Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-06

near future.
The earth is almost entirely dependent on
the sun for light and heat, and is held in its
orbit by his attractive force. In addition to
this there is a connection between his solar
majesty and our planet which is supposed
to be an electrical one, and may
be found to influence or even control
meteorological conditions on the earth, on
which of course depend the crops, by which
the financial world is greatly affected. Long
before the invention of the telescope the fair
disk of the sun was occasionally seen to be
marred BY black spot, which would re-
main visible for few days, and then would
either simply fade away or be carried out OF
sight by the rotation Of the sun, which is
accomplished in about 26 days.
THE SPOTS VARY PERIODICALLY.
Among the first facts discovered by
Galileo with his telescope was that there
were frequently number of spots to be
seen. Although they have been observed
ever since, it was not until the middle of
the present century that very important
fact was discovered, viz, that the number of
spots varies periodically, there being great
number to be seen at intervals of little
more than IL years, while between the
maxima, as these times are called, whole
weeks may 60 by without single spot being
| seen.
Now the spots are not the only evidences
of solar activity. During an eclipse, when
the suns disk is completely covered by the
moon, a curious white halo, called the
corona, is seen to surround the sun. It
is radiating in form, and varies greatly in
size and appearance. In some ecllpses it is
scarcely visible; in others its diameter is
several times that Of the moon. 1t has been
observed that the corona varies periodically
in unison with the spots. Still another
phenomenon. Around the edge of the sun,
but not extending out so far as the corona.
may usually be seen curious scarlet-red
streamers of fantastic shapes.
INTENSE SOLAR DISTURBANCES.
These prominences, as they are called,
| can only be seen by special apparatus ar
| ranged for the purpose, and they are OBJ
served to vary periodically just the same as
the spots and the corona. These phenomena,
| in connection with observations made by
| the spectroscope, show that the sun is in a
state of intense excitement. Our cyclones
| may obtain a velocity of a hundred miles an
| an hour; the storms on the sun move at the
rate of from 100 to 200 miles per second,
and it Is these storms which, in some way,
| probably make the spots. In the vicinity
OF spot one or more prominences are
usually seen, which are taken to be clouds
of glowing hydrogen gas thrown off by the
disturbance in the suns surface. The facu-
| lac seem to be concerned in the auroras and
magnetic storms on the earth. The facul9
| are brilliant spots, which are always numer-
Gus on the suns surface, and change much
| more slowly than the dark spots.
The connection between the period of
these appearances on the sun, and auroras
nd ,1fio ri
| we'll established. The aurora, although
known to be an electrical phenomenon, is
still a mystery as far as its cause is con-
cerned.
ALSO VARIES WITH THE SPOTS.
1t is we'll known that the magnetic needle
does not in general point due north, but, in
addition to this deviation, at any particular
place it is continually varying from hour to
hour and day to day. and it has been dis
covered that the extent of variation coin
cides with the 11-year sun-spot period.
Another point has been noticed: On sew
eral occasions very violent disturbances
have been noticed on the sun-cyclones NOV
ing at such a velocity that even at dis
tance of nearly 100, 900, 900 miles the motion
of spots and hydrogen clouds was almost
perceptible to the eye-and these storms
have always been accompanied by great
variation in the magnetic needle and by
brilliant auroras.
have still greater influence on terrestrial
meteorologY than is at present proved, and
if this be so, they must necessarily affect
crops and thus shave somewhat indirect
connection with the financial doings of the
world. It is all possible, and many things
that have seemed impossible at one time
have afterward come into the list Of OBJ