The sun., 1903-12-06
SUN sPOTs MEAN BAD WSATHBR'
British Astronomers Coning Around 70
the Belia That They DO.


A group Of European astronomers who
have been comparing records and statastacs
to discover il the increase In the size ana
number of sun spots in the last year can
be held accountable for the cool and rainy
summer experienced practically the world
over has reached the conclusion that the
two phenomena are connected and that
the second tx, In all probability, the result
Of the first.
Connection l,stween the sun spots ana
the weather IL admitted. The dimculty
seems to arise over the point as to whether
numerous sun spots mean bad weather.
This Is the cautious opinion expressed lot
the group:
"Sun spots, which testify to changes
in the solar activity, move in a cycle OF
eleven years, which also makes itself felt
in the variations OF the earth's magnetism.
This we know to be closely connected with
changes in our weather. where also, a. we'll
az in the consequent fate OF large classes
of mankind, the eleven-year cycle is visible
Thus we may safely say that the sun
spots are partly responsible for our weather,
good or bad. But there is at present neither
clear comprehension of the cause Of that
responsibility nor good warrant for proph-
esying that years OF numerous SUN spots,
like the next two or three, will be years
Of bad weather. .'..
1t ia now universally admitted, according
to these astronomers, that there is some
close physical connection between sun
spots and the variation in terrestrial mag
netism. Not only does the annual variation
agree, but the sudden appearance OF
spot or the outbreak Of any great disturb
ance in the sun sets the magnetic needles
in the observatories jumping and some
times starts the magnetic storms which
bother the telegraph wires.
The Indiana professor who thinks he
has discovered that the sun Is not really
hot, but probably the inhabitated centre
of elect rical energy in the universe and Its
through the veil of atmospheric vapor
surrounding 1t, has really propounded no
new theory. Sir William Herschel thought
that the so called spots were holes IN the
phosphorescent clouds surrounding cool
and habitable sun and pictured 1t as peopled
had peeps at the rest of the universe
through these breaks in the surrounding
wall of vapOr.
As to the theory OF connection between
sun spots and the weather. HeTsohel coI-
lected mass of statistics to show that there
was -an intimate connection between the
number Of sun spots and the price of corn,
the latter being low when there were few
spots, and high when they were numerous:
This theory was abandoned as too simple
to fit the facts but Sir Norman Lockyer
and the late Sir William Hunter not long
ago undertook a laboriols examination of
recorded statistics, from which, among
other things, they drew this conclusion:
-The eleven-years' cycle In terrestrial
magnetism has a direct and impor tant
the cycle Of wind disturbances produces
direct results upon the percentage OF casl. 1.
and the cycle of tropical rainfall has
a portentous coincidence with the cycle
Of famine in India.
The sun spot period is now known to last
eleven years, and quite recently Sir Norman
Lockyer established the existence OF the
same eleven year period in the history
of farnines in India. The astronomers are
therefore driven back upon the question
whether the eleven year periods in these
different phenomena are mere coincidences
or something more. And they incline
strongly to the belief that there is much
more than coincidence in the matter.