The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-14
YOU CAN SEE THE SUN SPOT.
USE a SMOKED GLASS AND rOU
WON'T NEED A ESCOPE.

S"C
WON'T NEED 4 TELESCOPE.
Hts 800, 900 MILES Across ana May BrlnE an
Aurornl Display Equal to That OF 1893,
! when New Workers Thought There Was =
Biz fire- 1ts Enect on New Journalism.
One Of tho largest sun spots on record, but
not the largest, is now to DO seen by anybody
who will hold a piece Of smoked glass between
his eyes and the sun. No telescope is neces-
sary. The spot has attained to q diameter es-
timated at 100000 miles and the great black
shadow may be seen easily near the ccntre OF
the SUMS disc. Many people saw 1t yester-
day, although there were 30 many clouds that
the sun was obscured a largo part OF tho day.
There Is little or no doubt that 1t may be seen
to-day, and for several days, in the same way,
and 1t is highly probable that small telescopes
will enable any ono to see 1t for many days to
come, as the spots are OF slow growth and slow
subsistence. Sometimes they remain visible
for several rotations of the sun, which are ac-
complished in about twenty-five days each.
The spots begin near the suns poles and make
their way toward the equatorial region. They
traverse a region about corresponding to that
where the trade winds are felt on the earth.
They arc never seen at the poles or at the equa-
tor. Before reaching the belt Of the equator
they vanish. The great spot now visible is
near the equatorial belt.
Contrary to SOM prevalent notions, the APP
pearance Of the great spots and large numbers
of the spots should be welcomed rather than
looked on with trepldation by the inhabit-
ants Of the earth, for they are evidence that the
mysterious energies Of the sun are working full
time and not Sinking. and consequently that
the earth may expect reasonable temperature
and weather conditions, instead of the violent
ana detestable. or at least detested, unseason-
able extremes from which We of the earth suf-
fer when the suns energies reduce their opera
tions to half power or thereabouts. Reaching
the period Of minimum activity, Is what scion
tiho men call this "sojering." The minimum
comes around about every eleven. twelve. or
thirteen, years, and is very nearly due. 1t is
expected next year. and those mysterious en-
ersies" seem to have sneaked a few cat maps
ahead OF time last summer and this fall.
Garrett p. Serviss, who has had his eye on
their outward and visible Manifestations for q
ing minimum was undoubtedly the cause of, or
weather that marked last summer and that
We are now expertencing;
when it may safely be said, as has long been
thought, that the period OF the suns minimum,
when the fewest spots are to be seen, Is the time
the activity OF that force in the sun which is SO
very mysterious affects meteorological oondi-
He said that 1t sometimes happened that even
when the time of quiescence was approaching
| VI Tx u lueEc WOulu 10 bOlut OuIDEtdh il COlu.
motion, like this big spot, which would expand
to great proportions near the equatorial region
These spots Mr.. serriss said. are not eruptions.
like, earthquakes, They, are workings of the
W SHn, arc %iE amiiiar on r0f tSe e axs n0 and xS M,te ~n ,hs
working g it cannot b described: The big spot
now to be seen appears to the observer like a
rounded by shadows or p%enumbrss, and i; is the
diameter Ct the whole, the penumbra included.
having been Of gradual "a tH'T sroW Mi1e' Mr. .H ssr sfSs
thought there was little doubt that some effect
he had heard Of none reported. The difiicnity.
he said. was that we had not as yet sensitive
enough Ss;sct i=n sSs s9sGs Dr. or ind the e right hi i + rum onI1
effects that might yet be noticed here. he
thought, were magnetic sR electric disturb
Mr.. Seryiss smiled at a M1nchausen tale.
published in a camel;swallowing journal. Of 2
the sun is sending out Into the universe. more
than three, times the size of the G, rth-a new
the time Of Christ, and Which, will destroy
the earth" The camel swailower had built his
BY Prof. 0e corrl Raea'e 81 Go @ . S 0bser r1%e synf ia
Minnesota. to the effect that as a result of some
Of oIa th 3 terrific bnsv disturbances MonIS soIes d In the tn tb sgn a o new
Mr.. Serviss complimented Prof. CorIigan's
mathematical and astronomical attachments.
spot could shoot away from the sun and be.
come a world. or wherein. II it did SO. it would
to feel some heat from it, he thought. but that
was all. So II there is a hot time in the town
tonight. or any other old night, 1t may be
worth while to get up and look for Prof. Corri.
gan's world.
According to the accepted theory of the for
nation of planetary bodies from the sun, it is
the suns contraction, and consequent moro
rapid rotation, which eventually causes an
annular or ring-like mass along the periphery
to be carried from the main body of the sun by
centrifugal force, this matter In due time form.
ing itself into the usual globular mass about
that part Of it which was of greatest density
at the time OF separation. and becoming like
any Of the other planets as 1t gradually cools.
This process would require thousands or mil
lions Of years, and in all.probability, Mr.. Ser.
viss said. some indication of 1t would be seen
through the telescope. If the ring when 1t sepa-
rated was all Of the same density, IL would
probably appear as do the rings OF Saturn.
The sun spots sometimes reach q diameter of
$50, 900 or 100000 miles. The present one is not
so large as the notable spot OF 1882. and not
larger than one Which appeared in 1892 and
caused such q brilliant aurora, visible even as
far south as New York. that people of this city
thought there was a great are to the north OF
us. With the sun Unly a hundred times its
own diameter from US, Mr.. Serviss said, there
was every reason to believe that so great ar
magnetic disturbance which would be felt or
so small a body as the earth. but in what par
ticular way 1t has been or will be felt remains
to be noted. 1t may bc that there will be an
other such aurora as that which followed the
appearance of the big sun spot OF five years
ago. That spot remained on he sun for sew
eral rotations.
SCHOOL IN NEED OF FINDS.