery
of the checkered 'physiogomy of the sola1
orb Is due to Calico, though accounts o1
variations in the SUMS light date as ia,
back pa. as the reign Of Augustus Cesar. In
April, 1861, soon after the invention OF
the telescope, spots were observed by the
Florentine astronomer, and nearly at the
same time by Schreiner, ia German
Jesuit, Ii land. d.assl' 'Fsbficius, ,si the
friend of Kepler.o Being ,inrsquainted
with any means of diminishing
the intense glare, the first A. tele-
scopists were obliged to, make their OBJ
servations through thin clouds Or when
the sun was near the horizon. The blind
ness which .embittered the latter days Of
Calico was no doubtieauseGb by watching
the sun spots, and the, elder sHerschel
lost one of his eyes II, consequence of his
close stucy Of the solar phenomena.
jE1t has been; found from the esx,amiinla "a.
ton of long series Of obser1,.tionss' that
the time of the greatest number of SPECS
reecur in about eleven years., The last
took place in the summer OF, 1871. In
that year and the preceding they were
frequently observed and measurements
made of their size at the observatory in
this city, On two occasions d.. spot was
observed with the naked eye which was
yat least $4,000 miles in diameter. In
1889 spots of 900 and even $4,000 miles
are recorded. In 1876 they were seen on
several occasions without TIE aid of the
telescope. taqsTs bg& 'As e's fh'a'nti'1'I
The readiest way to observe the spots
is to receive the image Of the sun either
on screen or paper marked by perpen-.
dlcular, and horizontal lines, at an equal,
distance from each other. Not only the
outlines Of the spot, but also its relative
size can thus be easily traced Many
theories have been broug ght forward to &C.
count for the spots on the oselar surface
especially since the rose-colored flames,
which appear during a total eclipse of
that luminary, have been shown to be-
caused by hydrogen gas. But with the
exception et this fact and the manifest
effects Of, cyclone-like waves which rise
and produce disturbances in portions of
its districts, the true causes of the chang
es on the suns surface with the exception.
of those produced by some Of the planets,
as we'll as the sources Of its heat and
light, are unknown. Observations Of the
spots now appearing, and which will be-.
come more numerous during the next
two years, may enable physicists, to de-.
termine many questions connected with
the central luminary which ave! now un-
answered. The older Herschel supposed
that the average temperature Of years in
which large number Of spots appear on
the solar surface is generally lower. This
has not yet been fully proved, yet the
summer of 1916, so remarkably for large
spots, was the coolest on record in the
United States. 5Iilze DIR 10 ao!1"iti5st@