The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-29
sun SPOTS AND EARTH STORMS.
Arctic Explorers Who Will Investigate
Their Magnetic Connection.

long a student of magnetic phenomena,
has induced three important arctic ex-
peditions-those of Lieut.. Peary, DR..
| Nansen, and Jackson and HarnsWorth
! to make special observations of the
aurora boreaIis in the far north. Albert
B. Armitage Of the Jackson and Harms
worth expedition will also make record
of magnetic observations during q pro-
| longed stay in Franz Josef Land. DR..
| Veeder has set in motion not only these
! concerted plans of observation, but has
received the records Of observations
made by correspondents in nearly all
parts of the civilized globe. Records
have been obtained from the steppes Of
| Siberia, from Alaska, Greenland, Ice
land, Hudson Bay, Tasmania, New
Zealand, and from every land where
| the aurora is known, while words of
interest and encouragement have come
| from regions where the aurora is sell
| dom if ever seen.
DIR. Veeder expects from this collec-
! ton of records mass of systematized
information that will be of great value
to astronomy and to physics in gen
eral, and that may reduce the princl-
pies that lie behind the business of
Weather Prophet Dunn to an exact
science. Some of the results thus far
obtained have been described in
series of articles issued by the Roches-
ter Academy of Science, to which DIR.
Veeder belongs, and before which he
has set forth his theory as to magnetic
manifestations.
DR.. Veeder finds that auroral dis
plays and thunder storms have an i'm
portant relation TO the spots on the
sun. The auroral displays occur at in
tervals of about twenty.seven aud a
quarter days. This corresponds to the
time of the rotation of the SUI upon its
axis as viewed from the earth, which
is, of course, advanced in its orbit In
the same direction as that in which the
sun turns upon its axis. If the surface
of the sun be imagined as divided into
twenty-seven parts like the sections OF
an orange, it is possible, says DR.. Wee
der, to learn from records long and
carefully kept just where each of these
sections was stationed with relation to
the earth on any given date. The
number and size Of the spots IN each OF
these sections at given dates are also to
be learned from the records. In this
way it has been found that such Sec
tions Of the sun as are marked with
many and persistent spots are lnvarla-
bly, Just coming into view by rotation
whenever there is an aurora. The au-
rora, however, is not invariably seen
when a spotted section of the sun bears
such relation to the earth, but some
times, instead, thunder storms seem to
take its place, and W hen thunder storms
do not replace the expected aurora,
electrical earth currents disturb the
telegraph lines and agitate the compass.
These facts, argues DR.. Veeder, show
| that the influence of the sun spots Is
magnetic.
He hopes by means Of observations
taken all over the world to show that
| in the case of the aurora there is 8 con-
centration of effect in a particular di-
rection from the sun and upon particu-
lar parts of the earth. Already evil
dence has been obtained of the geo.
graphical distribution of the aurora IN
| the case Of notable outbreaks, we'll SEN
over wide areas. The most practical
outcome hoped from all this study and
| observation is the development of a
relation between the sun spots and that
very commonplace, everyday matter,
the weather. The establishment of
this relation, DR.. Veeder hopes, may
place meteorology among the exact sci
ences. lie declares that there are re-
arrangements Of the distribution of the
atmosphere in certain years IN such
fashion as to affect the weather of
| whole SEASONS
These rearrangements are related to
auroral conditions, and this he takes
as proof that the disturbances upon
the surface Of the sun may control the
conditions Of our atmosphere IN a way
| not hitherto suspected. In other words,
be hopes to prove that the popular be-
] lief of relation between the weather
and the spots on the sun has scientific
| foundation. If all is proved that DR..
| Veeder hopes to prove, perhaps Mr..
Dunn's bulletins will not be for the
| next twenty-four hours, but for the
| next twenty-sevel days or the next
three months.
| Beyond that possibility lies the more
! fanciful possibility of an almanac that
shall foreteli the weather as almanacs
of to-day foretell eclipses, occulations,
and transits, althogh DR.. Veeder does
not lend bis countenance to any such
conjecture. He does, however, venture
the conjecture that magnetic influences
proceeding from the sun may not only
cause magnetic phenomena in the
earth's atmosphere, but influence the
whole solar system, and perhaps keep
| the planets in motion.