The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1906-05-18
.SUN-sipol'Ts,..
Treatise on Z. interesting Subject
BY A 6. "a. ]:
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81. h Grange. Vi.

ON. 4afr Gs
When we encounter an abnormal
condition In the weather for two 9 =
three years in succession we, rare apt
to seek for the cause of such abnor-1
NAL display and these causes are
readily traceable to the photor-
.phere that surrounds the sun and
the habitudes Of the sun himself 9
polar wave Of arctic cold q torrld
wave of equatorial heat or phe-4
nominal display OF meteorological
condition causing an excess Of heat,
or cold or moisture upon the earth
all find their solution in the sun 4
and primarily in the spots that mar
the surface Of the sun which detract
from his wontad1 energy. 1t is only
about 800 years since astronomers
began observing the spots on the.
sun q surface and the more minute
has been the investigation Of these
blemishes on our orb OF day the
more they have been confirmed in
their conjectures that the radiation
Of light and heat from the sun have
been materially intefered with and
to-day there is complies agree
ment among scientists, that spots
now visible. upon the suns surface
are responsible for the phenomenal
changes We are now experiencing in
the weather and these spots have q
period Of about II years in duration
occupying nearly the same zone
during the priod of their activity
first beginning with small spots and
increasing from year to year until
between the fifth and sixth years
when they attain to their greatest
magnitude and consequently to
their most malign influence upon
meteorological conditions upon the
earth. "A chasm Of so, 900 miles in
diameter upon the suns face di-
minishes by one eleventh part the
sums, energy then if from any cause
one eleventh part of the heatof the
sun is absorbed such absobtion must
have q diminishing effect upon the
thurnal conditions upon the earth g
surface, and Of this we have had
ample proof during the past two or
three years. but the most interest
ing feature OF these blemishess
on the suns face is that they are
plemonitory Of the decadence and
death Of the sun and the causes that
will eventually put an end to it's
career as q giver Of light Ind heat
may be found ip the fact that q re-
|semblance has been detected be-
tween some Or the spec oscopic phe-
Fnomena observed in the sun spots
and those which are aoteristic
Of stars known to be in almost the
last stage ef solar decay, go the as
ronomer may study these significant
things On the sun somewhat as the
physician Studies the first mark of
Ean .incurablss diseass II a-patient's
system. And now in attempting a
solution Of thesproblem Of solar ev.
solutioonn other asnns ssmusts also be
studied forls MIR 4iobmedrus @say that
comparative asttaf,o u III Is jast as le-
climate as comparative anatomy,
hence il ectros,ssco,pic analysis
reveal to us certain conditions in sun
spots and these same condition are
found in stars that are7now nearly
extinct, and if in the several worlds
like causes produce like effects then
lit will be as susceptib BILE Of. proof
as any mathematical theoram, that
the time will come however remote
when the sun will have shed his
last ray and he will become a barren
waste dessolate aud drear. But dark
spots upon the suns disk are not the
only disturbing elements effectin 6
:thisluminary: tor bright spots some
times taketheir place, and such was
the case in the fall Of 1858, when
9 luminous spot Of .incandescent
brig htness was observed by two
astronomers at the same time. Dur
ing the day and the following night
there was the most brilliant display
Of the aurora that had ever been
witnessed ;the whole heavens seemed
on Ore while bellows of fame rolled
up On every side, assuming the
shape OF q funnel over head, and SO
great was the electrical effect upon