The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-19
THE SUN.

Perhaps one of the most impressive
illustrations of human helplessness in the
tremendous economy Of the universe is
cur profound ignorance of things forever
before our eyes. 1t might be thought
that we had become familiar with the sun,
the centre Of our system, the most glori
Gus object that mortal eyes ever looked
upon, ''the mighty centre of all earthly
forces and constantly present factor in
every great human enterprise, in every
TT vial household circumstance 1t has
been the object and the subject of study
ever since men began to look upon it, and
1T is the same great mystery and wonder
it was at the beginning" 1t is said We
have made wondrous progress in the re-
search in the last thirty years; that with
the aid of the spectroscope, the improved
micrometer, the photometer, and enlarged
telescopes, we have learned more about
the great orb than had been learned in
the forty centuries preceding the present
one-and astronomers present statements
and figures that certainly make a fine
showing. But these feeble conquests
only give emphasis to the still unsolved
mystery. The little we have learned
only reveals how much we have not
learned" There is not an astronomer
who, with all the achievements of sci
ence in the realm OF solar physics before
him, will not admit that, after all, we
really know almost nothing about the
sun, and that the text books have to be
continually re written to rid them of their
errors.
When the sun is totally eclipsed the tele-
scope reveals the edges of the black moon
frlnged with a beautiful luminous sur
rounding. This phenomenon, after having
been infinitely examined in six total
eclipses from many different points of
observation. in the last twenty years, was
tlally, by common agreement, decided
not TO belong the moon, but to the sun
93,000,000 miles behind it. The name
corona or crown was given to it, and SC
well was the appearance thought to be
understood, that it was entered in the
books as the suns corona, halo of col
ored light fringing its sharply defined disc
But the careful observations made in the
South seas of the total eclipse of last May
are said to have utterly dissipated the
corona as an appendage of the sun, anC
resolved it into mere optical illusion
caused by the play of subdued light owe
the black edge of the moon. And so W,
are again adrift in a sea of doubt and un
certainty and teachings of twenty year
must be thrown aside.
Science must unlearn its own teachings
Then there are the sun-spots, those dar
cavernous appearances which appear OF
the solar face at stated periods. and whc
for fifteen years past have heen studio
with the intensest interest and with a
the mechanical and optical appliance
that could be brought to the task Nor
man Locker puts forth the theory tia
they are the product of storms IN tn
photosphere which are reflected to GU
planet in atmospheric storms and distur
turbances; and the popular mind, delight
cd with an explanation which account
for phenomena that cannot be accounted
for in any other way, readily takes "
the theory. Aud yet there are quite a
many facts hostile to it as favorable tt
it and Prof. Draper asserts that not onl,
is it improved, but the weight of evidence
ia against it, since the sun spots, instead
of producing the excessive heat which i
supposed to accompany them, ought Il