Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-03-14
DAzzLlNeLY BRILLIANT YET
THEY APPEAR BLACK.
C0MEAT REGULAR PERIODS
Result of Circulation of the Molten
Massacre Seen Near the Equator
Connected With Occurrence of
Famines and acknowledgements
ton Upon Future Possibilities.

Sun spots, solar phenomena that
are attracting large attention in the
public press and in the minds of PEG
pie more or less superstitious are in
teresting. even to those who know lit
tie OF affairs astronomical, when they
are presented in plain and under.
standable way. Professor George G..
Comstock of the Washburn obserya.
tory, asked for an explanation of the
phenomena, said:
Sun spots are patches appearing
upon the face Of the sun, black in ap-
pearance, in reality dazzlingly bright.
but less so than the surrounding sun.
and look dark by contrast. The spots
are irregular in shape and widely
varied in size, some being large
enough to engulf half dozen
earths. The duration of their appear
ance is brief, sometimes month, but
usually much less, possibly not more
than a week. They usually appear
full grown and gradually undergo a
process of breaking up before final
disappearance
Astronomers are not agreed as to
the exact nature of their cause.
Speaking generally, however, one
may say that they are the product of
circulation of the matter of the sun
from the center to the surface, the
fluid condition of the sun being with
out parallel in the earth While the
exterior of the sun is hot these cur
rents bring that which is much hot
ter and this. through expansion and
the cooling produces not only spots
but turbulent disturbances.
Sun spots appear at well marked
intervals of IL years and the present
is well past the time of greatest fire.
quency and at the diminishing stage,
although they are still frequent and
some of them are large.
The spots do not apepar upon all
parts of the surface of the sun, but
in zones parallel with the solar equa-
tor and corresponding in position with
the northern part of the earth's torrid
zone. Curiously enough these zones
change their position as the spots be-
come more or less frequent so that
the diminishing number of spots is
usually accompanied by a progressive
movement of the spot zone toward
the equator.
There has been much speculation
among astronomers and others about
the possible influence of these sun
spots upon terrestrial affairs. Ii has
been affirmed with more or less au-
thority that in some way they are
connected with the occurrence of fam
ines and epidemics and that they in
fuence the weather; and 1t Is indeed
possible that they are associated with
some process going on in the sun
which does have such influence. And
il is quite within the limit of things
possible that at some time in the flu
ture the regular ebb and flow of the
sun spots may enable us to predict
for the future, not only the kind OF
weather that is to be anticipated but
the resultant harvests, the price OF
grains and the occurrence of good and
bad times But such prediction is
far beyond the range of present posi-
bility and the only immediate inhu-
ence which sun spots are known to
exert upon the earth is a more or less
dubious one upon the magnetic condi-
tons and the aurora of borealis. Even
here the relationship, although prob
able. has not been sufficiently worked
out to serve the purposes of predic-
ton. 1t is possible that the appear
ance of great spot upon the sun
may be reflected in magnetic storm
upon the earth. But the statement
that particular storm has been thus
caused is one a prudent astronomer
would be slow to make"