The Osceola times., 1880-07-17
THE Sun AND THE EARTH.
I'm usual Disturbance on the Luminary
Affecting Our Climate.
Iron The Brooklyn Eagle

lfrom the Brooklyn Eagle.
The seasons for the past five months
appear to have undergone change. The
winter was very mild on this continent
and intensely cold and severe in Europe
The early spring here was wet in Europe
il was almost ideal. Summer has come
at bound here, as 1t usually does. but il
is a week ahead OF time All predictions
are likely to be wrong this year. and for
a very good reason. There is little doubt
that the central luminary of our system
influences our atmosphere TO very con-
siderable extent. Violent agitations of
the solar envelope, it has been observed,
are followed 10y extraordinary electric
phenomena on this planet. Eighteen
years ago a tongue OF flame was observed
to shoot 10000 miles into space, from the
sun. bending and curving as though under
she influence of n violent hurricane, At
the same time the needle of the electro
nometCr, as 1t moved wildly round the
dial, was followed by flame which
played around 1t for hours afterward.
Auroral displays of unusual brilliancy.
and thunder storms of great violence.
were reported at about the same time.
These, and other observations, attest the
influence which the sun exercises upon
our weather. The present is a period of
unusual solar disturbance. 1t is the cul-
mination of the eleven years. A few
snls II spots appear upon bis face-thev
become more numerous and larger, and
finally appear OF such size as to be visi-
BILE TO the naked eye. After reaching
maximum area, almost lnyariable. they
slowly disappear Theyare now at their
11ap Ilragignl,r x.y hat
are astronomers have not vet decided
They look like riffs in the chromosphere
or envelope of light around the sun,
The dark shadows are believed to be the
nOn-luminous body of the sun seen
through the riffs. Two sets of ofarguments
were derived from these assumptions,
both of which point TO the same conclu-
slOn as regards our earth, namely, that
at the period Of the suns maximum OBJ
.scuration by spots, drought and heat pre-
vail on this planet.
The first theory is that the red heat
received from the sun is diminished in
proportion to the area of the aggregate
Of spots. The normal temperature being
thus diminished, evaporation from the
seas and streams is largely diminished
also, and the atmosphere becoming dry
and more pcnetrable by the suns rays,
the temperature is apparently hotter.
The drought which accompanies the sun
spot summers gives color to the theory.
The last corresponding period was in
1859, when Chicago astronomer. after
predictlngacool but dry summer on this
account, was roughly handled by the
press because 1t turned out to be one of
the hottest ever remembered. lie was
forced TO explain that the diminution of
real heat from the sun casued CORE
sponding increase Of apparent heat.
lhe other theory is to the effect that
while the luminous rays of the sun en-
.anatc from the chromosphere, the heat
giving and chemical beams, both invisi-
bic, take their impulse from the inner
mass, or the real sun. The openings in
the chromosphere cause a disturbance of
the proportions of heat and light usually
received, and permit, moreover, a more
abundant outflow of the heat. rays from
the non-luminous portion. How valu-
able such theories are, we leave astrono-
mers 10 settle between them. 1t is graf
flying, however, to think that somebody
IS responsible and that if the astronomer
can not be blamed for too much heat,
the sun can.
At all events, it is beyond the power
Of humanity to change the planetary re-
iation. All it can do is to adapt itself to
the oppressive conditions as well as pos
sible, and keep cool. 1t is one of the
Best times in the year to bid long fare
well to ardent spirits, and TO study the
excellent effects of cold water. Thanks
to the ice men, the price of that valuable
commodity has risen frightfully, but
there is consolation in the thought that
too much ice water is dangerous.