The San Francisco call., 1903-12-25
Little Known by Scientists Re-
garding the Phenomenon OBJ
served for Some Months
PORTENDS NO CATASTROPHE
Many Think Old Sol May Have
Some Eruptive Complaint
Disfguring His COuntenance

months past have given rise TO much
discussion in the scientific world. Al
though much speculation has been in
/ dulged in, people are as much in the
/ dark as ever as to what causes these
kspots and what their probable effect
( will be upon other planets. especially
upon the one we live on. 1t has been
estimated that the present chain OF
these spots is about 17S,OOO miles long
and nearly 10000 miles wide As the
visible sun is about $4,000, 900 miles in
circumference, a similarly extensive
disturbance on the earch. which is
about $4,000 miles in circumference,
would involve about S75 miles IN eX-
tent The earth moves around ITS axis
once in twenty-fOur hours. The sun
rotation is about twenty-sevcn days
and the procession OF the spots con-
tinues for nearly fOrtnight-that IS,
/ the disappearance of the spot occurs
in about that time from the first dis
play The maximum of spot nantes
tations takes place at intervals or
somewhat near eleven years-the last
/ previous one was in 1894 Some OF the
biggest groups OF spots have lasted
through three revolutions of the sun;
the last to do so was the group Of 1898,
which was visible TO the naked eye,
through smoked glass, from September
to the end OF November. This was
about $4,000 miles long and S5 5000 broad,
quite inferior to the present one.
Attempts are made to create a SEN
sational apprehension Of some great
cataclysmal occurrence relating direct
ly to our planet. and there are proph-
ecies of terrific electrical disturb
| ances." But as a matter If fact no
clear connection between these phe-
nomena and the storms that visit US
in our atmosphere has ever been de-
termined. 1t is supposed that such con-
nection exists-that is all. 1t Is folly
to make alarmist forecasts such as we
/ see in too many papers. 1t Is not
shown even that the sun spots lessen
the heat of the sun or increase il. OF
/ course, the further attempt to make
: commercial crises depend on these
I quite inexplicable phenomena is sheer
/ nonsense. Descriptions Of the sun spots
{ as great conhagrations bursting out in
( the gases which form the envelope
( which to US represents the sun. Of
( tongues Of flame millions OF miles"
making a raging furnace" are equally
! nonsense.
[ No one knows what those spots really
( signify or what causes them. The
! knowledge that we have Of the suns
constitution is based upon the discov-
] cries Of the spectrum. That has taught
scientists, without the chance Of error,
that certain chemical constituents
which are known in the earth are also
existent and operative in that vast
globe which we only know by its case
! Gus envelopes.
OF its interior character absolutely
nothing is known, though much is in
ferred from this present phenomenon.
as we'll as from the revelations of the
/ telescope. combined with those OF the
spectroscope. at the occasions of the
eclipses, both total and partial. and it is
TO discover more truly the nature of the
/ body on which the life of the earth and
our whole planetary system depends
that expeditions are sent out by almost
every civilized nation to observe these
periodical Observances. What may be
discovered no one can venture to say,
but it is certain that nothing has vet
been found to establish direct answer
from our earth to the strange action Of
the sun in either the spots, the shining
feculae or the great protuberanCes Of
hydrogen which are shown on the OcCa-
sion of ecliDses. projected 25O,0OO miles
beyond the common sphere of the solar
apparition.
1t is elementary to say that the sun
has luminous cloud shell or wrapper,
no one knows how deep. but the guess
is 1000 miles. which is the source OF
light. 1t is thought this is mainly car
bon, but it may be some other incan-
descent refractory vaDor under the in
fluence of heat. There has been enter
tanned a theory that the sun is in
ternally cold and that the effect upon
our atmosphere is that of these blazing
! carbon vapOTs. Now it is thought that
the effect we see as spots" is produced
by the falling into the body OF the sun
OF material from without, such as aero
lites. meteors or whatever the residuum
may be called of exploded bodies.
whether of gas or otherwise. condensed
in the upper regions of the solar at
mosphere.
OF course when it is said that the
connection Of the suns phenomena with
those of earth is undetermined it is not
meant that no such connection exists.
! Too many observations-they number
several thousand since the telescope.
the spectroscope and the photograph
have been jointly and comparatively
employed-have shown that the mag
netA needle, the telegraph wires. the
compass, are all affected by the fire.
quency and extent of sun spots. But
there is nothing at all conclusive, yet
arrived at in respect TO storms over the
surface of the earth or to cold waves
or heated terms. In fact, heated terms
especially are not eXpliCable any OBJ
servations that have been made. II is
an interesting subject and the astrOn-
omers are continually busy in trying 70
find out moro. But there is nothing in
sun ~1Ots on which to nOurish super
stitiOus apprehensiOns Chicago
Chronicle.
SEE THE PTCTTRFS