The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-08-08
SUN SPOT ANDCOLD SNAP
ANOTHER CONTRIBUTION TO THE
DOG DAYS" TOPIC.
"Cacoethes Scribendi" Controverts the
Theory of Sun Spots Being Respon-
sible for our Record breaking Weather.

EDITOR STAR:-In a letter to The
Star of the 31st ult. DR.. Bishop connects
the high atmospheric temperature with
possible violent eruptions of gaseous
fire. from the suns interior. Having,
in their upward journey of from 10000
to 100000 miles into space, radiated
much of their heat away, the Doctor
says they return with a tremendous
plunge diving back through the fluid
photosphere into the interior i'm vast ca
taracts, forming a vortex which is a sun
spot" We are told by DR.. Bishop the
view presented is not drawn from fancy
but is "a simple statement of thorough
ly ascertained facts as carefully obser-
we'd by the telescope and especially by
the spectroscope."
Perhaps, sir, shall be pardoned for
saying that, instead of the conditions
named being thoroughly ascertained
facts, they are only one of a number of
hypothetical considerations, made at
sundry times and by various persons, to
account for certain observed solar phe-
nomena. SO far from it's being "a tho
roughly ascertained fact" that sun
spots are caused by downpour of cool
ed gases the professor of astronomy at
Princeton University, who is perhaps
facile princeps amongst solar investi-
gators, says, the theory that accounts
for Sun-SpotS more satisfactorily than
any other, is one that absolutely elimi-
mates all consideration of erupted ma
terials descending from heights to
which they had been elected. On the
contrary. he considers lessened upward
pressure at the locus in quo of the sun
spots as the true origin thereof, this
lessened upward pressure being caused
by eruptions in their neighborhood 1.-The
spots thus being, so to speak, sinks in
the photosphere". The professor FUR
Their says 80 far as we know none of
the spectroscopic and visual phenome-
ma contradict this hypothesis" 1t will
be noticed that the learned professor
does not assert this theory to be "a
view of thoroughly ascertained facts"
but simply says that it is a modifica-
ton of Secchi's theory which seems to
remove some of the objections and APP
pears on the whole more probable than
any other.
This extremely interesting subject has
had no end of thought from astrono-
mers and physicists of the first rank.
Apart from considerations as to the
cause of sun-spots is the question of
their effect upon terrestrial temperate
re. On this latter subject, and also on
the collateral question as to whether
the earth receives more heat from the
sun. from any cause, at time of sun
spot maximum, the same eminent au-
thority above quoted says that. profess
sors Langley, Secchi, Henry. Wilson and
others, after elaborate and careful de-
examinations found the umbra of the
spot emits about As to "a per cent as
much heat as a corresponding area of
the philosophers. Thus the direct effect
of a sun-spot must be to give less heat.
and the question as to whether the OBJ
served uprushes of glowing and heated
gases counterbalance this lower tenn
pera ture is thus spoken of by the learn
ed Princeton professor: He says. at
is impossible to predict whether the
mean temperature of the earth ought
to be raised or lowered during a sun
spot maximum" and quotes Balfour
Stewart who, he says, ought to know
if any one does: "It is nearly, if not
absolutely, impossible from observa-
lions made, to tell whether the sun be
hotter or colder, as a whole, when there
are most spots on his surface" Mr..
Stone, astronomer royal at the Cape of
Good Hope, and DR.. Gould in South
America consider "a distinct though
slight diminution of temperature oc-
ours at the time of a sun-spot maxi
num-"
In conclusion, sir, let me again quote
words of the Princeton authority, ION
the whole" he says. "perhops, as things
now stand, ii would be fair to say that
there is a small balance of probability in
favor of the statement that years of
sun-spot maximum are a degree or so
cooler than those of spot-minimum."
CACOETHES SCRIBENDI.
Honolulu, Aug. g. 1900.