New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-28
STUDYING EUNSPOTS.

A chance is now afforded to amateur astron-
omers 20 watch some rather large sunspots.
With the naked eye and piece OF smoked
glass II is barely possible to detect the small
central parts Of two Though the extent Of the
gray penumbras was slightly exaggerated IN
the drawing which The Tribune printed on
Tuesday, these portions should be visible In
small telescopes instruments having an aper-
ture Of three or four inches.
To follow such markings on the solar surface
from day to day. until they either fade out or
disappear by the rotation of the sun, is an in
str1ctIve bit OF work If outlines are drawn daily
md close attention is given to changes therein,
a service may be rendered TO science. Most OBJ
servers II they make any record at all, are con-
tent with sketching spot or spot group once.
II its whole history were preserved, light might
be thrown on the causes which explain these
singular phenomena. Again. If one has noted
the occasions Of great activity. as indicated by
rapid transformations it may he possible 10
get a better insight into certain terrestrial oc-
currences, like magnetic storms and auroras,
which are so irregular and whimsical that they
cannot yet be reduced TO law. Amateur as
well as professional astronomers can help II
they are accurate and patient
One realizes how much is yet to be learned
about sunspots when he observes the cautious
manner in which so profound student as Pro-
fessor Young OF Princeton, talks about them
Hardly any statement that has been made re-
garding the dark markings on the sun has gone
uncontradicted. For n long time it be-
Eeved that spots were shallow depressions, If
not deep concavites. in the light giving cloud
shell but even that is now questioned. IA
Yorite theory to-day is that spot is the site of
q downpour of cooled material previously
elected near by-that it is not itself an erup-
ton, but the product Of adjacent eruptons. Pro-
fessor Young is not entirely certain whether
this supposition best explains the facts or
whether it would be better TO assume that an
undermining OF the surface had resulted from
the withdrawal of matter that was thrown out
in the vicinity. The latter view has much 10
commend 1t to his confidence. On these and
other points experts are yet disagreed The
whole subject needs more study, and an eXcep-
tionally good opportunity for scrutiny and dis
cussion will be afforded for the next two or
three years, when spots may be expected to be
larger and more abundant than at little later
date.
magnetic storm which paralyzed telegraph
service in this country and Europe, and in
some parts Of the world interfered with trolley
service, occurred on October 81 last AIilder
but perceptible disturbances were observed a
few weeks before and a few weeks after that
remarkable incident. All of these were accom-
panied by more or less widespread auroral dis
plays, and they were probably connected in
some mysterious manner with the big sunspots
then visible. No terrestrial phenomena which
can be safely attributed TO the latest solar
storms have been reported in the last few days
| IL during the current week another magnetic
disturbance is felt, It viii be particularly inter
esting to know the position Of the spots on the
sun at the same hour and also whether or not
any marked alterations in their form have been
/ nercetyed.