Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-02-11
TWO GREAT MAGNETS
NEW THEORY OF THE RELATIONS
OF EARTH AND SUN.


odic Disturbance of the Magnetic
Needle and Will Help Weather
Predictions Made by Professor
BigclOw.
That the sun and earth are two
spherical magnets; that the Suns
great magnetism, issuing from a per-
manent magnetic state in its interior,
reaches out to the earth in rays, and
there combines with the Earth's mag
netism; that the Earth has an outer
shell which is permeatsd by these rays
that magnetic changes shown in var
iations of the magnetic needle are in
truth effects of the suns action-such,
in short, are the propositions advanced
by Professor Frank H. Bigelow of the
National Weather Bureau.
For many years magnetic observers
have noticed that on certain days the
magnetic needle suffers great varia-
ton and disturbance. For instance,
if the needles at given moment are
pointing in certain directions at the
several stations, they will all suddenly
tilt upward and stand more nearly
perpendicular. This is due to the
strengthening OF what is called the
external magnetic field surrounding
the earth. Such changes come at IT.
regular intervals. and are spasmodic.
Furthermore, there are other impulses
which move the magnetic needle back
and forth through certain we'll defined
periodic curves.
All of these effects, in Professor
Bigelow's opinion, depend upon
sources outside the Earth. In the
observatories cooperating with him,
instruments of precision have meas
ured and recorded the directions and
forces of these impulses, both hori-
zontally and vertically. The records
of the instruments have been reduced
to tables and diagrams, from which
the new theory has been deduced.
Professor Bigelow believes that the
Suns tremendous magnetic force,
flowing in upon us, is turned out Of
its course on reaching the Earth's sur
face. 1t does not appear to penetrate
the entire body of the Earth, but to
penetrate only comparatively thin
shell on the outside, as suggested. 1t
appears as though the magnetic force,
coming thus from the outside, were
trying to avoid large nucleus inside
the Earth, but readily penetrating the
upper layers of the crust around the
ball in such curves as correspond to
some extent with these magnetic lines.
The outer shell of the Earth seems to
gather the magnetic rays into itself,
like piece of soft iron, because it is
a better conductor Of the magnetic
force than is the surrounding ether.
One system of the DETECTING rays in
the northern hemisphere points to-
ward the Sun, and in the southern
hemisphere should point more di-
rectly toward the Sun. Furthermore,
the angles of which these rays touch
the surface of the Earth indicate that
they are refracted like rays OF light en-
tering q surface of glass.
"Another system of forces shows
that the north pole of the Sun is, in
all probability, positive and the south
pole negative. These other rays, COM
ing from the Sun, become concentrated
in two belts upon the Earth, one on
the northern and the other on the
southern hemisphere. The northern.
most forms q rude oval around the
magnetic and geographic north poles
of the Earth and constitutes the area
within which the auroras are observed.
at is we'll known that the auroras
are less frequent near the north pole,
that they are most frequent at from
Is to 20 degrees below it, and that
they fall off to the minimum south
ward. 1t is also known that the
years in which the auroras are most
frequently seen correspond exactly
with those in which are observed the
greatest number of Sun spots, as well
AS with the years when the greatest
disturbances have been detected in the
magnetic field of the Earth. These
three phenomena have persisted so
long in acting together as to leave no
doubt that they result from the same
fundamental force.
"NOw, when the variations Of the
magnetic needle are examined min
utely through series of years, the
data being recorded from day to day,
at as many places as possible in
both the northern and southern
hemispheres of the Earth, as has
been done, it becomes evident to even
casual observer that these variations
recur with a definite periodicity. On
comparing the datas of these periodic
repetitions it is readily computed from
the tables that they occur once in
266S days. Now, from the observa-
tions on Sun spots, it is known that
the visible surface of the Sun rotates
with different velocities. At latitude
IL degrees north and south on the Sum-
which is the middle of the Sun spot
belt, the average period OF the Suns