Okolona messenger., 1904-01-13
sun SPOT THEORIES
The solar Phenomena Have We Kn-
auenes en- the Aaaara o9 nHan,
say Scientists = Curfona
Cotneidences.

Condolences.
Sun spots may come and sun spots
may 50. but despite the numerous ter
rifying theories advanced and partly
supported during the last half century,
It is the opinion Of the best-known
modern astronomers-such men, among
others. as Prof. c. A. Young. OF Prince
ton; Prof. S. P. Langley, the we'll
known American authority on solar
physics; or Prof. Pickering. director
Of the Harvard astronomical observa-
tory-that human affairs so on forever
without much II any reference to them.
The group Of sun spots that has recent
ly attracted so much general attention
is therefore. 50 far as anything is
definitely known about 1t, q solar
curiosity rather than any visible
prophet Of approaching evila
Meantime 1t has been shown that
there is a certain degree Of regularity
in their appearances and disappear
ances, that there is an apparent con-
nection, whether real or merely cOinci-
dental. between the sun spots and our
terrestrial magnetic disturbances, and
that there Is little or no connection be-
tween their appearance on the sun and
the weather, commercial panics. wars
or other disturbances that AFFECT the
everyday existence Of average mortals
In appearance the typical sun spots,
Is seen through a powerful telescope,
suggest great chasms in the sun, 30
large indeed that our own earth could
be dropped into one Of them easily
and might even get out OF sight before
touching the bottom. Such hole, of
course, would be mere incident on the
suns surface, as readily appears when
one remembers that If the sun were
considered as a hollow sphere our own
planet. together with the moon, could
be placed inside Of 1t without disturb
ing the distance that ordinarily separ-
ates them.
II is only by the exercise Of consid-
cradle ingenuity that the bulk Of these
relations have been maintained, even
in theory. The foundation of such the
ories lies obviously enough in the ques-
tion as to whether the presence Of spots
on the sun detracts from the heat and
light ordinarily emanating from that
body and so Immediately influences the
weather and crops of our own planet
Such an influence could only be shown
by a series of deadly parallels, in a
very literal sense, between the pres
ence of spots on the sun and the oc-
cufrence of bad harvests, panics, ship
wrecks, suicides and other disastrous
what not on our own planet, some
thing over 9O,0O0,0OO miles distant.
In the first place, without going into
the scientific details there are three
distinct opinions regarding the sun
spots and the heat and light Of the
sun; first, that the spots show great
activity in the sun and therefore in
creased heat-emitting power; second.
that they decrease the amount Of heat
available for radiation and so diminish
the heat rays; third, that the. effect Of
the spots is counteracted by other
causes arising at the same time, and
therefore, so far as any change in the
amount of heat received by the earth
is concerned, they produce no effect
whatever.
Granting, however, that they do af-
feet the heat of the earth, there has
been evolved no completely convincing
parallel between the sun spots and our
own weather and crops. AS In the case
of Sir William Herschel's famous COM
parison between the sun spots and the
price of wheat during certain period
there have been many curious CO.
incidences, which, however, are ev-
identity more coincidental than real
in view Of the fact that the
great number of other causes af-
fecting like conditions make It im-
possible to place any definite RESPONSE
bility on the sun, and the observers
themselves have turned up conflicting
evidence. AS one astronomer has re-
Gently said. 1t would be quite possible,
given sufficient study, to establish an
apparent connection between the
planets and the rise and fall Of any
given railroad stock, the relative NUM-
bers Of democratic and republican con-
gressmen from year to year, or almost
anything else with which the heavenly
bodies have as little to do. Sun spots
and bad harvests. sun spots and ship
wrecks, sun spots and commercial
crises, sun spots aAd wars or even sun
spots and race suicide may therefore
be relegated to the subjects that are ct
present Of primary interest only to the
ingenious.
UnIucRxy Eame.
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