The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-04

-. xc.x.xx Pc, dent OF Paris Observatory

tween clouds and the phases of the
moon. If we try TO discover the ori-
gin of this popular idea. for there Is
no error which does not contain a
grain of truth. one might perhaps ex-
plain II like this When the moon
shines on a. ciouded sky, the clouds
that come between 1t and US appear
less dense, and. no matter how dark
they appeared, when in another part
OF the sky. them seem to grow trans
parent as soon as they come near the
moon. There Is nothing mysterious
in this, for II. for instance. you look
at sheet Of paper lying on table.
and then hold 1t between your eye
and the sun. 1t will appear smaller
because the light shines through Il,
but this would surely never cause any
body TO maintain that the sun eats
paper.
In nearly all opinions regarding the
influence OF the moon on the weather
have found an observation we'll made
but wrongly Interpreted. Some opin-
tons there are however. which are not
even founded on stated facts, as for
instance one which Is often heard that
the new moon Is apt to inaugurate u
change In the weather. when We ex-
anime the facts recorded by statistics
we And that the various lunar phases
correspond not only in different but
even in the same places with changes
in the weather the nature of which
varies indifferently with the lunar
phases. AS for the fact that changes
of the weather often come at the same
time as the changes of the moon there
is nothing surprising in this as the
weather in our part of the world gem
orally changes about once a week. and
- -
dence generally allow margin Of two
or three days on each side the lunar
changes, which together exactly make
one week.
AS for the famous Bugeaud law. Of
which so much has been heard lately
and which will soon be as legendary
as his cap. there is no reason to say
anything about 1t, for it expresses
merely an inaccurate fact, as meteor
illogical statistics prove, and II adds
nothing at all to the fame OF the
field marshal.
The only appreciable influence which
the moon erects on the atmosphere
Is the slight aerial tide caused by it's
attraction. which never affects the
barometer more than one-tenth Of an
inch.
But what about the sun? OF course
. the sun AnGCtS the weather, SINCE IL
Is the sun which cause the season, the
change OF day and night. the heat and
cold according to cur position to 1t
and since 1t 10 the sun which catfses
rain by evaporating the water OF the
oceans. But this does not mean that
II II rains In Paris tomorrow while the
sun II shining brightly at Melun, we
should seek the reason In some solar
disturbance.
The sun influences the atmosphere
as . whole but the local state Of
weather depends on local and not on
solar causes.
II - true that the sun spots are
blamed for much: last year they were
blamed for the drought. and we forgot
that II u very wet In other places.
notably In Asia. This year II IL JuFt
the opposite. IT has been cold in
France. very hot In other places and
again there Ia some who put the blame
on the sun spots. which like NJ Prud-
homme's sword seem to be able to both
/ to provoke and prevent rain at the
same time.
Before We attribute any irregularity
In the weather to cosmic influence we
should FIRST do what we have hitherto
always forgotten. examine II me ir-
regularity II general AL over the world.
Then We may with some reason begin
to think III astral ana extra terrestrial
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