Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-19

the example set him, and Invested him.
self OF his coat as he entered the main
apartment, which is darkened by curtains
and screens. Here Mr.. Langley estl ained
to the reporter briefly the uses Of the ap-
paratus. He had an image OF the sun thrown
upon screen SO his visitor could get a
glimpse OF the spots. There was a group on
one SIDE OF five very distinct spots. aid an
other smaller group on the other side. Then
IN the aaloining room the reporter, with
tne assistant watched in the lark the
weird spot of light that moved from side to
sloe, sometimes halting, sometimes inoreas-
lks us speed, as 1t registered the intensity
OF the storm that is sweeping over the face
OF the sun. Its movements were irregular
as q the distance Travelled. Sometimes il
would move few inches only, and again
from end to end Of its tourney would he a
foot more
The Star reporter was getting Information
as 10 what was just then happening en- the
sun, for as some one remarked Il took
only ten minutes for the message to come
=. he said that ordinarily he SPOT OF
nght would be perfectly stationary. The
electric disturbance going on m iae sun
was so great, he thought as possibly to
produce a noticeable effect on magnets and
wires OF telegraph companies.
Ihese solar electrical storms have been
noticed as occurring a times when the sun
Spots are observed in greatest numbers.
what their connection is with the sun spots
or with the auroral displays and other cleo
trio phenomena which seem likely to occur
about abe the same time on earth no one has
YET ventured TO say; that If. no scientist
careful about announcing theories. 1t is
known that the sun spots ana the electric
disturbances occur In periods OF about
eleven years. 1t has been asserted
that the sun spots and the price Of cereals
seemed to bear relation, and IL was shown
py statistics that crops were better in the
years when the spots did not appear or APP
peared in small numbers. 1t was argued
from this that the spots, or whatever
caused the spots. had some effect on the
seasons.
PREDICTING the Seasons,
When the Smithsonian Institution gets
along further the world may know more
about II. and as this new science advances
with such labors elsewhere 1t Is possible
that We may be able to predict what kind
of a season is coming. as we can now pre-
dict what kind of weather we are likely to
have in the next Observation-Disclosures that
would be Of immense national Importance
since in some yet unaScertalned way the
success OF our crops is connected more or
less with these sun spots, and for ascer-
tanning this and for like practical ends this
novel observatory is instituted 1t is wholly
unlike ordinary ones, being, as we have
said. substantially a dark chamber. kept at
a trying temperature. filed with wires. and
into which only one or two persons can
enter. Drawings are made on a large scale
OF these sun spots, showing their enor-
nous magnitude, such a drawing in the
observatory showing one laid down to
scale, beside the continents of North and
South America, which it exceeds In size
more than fifty times, while, we Were
told, during the brief time OF sketching Il,
masses OF the spot larger than the United
States broke up and entirely disappeared.
Such enormous commissions We can have
their effects reach across space TO the earth
and Indirectly but powerfully AFFECT human
interests in ways that the Smithsonian In
sutution is just now trying TO find out