Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-05-29
TIE MYs1eRY OF LIE sun.
what Is Sought to BE Discovered at IN.
Eclipse ia December


eclipse in December, and the complete
ness Of tie equipments they propose to
take with them for observation. make
the prospects for good results unusually
hopeful The comparatively infreauon,
opportunities for studying this species
OF solar phenomena, and the brief time
that IS available under the most favor
able circumstances for observation, make
each event Of great importance to as
Economical science, particularly as at no
other time can 50 much evidence be OBJ
tanned for determining the real character
OF the sun and its appendages
Long as the science of astronomy has
I hoursied and great as has been its ad-
vance, 1t is onis within few years that.
/ by the aid Of the spectroscope and pho
( Biography, the nature Of the sun and its
( surroundings has been established with
anything ike certainty, and even now
/ the most widely different theories are
/ held as to the character of the suns ac-
tivity. IL has long been known that
I around the black disk of the moon in 70
+ TAI solar eciipses halo Of light is seen,
bright next To the sun, but fading away
more or less gradually into the black
ness around it. This was supposed by
! the generality OF astronomers as late as
1870 to be due either to the effects pro
duced by our own atmosphere or By the
moons atmosphere. II was not till later
I that astronomers were convinced that
( this halo or corona was part of the sun
itself, and that from it must be derived
the most important cews for settling
the mysteries of the suns heat and
light
From the observations of eclipses made
recently it is now well known that the
sun as ordinarily visible to us, bounded
by the photosphere, is only a part of the
sun just outside the photosphere is a
comparatively thin layer Of gas, mainly
hydrogen, called the chromosphere;
around this is the corona, thousands OF
miles thick, and around the corona, es-
pecially along the equator, there is con-
siderable extension of matter about
which little is known The general
theory which has been built up from
knowledge Of these facts and from the
observations of such phenomena as sun
spots and prominences is that the chemi-
cal elements are being continually tossed
about in the enormous atmosphere of the
sun and never getting out of it, The out
er layers OF the atmosphere are recog-
nized as much cooler than the inner.
Cool or comparatively cool masses of
matter are produced by condensation in
the upper regions from the hot ascend.
ing vapors OF the lower atmosphere
These masses Of matter, having gathered
weight, come under the influence Of
grayitation over twenty-five times as
great as ours, and fall with almost in.
credible rapidity toward the center. 1t
is supposed that these terrific rains of
cooled matter upon the sun produce
what are known as sun spots.
We know how small meteorites in our
own cold atmosphere are heated to in
candescence By friction Their kinetic
energy is transformed into heat 1t is
not difficult to imagine, therefore, that
these masses of matter darting dow
J from a great height above the photo
sphere Of the sun, creates great disturb
ances near the photosphere, such as sun
spots indicate, and that masses falling
into the inner and greatly heated atmos-
phere should be broken up in the heat
generated By their own kinetic energy
= into hot vapors, producing such expan-
sion that the down rush Is transformed
into an up rush, which would carry the
chemical elements back to the cooler air,
I where they would gradually condense
: again aud repeat the operation of falling
into the chrOmosphere. The effect OF
such an up rush IS supposed to be indi
Gated by the prominence observed. Tie
matter is supposed to be thrown up liAe
] the water Of q fountain and like it thrown
back, only TO be tossed up again, out on
so great, so terrific scale that the imagi-
) nation is unable to form a picture of it
If this is the correct theory Of the sun
5 existence, 1t is impossible to conceive OF
any limit To it. Elements which we car
5 only heat into a glowing mass are there
r reduced to a vapor, and by expansion
thrown 100 600 miles or more away. only
to cool and peit back again toward the
center of attraction. there to be thrown
! off again But effective as the theory i
= in explaining solar phenomena. il is by
> no means generally held, and among
r those holding it there are great differ
: ences of opinion The evidence is littl,
better than circumstantial, and it is only
BY the industrious work of astronomers
with improved appliances, that the mys
terry can approach solution, The stud!
OF the sun is to Us the most importan
study in astronomy. 1t affects Us di
rectIy To better understand this cente
OF life and heat is to better understan,
our own surroundings, and it is from tn
observations of those sent out 20 view
the occasional total echpses Of the SUI
that light must eome.-Providenc
Journal
Jersey Mosquitoes Astrsy in Japan.
An extraordinary statement was mad
the other day by man from Miyagat
ken. He stated that in Sendai, sine
the llth and l2th ult- the people hav
been much troubled with kind of po
e sonous butterfly. To touch one of ther
, causes the desh to itch. ana if scratche
i to swell and remain swollen for yer
q long time In daylight, he says, they 4
not make their appearance, but at tw
Z light they swarm into the houses. Wit
the approval Of the authorities fires ar
Y now burned at the entrances OF house
. and wards ~ 81 rr4-aet tha insects and "a