The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-10-30
IT IS sun SPOT YEAR.
THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF sLAcv
SPOTS INCREASING.

A Smoked Glass shows Them Tb, M,
Question whether They ury. ,,,
Erect on Our Weather Is Notur,li,
Revived.
The eyes Of astronomers are onco mora
directed with renewed interest 10 III,
face of the sun. which this wear In.
shown decided increase in the size and
number Of the black spots upon It's sur.
face.
These spots are great sink holes in tho
sun into which are descending vapor,
that are cooler and consequently darke,
than the surrounding surface. There |,
an intimate connection between the spo,o
and certain explosions or eruptions tha,
occur on the sun, by which vast quaint.
ties of glowing hydrogen and vaporized
metals are cast up to an enormous height
as stones and ashes are thrown out bv
volcanoes on tho earth.
The late Father Secchi. celebrated
italian astronomer. thought that the
spots were caused by the settling downd
the materials thus cast forth, which ba.
been partially cooled and condensed dur.
ing their lofty fight.
Great sun spots are frequently com.
vletely encirclcd by tremendous er,n.
tons, which sometimes hurl the dazzling
substance of the sun 200, or BOO. .OC1
miles high!
We must not forget in considering these
f;artling facts that the surface Of the sun
is not solid, like the crust of the earth
but probably consists Of shell Of lu,n.
nous and intensely heated clouds in
which iron and many Others of our IA.
iailiar metals appear in the form of in.
tansely hot vapors.
Within the shell, which is formed bv
the partial condensation, resulting from
exposure to the cold Of outer spacc ius,
IS vapor from a tea kettle is CONDENSED
into clouds OF steam when it passes out
into the air, the body Of the sun is be.
!ieved to be composed of matter in sim.
liar vaporous condition, but even hotter.
1t is easy to see that such BODY can
never be entirely ut rest, but the disturb.
ances that il undergoes. which are man.
ifested to us by the appearance of spots
and eruptions, become very intense. then
gradually die away. and then again in.
crease in intensity in pretty regular pc.
riods, the tire from one maximum. or
point OF greatest intensity, to another be.
ing, on the average. about II years.
The latest maximum occurred in 1883
or 1894, and the latest minimum in 1889,
when very few spots could be seen.
/ mi IN nil s,,I. Al.
the approaching maximum, which should
occur about 1894, may be a memorable
one.
Some Of the spots that have lately ap-
'eared could be easily seen without
telescope by simply protecting the eye
with a smoked glass. Any one can see
the larger spots by fixing a spy glass in
such way that it can be directed stead.
lily at the sun willie q sheet of white
cardboard is placed at distance of sew.
cral inches behind the eye piece where
the image Of the sun may fall upon it.
| If the observation can he made through
On aperture in darkened room the effect
is greatly heightened.
The question whether sun spots exer.
cise any influence upon the weather, and
II so, what the effect is, has naturally
arisen again now that the spots are com.
ing back.
1t is certain that extraordinary out
bursts in the sun produce violent mag.
netic disturbances upon the earth, and
splendid displays of the aurora borealis,
or Northern lights, which are caused by
atmospheric electricity.
1t has also been suspected that certain
destructive storms, like our Western tor.
nadoes and typhoons of the China Sea,
are most frequent when sun spots are
most numerous, but this remains to be
proved by further observations.
A fact to be kept in mind when think.
ing of the influence of disturbances on
the sun is that while the earth would be
swallowed up completely II dropped into
come of the sun spot holes that look to
us like mere specks on the solar surface,
the sun. on the other hand, is SO large
that although its distance from us is
nearly $4,000, 900 miles, yet only little
more than 100 suns laid in row, touch
ing one another, would reach the earth