The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-08
sun SPOTS, THEIR CAUSE AND NATURE

turbance manifests itself in displays of
the aurora borealis, electrical storms,
and the very remarkable disturbance
or electrical apparatus, magnetic in
struments, etc. The presence of large
quantities of electricity on wires, so
that the wires could be operated
through long distances, as has recent
~ been done, without the aid of local
currents, is by no means new. 1t has
happened again and again. CARING
ton, SpOrer and Wolf have collected
so much data bearing on this subject
as to leave no doubt that not only
are sun spots variable in a period of
little over eleven years, but that
electrical phenomena on EARTH au-
roral displays. ETC., have a similar
period. Perhaps it follows, then, that
the one is the cause of the other-the
greater of the less. If so, we have
here another bond or ties between the
earth and the sun. We have long been
accustomed to look upon the sun as
the source, not only of heat and light,
but also of nearly all ordinary forms
OF terrestrial energy. We begin to
see in 1t also vast store house OF
electrical energy, capable of affecting
us at the distance of 100000 miles.
Is 1T too much to say, then, that when
we shall have exhausted our present
wealth of energy, as stored up in for
ests and coal fields, we shall also have
found some means to take from the
sun some of its inexhaustible supplies
OF electrical energy and reduce thensto
our ewn uses? Have we not, in a
measure, already accomplished this in
the operation, temporarily, of lines by
means of atmospheric electricity, whose
supply is dependent upon action in
the sun?
We ought also now to be in a posi-
ton to venture guess at the prob
able cause of sun spots. Since their
influence upon the earth is so largely
electrical, may we not justly suppose
that they are themselves electrical dis
turbances in the atmosphere, or photo
sphere of the sun? Perhaps they are
in part vast cyclones that travel over
the surface of the sun, somewhat as
our cyclone storms move here; and Ii
is well known that these have an cleo
trical character Young, who Is per-
haps the foremost student of the sun
in this country, thinks the spots are
probably eruptions no doubt more or
less electrical in character; and Faye
says distinctly that they are extensive
cyclonic storms
1t seems hardly justifiable now to
carry the relation so far as to make
/, terrestrial rainfall variable weather.
| etc, depended upon sun spots. There
are those who believe that the climate
| of the earth, at least so far as rainfall
| is concerned, is likewise subject to a
periodicity of about eleven years. They
point to old lake beds in Minnesota
and the Dakotas, which are alternately
| dry or covered with water, and claim
| that the period varies With the sun
! spot period. 1t Is sufficient now TO say
that scientific mon have been able to
determine no such relation with any
| degree of certainty; and while there Is
| doubtless room to expect some infiu-
ence on our earth in the way named, tt
is probably too feeble to be readily de-
tected. It is pleasant, however, to ex-
tend in imagination the bonds of rela-
ton that bind us to other celestial
bodies, and to see in them evidences
of common purpose, common origin
and common destiny.