The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-13
THE SPOTS ON THE sun.
Prof. MansilI's Discoveries OF
Developments and Dimin.
isHments.

CAUSE vi WHiCh NC Ciuiino w NC INC uioCos-
erer, in his Signal for March. just pub
lished. Prof. Mansill's observations as
to the sun spots and the cause thereof
have been fully outlined by the ARGUS
heretofore, but the following abstract of
his article alluded to will be OF interest:
There were few spots on the sun dur
ing the first days of October, 1885. They
were very few from the 18th to the 14th,
while from the 14th to the nth We could
not find any at all. On Oct. 22d there
were two groups on the eastern part of
the sun, and on the 25ih three groups
were to be SEEN The sun spots became
more prominent at Neptune's opposition.
Nov. 18th. or when the earth passed be-
tween the sun and that planet. But there
were not any spots visible on Nov. 25th.
nor any until the 2Sth. when two small.
dim looking spots could be seen occa
sionally until Dee. Sd, at and after which
time the sun became clear from spots
No spots were visible Dec. 9TH and 9th,
and il became cloudy for several days
One spot appeared on the east limb of
the sun the l1th. coinciding with lon
gitudinal line between Mercury. and
Venus, on that date, also two more small
spots developed further west on the sun
during the same day. There also APP
peared one spot on the east limb, and two
small spots further west on the 18th, on
the day OF Mercury's inferior conjunction
with the sun. From one to two or three
small dim spots could be seen from the
18th to the esd. At Saturn's opposition,
Dec 26th, the old spot became larger and
two new groups appeared on the 26th.
1t was cloudy nearly all the time from
Dec. 26th to January 4th or 5th. 1886,
when large groups of spots We're devel-
oped, from the 4th to the eth. at the time
OF Mercury's passing between the sun
and Jupiter, which occurred on the 4th,
and between the sun and Uranus. on the
18th. These spots and groups continued
| TO grow larger and blacker and more
numerous from the 10th to about the 18th
and 18th. During the 12th, 18th and
l4th the large central group on the sun
was much shattered or broken up, after
which date the fragmental parts merged
| together again and formed one large
spot, and passed out of view by solar 70
tation Jan. l6-11th. (The sun was com
paratively clear of spots from Jan. 10Th
| to Feb. I'd This spot, as a single spot
at times and as a group at other periods,
is about making its fourth trip with the
| suns rotation since it was first developed,
| during the 4th TO 9Th of January This
spot reappeared on the eastern limb of
the sun by solar rotation Feb. lend 1t
crossed the suns disc as single spot,
almost without ruttle, passing the whole
hemisphere like ship crossing CLASSY
| ocean, and disappeared again By solar
| rotation Feb. 14l5th. We would re-
mark here that another group of spots
about 20 to 80 degrees in advance of the
| one we have been describing was devel~
oped in January, consisting of one large
| spot and several smaller ones, but it
| passed off by solar rotation AS one large
spot. This did not appear again in Feb
ruary.
The sun was clear from spots ION our
visible hemisphere) from the 10th 10 the
18th of February, when one dim group
| appeared little east of the central part
| of the sun. and single spot appeared
| between this and the eastern limb OF the
sun. These were developed by Venus
| passing between the sun and earth the
| 1Sth-but these all vanished again during
the latter part of the Goth, and the sun
became and remained clear from spots
until the 26th, when one medium sized
| l,r, . 1,
developed by the only longitudinal line
of the planets for the month, excepting
Venus inferior conjunction of the 18th
But cOinciding with the moons aDOgee,
March I'd, and the eclipse of the sun, the
9Th, and Mars opposition, the 9th, caused
a great disruption of the great spot
which had recently reappeared during the
last days of February, and was about TO
enter upon its third trip over the suns
disc, but was (now March 3d. badly shat
tered into fragmental group, worse
than it was during Jan. 11th and 18th
This force also developed the one spot
that appeared somewhat advanced on the
sun on the 25th and Goth of February
into group. This spot occupied about
the same area on the sun as the spot did
that moved in advance of the great spot
or group, in January, or about 20 to 81
degrees in advance Of this great group
and which was referred to above. There
were also two other full>siZed spots de-
veloped in the southeast quadrant, and
two other large spots appearing upon the
eastern limb of the sun, March Sd. This
was a fine spectacle Of spots for MINI
mum period, as some of the astronomers
please to call it, The spot developed
the 25th and Goth of February became
five or six spots ON the 9Th and 9th of
March, and disappeared by solar rotation
during the 7th and 9Th of March. On
the 7th of March the great group had
merged into three principal spots, but
the new group of two large spots spoken
of rs appearing March Bird, had became
the largest group. with the largest spots,
on the eth. The three trip group disap-
peared, by solar rotation, during the 1th
and 12:h of March The large group
No. 2, of March Sd, disappeared by solar
rotation, the 18th and 18th of March.
There were two full.sized spots devel
oped in the last named group on the Il Tn
and 18th, by longitudinal line between
Mercury and Neptune the 18th, and a
line between Venus and Uranus the 12th
Two small spots appeared on the sun
on the 10th, these developed into
four on the 18th, at Longitude
nal line between Mercury and Saturn OF
that date During the latter part of the
i. | 10Th of haaamn thraa