New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-15
THAT GROUP or sun SPOTS.
4 LITTLE OUT OF SEASON. BUT NOT OTHERWISE
AT ALL REMARKABLE

A LITTLE OUT OF SEASON. BUT Noi
AT ALL REMARKABLE
II would not be safe TO conclude rom '"e
which has been made in certain quarters 49,.
the last two or three days over a group "a So go
which has recently appeared on the sun 'i''' W.
a. tho first time in history that such spec'a'''
has occurred that any terrible CONSEQUENCE
likely to ensue in the near future Inc same
n, thing has been observed at rather Hresu'"' -
tArva,s for hundreds OF years past. ana had prov
ably occurred without being noticed TOT 'houSA"'
., ,,ars nrior 10 The first recorded discovery
4 dark spot on the suns surface IS ohy Que "
several manifestations OF an Explosive e"e' ~ -
ia undoubtedly at work there. with varying Aeu''''
pretty much all the time. Just above 'he
snbere" the dazz.ingly brilliant cloud smell OF 'ne
s, ,rhich e the source OF nearly all the light we
receiye from that body. there les thin PINK iaSe',
COMPOSED mostly OF incandescent hydrogen anu
known rs the 'chromosphere. At times 'he owe
stratum seems TO be gently heaved up IN pA'cne''
above It's ordinary level, thus presenting spo''
which are a triae brighter than the rest OF the
solar s,rface These are called "facul@ The
mink loyer is tossed up too somewhat more Vlo-
emily into masses OF the most fantastic shape
which often retain their general FORM TOT hou'S
and even days These are tho hydrogen pro'uoe'-
ances" Besides there are eruptlons' more suuuen
and .phemeral in which metallic vapors are sho'
ND from the photospheric level with Almost neon
criyabe velocity and sometimes attain an eIeVa-
ton Of two hundred thousand miles In less th"n an
hour This IS nearly the distance OF the moon from
the earth.
The dark spots seem TO 10 the product Indirect
lv rather than directly OF the Same forces tchefni
cal electrical or vocanIc) which give rise TO these
Other phenomena. They are largest and most
| abundant when "facu.r." protubernnces ana erup-
lions are biggest and most numerous ana Inc spou
are often closely associated, geographically with
| the latter types OF disturbances Some astronomers
! imagine that the dark Spots are caused by down
all OF cooled elected
the phoiosphcre. others regard them as large noat-
| Ing masses OF yapor which has radiated on some
| OF rs heat and mich lie the photosphere like
| Stag on mo. Ten IRON. The old notion that sun
spot l. a hole reaching clear through the luminous
| cIodd sf-l. mas been almost entirely abandoned.
but nedry all ohs'rNcfs tnIHk mat the central part
or the SPOT when seen Oh the edge OF the sun. re
| A fun spot consists Of TWO parts a darker patch
or UmbIa. al me centre. ana an irregular border,
! made up OF iedtHcTy strcdks alternately Ignt ana
| anrk and p5ntlng i'm toward the umbra TINS gray
ISM bet Is called the penumbra Usually large
Tncse nffe, irfau,e thtuseIvrs m A nearly rtraigni
itm NJ Vrtn Pr'tsSsor Urookf @, Geneva y y
! reported last sunday that lie mad seen group OF
Spots he doubtless meant that the area which they
| covered was one hundred thousand mics long. and
that any Individual spot had diameter or such
! ing It's pcnumbra Is more Than twenty thousand or
| thirty thousand miles across. But size indicated
! by a diameter Of twenty thousand or thirty thou
! sand miles Is not at all unusual
Tho last TWO maximum stages OF solar activity
occurred IN 1881 81. ana In hy2 % The mini
mum came early in 1883. Another Is due within a
year or so The average length OF these periods is
| about eleven years IT Is only because the present
outbreak is a httle out OF season that 1t Is at ali
a few great solar outbreaks have been accom-
| panied BY disturbances OF the earth's magnetism
now so confident as they were once that the two
classes Of phenomena are related TO each other
roar disturbance yet been established to tho sat
isfaction Of co.d-blooded scientists. Even less
ounda is there for the silly notion that the sun
gives birth 10 new planets when suffering from one
| Of these mild attacks OF measles.