Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-20

Is the sun the Cause of Our Singular
Weather-A Talk About Some Interest
ing Events-Observation of the suns
Spots.
Some weeks ago a correspondent OF the
NEWS visited a celebrated astronomer in
New York and was invited to take look
at the sun through a big telescope. He
put his eye to the glass, and there hung
the great globe of the sun, perfectly round
and sharp in outline. Its surface was
dotted with a number of dark spots that
looked like pits or holes in the great
ball. Two Of them, one near the centre
and the other just passing around the
edge, were large enough, the astronomer
said, TO swallow up the earth. In several
places the surface was ridged and wrin-
killed. with intensely white lines, showing
the eruption of vast masses Of Naming
hydrogen from the interior. These would
shortly be followed, the astronomer further
explained. by the formation of tremendous
fiery whirlpools whose depth the bulk
of the planet would not be able to I'LL.
The correspondent could not help utterlng
an exclamation Of astonlshment When
the meaning of what he saw was eX-
planned to him. 'sThat is not a very far
fetched idea that some people entertain
that hell is located in the sun" said the
astronomer: ''vOu see it is big enough and
hot enough to satisfy the most orthodox.
But there is one objection they have not
thought of. The SUMS fires are not
eternal By and by crust Will form over
his surface, and the fires will die out.
BY by and by l mean anywhere between
1900, 900 and 1S.000,000 years.
Have SUMS spots anything to do with
the weather?'' was asked. The answer to
that question will be interesting at pres
ent, since we are having such eXtraOrdi-
nary weather in the South. Unfortunate
ly it is but recently the men of science
have treated the subject seriously, and
the observations do not go back far enough
to fix a definite answer to the question.
1t is known that sun spots appear and
disappear according to some law, the time
from maximum to maximum being be-
tween eleven and twelve years. But the
observations of weather during CORE
spending periods, not having been taken
with distinct view to the solution of this
question, give discOrdant results, and it
may be many years before we get from
such observations satisfactory proof that
the SUMS condition does or does not direct
ly affect the weather.
There is, however, another road to the
solution of the question. 1t is settled
that the sun affects the earth's electrical
condition, and wherever the suns spots
are most numerous, or, in other words,
whenever the sun is IN violent state of
agitation, the earth shows its effect by
electrical displays and storms. There is
a famous storm on record, at the begin
ming of which two English astronomers
happened to be watching the sun. 1t was
in September, 1859. Suddenly they per-
ceived two brilliant spots CLEAN out.
Almost at the same instant the telegraph
wires all over England, America, and in
the furthest parts of Europe, refused to
work, strange electrical phenomena were
observed, a flame of fire followed Bane's
electric pen in Boston, telegraph
operator in Norway was stunned and the
apparatus was set on fire. In several
other places telegraph operators received
severe shocks. There are other well known
instances of the effect Of solar Outbursts
upon the earth.
Now since the storms on the sun thus
affect the earth's electricity it can be
fairly said that they affect our weather,
for the electrical condition of the atmOs-
phere is not the least among the causes
that govern the terrestrial storms, and it is
not wholly possible to deny that the great
rains that have fallen i'll the North and
West, causing such terrible floods and
suffering among the people, and the very
unusual storms that have prevailed
in this locality and throughout the State,
may, in measure, be attributed to the
suns action, combined with local causes.
During the past few days the sun has pre-
sented a remarkable spectacle, showing a
row of spots through the centre.
Those spots resemble chasms. and
are collected into two adjoining
clusters and around them the
sun is heaped up into fiery mountains,
which are continually changing in posi-
ton and form. In places it looks as if a
gigantic solid shot had been fired into it,
leaving great gaping, ragged holes in the
shining disk. But to have made these holes
cannon ball as large as the earth would
have been required. These huge spots
will shortly be seen easily without a tele-
scope, In making the observations the
eye must be protected by dark glass, 4
smoked glass will do, but it is much safer
TO employ two deeply tinted glasses of COM
plementOry colors, and these used with an
opera glass or powerful spyglass, will
reveal many interesting things in the sun
that will surprise the Impractical OBJ
server.
Whatever these spots may be the re-
searches of modern astronomers have
failed to discover their cause. 1t is only
known that some singular and remarkable
influence exists, and that following any
extraordinary agitation of the SUMS sur
face there is a visible effect in the earth's
atmospheric condition, and violent storms
almost universally prevail, and it can
hardly be denied that our present remark
able weather changes are due to some Of
these causes.