The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-01
Trouble WITH THE sun
Spots Are Causing Terrible
Things on Earth.
ALL MANKIND AFFECTED
Scientists Explain Their Theor-
les on the Phenomenon.


such as the weather bureau has never be-
fore recorded, and magnetic disturbances
that whirl the needle of the worldwide
electric waves rolling through space
These are few of the strange things
that have happened on this side Of the
world during the past few weeks.
In the mountains of Europe winter has
suddenly closed in, freezing hundreds to
death. Wonderful. auroras are haring in
the northern sky, and on both sides of the
world there are wars and rumors of wars.
What has aroused these things? You
may get a smoked glass, so scientists say,
and read the answer in the sun.
Uppn- it shuge disk, as it wheels slow
" toward the earth, you will see a dark
spot. ragged and irregular. Ike splash
OF ink on pumpkin. This is the cor
pu4cle which, according to learned men,
Isl causing all our trouble. The sun is
ir1ritated. Once In every eleven years he
breaks out in spots, which sets the world
Roaring with storm and turmoil.
| But our storm troubles, meteorologic-
ALLY considered, are nothing compared to
(those now in progress on the sun. They
are weak and fiuttering effects of the
great storm waves hurled afar into space
by the big luminary
The remarkable coincidence between
sun-spot periods and times of business de-
preston may well cause scientists to be-
leve that there is some magnetic affinity
between the two.
The suns normal radiation, according
to these theorists, means life and light
heartedness and hope. Decrease the suns
radiation, as it is decreased by sun spots,
and you decrease life and hope.
The great Wall Street panic, memorable
for its Black Friday occurred during a
period of sun spots. a decade later and
again in 1893, there were periods of great
business depression during maximum sun
spot periods.
Is the present nervous apprehension in
Wall street in part due to the influence
OF the suns storm waves?
The difference between the intensity and
area of an earth storm and a sun storm
is commensurate with the difference in
size between the earth and the sun.
The sun is sec, 900 miles in diameter
The diameter Of the earth is approximate
ly 5000 miles. If Jos worlds such as ours
were ranged across the suns disk they
would form a tiny line, barely reaching
from edge TO edge To cover the surface
would require many thousands of earths
To fill the interior 10000 worlds would
be needed. r'e
II the earth were, hkened tosa grain OF
mustard seed the sun by the same COM
parison would be as large as a coacoanut.
If the sun were followed out 10 crust
5000 miles thick and the earth were placed
I'm the center, the moon would still re-
volve around US in its proper orbit or
24o 600 miles, while between this orbit and
the inclosing crust of the sun there would
still remain nearly 100000 miles of space.
An understanding of these facts is nee
essary in order to comprehend the titanic
upheavals now going on in the sun.
Seen under normal conditions through
powerful telescope, the sun resembles
circular disk covered with grains of
coarse and glowing sand. Each one of
these granules is as large as the moon.
Sometimes while the blazing clouds
thousands of miles in diameter float
across the surface, only TO disappear,
probably through condensation. These are
carbon gases which if the sun should
grow cool would possibly crystalline into
diamonds as large as our tallest sky
scrapers, just as the carbon gases of the
earth crystallized into the Kohinoor when
the world was young.
This is the maximum period of sun
spots, and the present outbreak was not
altogether unexpected by astronomers.
The first storm was noticed two weeks
ago. when suddenly and without warning
there was a great solar smash-up which
extended over a region 172,o00 miles long
and IS, 1000 miles broad. The solar surface
area. is not less than 600 square miles
Giant tongues of flame each as large
as the earth were uptossed from the sur
face to height of thousands of miles.
To experienced astronomers it seems as
though the surface of the sun has been
burst open b va great CONFUSION or that
some dark planet rushing from outer
space had plunged through the wrap OF
gases and splashed through
the boiling molten surface.
Could a comet such as Borelli's have
caused such disaster by falling into the
sun. followed by tremendous stream Of
broken rock extending beyond the limits
of the tail?
The black diameter of the center Of the
sun spot is almost $1,000 miles wide. Its
Jagged outlines are broken by fiery
bridges. some Of which reach entirely
across it 10 a length of thousands of
miles.
Curving. geysePs of fame which would
Nhelm the world in the fraction of a sec
cnd spring from the edges and cross and /
lap in every direction.
Between the spots the surface of the
sun. over region many times as large /
as the earth. is speclled with what APP /
pear to be blowholes two OF three thou /
sand miles in diameter and ridged with /
shining mountains Of fire.
Around the edges OF the crater erup- I
tons of metallic vapor arc constantly 4
taking place. whirIing upward to great +
height. cooling and condensing IN the 4
colder outer space and falling back again (
in mineral rain, the downpour of which .
is beyond conception.
1t is seldom that spots 50 large and so Z
complex have appeared on the sun.
Storms are raging upon its surface suf- /
fcIent to snuff the earth as easily as 4
red hot stove would explode grain Of .
eunpowder.
BY. PROF. NJ \. VEEDER.
Note.-Prof. NJ a veeder, the noted a. +
tronomer of Lyons. y. y. at the request 4
OF the Worlds sunday Magazine, fur 4
rished the following article on the origin
of. sun spots and their effect upon the !
earth.)
The appearance OF the recent exceeding f
y large sun spot without doubt marks (
The beginning of n new eleven-year period .
of sun-spot activity. Such activity in
creases very largely and abruptly and