Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-05-09
REMAINS 4 MYSTERY
Aurora BoreaIS. or Northern
Light, Not Understood.
Certain Facts Connect It With Mag
netic Phenomena; Franklin's Theory
May BE Correct One After All,
but Why's" Surround Subject.

May BE Correct One After All,
but Why's" Surround Subject.
one hundred years after benjamin
Franklin. the aurora borealis is as
great a cause for discussion among
scientists as ever. And apparently we
are no nearer the solution of the
great big why that surrounds the
whole subject Of the magnet and its
relations 10 luminous manifestations
than century ago.
Frauklins theory OF the aurora was
that it is due to electric discharges
in the upper air in consequence Of the
differing electrical conditions between
the cold air Of the polar regions and
the warmer streams OF air and vapor
raised from the level OF the ocean i'll
tropical regions by the heat OF the
sun
This WILL no doubt. says d British
scientist. be proved to be the correct
one, when all the other missing links
which now connect the aurora with
the periodic 11-year magnetic storms.
the diurnal magnetic variations. the
sun spots in the suns photosphere
and the production of its luminous
streamers have been explained.
Now. the earth, as is well known, is
one vast magnet Il possesses a guam
tty of inherent magnetism due to i2s
vast deposits of feeby magnetic iron
ore and the actively magnetic mag
netite' or almost pure ore that has
undergone specialization. and there
fore retains some of this energy in
the form of magnetism
The earth being round is the poor
est possible shape for a magnet and
might have its poles almost anywhere
were it not for the diurnal rotation
constantly producing electrical inhu-
ences, which, in a general way, yield
currents moving nOrtheasterly and
southwesteriy, the same as the trade
winds and the prevailing climatic
breeZes
This places the magnetic poles
where they are-the North pole not at
the true north, but 900 miles to the
southN est on Bothia Feliz island. lati-
tude 20 degrees north by longitude 90
degrees west. The South magnetic pole
has not as yet been located, but there
appear to be two points for maximum
egress of the magnetic lines of force
in the South polar regions as the
h. faa
The exact line of the magnetic cur
rent is probably as much Influenced
by the distribution of available masses
of iron in the earths interior as in
the inductive electrical effects of
aerial currents.
Be that as it may. the surface of the
earth is one vast air gap between the
North and South magnetic poles, as
may be proved by any one by simply
holding a compass in the hand. 1t i'm
mediately takes a position pointing to-
ward the North magnetic pole, so
therefore it must be in the path of
some magnetic current traversing the
air on the earths surface
Now let us examine a few facts con
Meeting the aurora borealis with the
magnetic phenomena of the earth
The aurora always is seen with the
center of its arch directly over the
magnetic pole Large cnes that have
been big enough to be seen in numer-
Gus places at the same time prove
that the display encrcles the mag
netic pole.
For instance, the grea'1 NurOra of
September 8, 1889, was sen in the
Isle of Skye, in Paris, at Asti in Italy;
in New Haven Conn, and in New
Orleans. La These observations COW
er nearly one-half of the polar circle,
and investigation Of the Chinese rec
ords probably would complete the cir
Gle.
2. The appearance of brilliant auro-
raj displays always accompanies mag.
netic storms. affecting compass
needles and telegraph lines all over
the world
3. The aurora appears with exceed
ing brilliancy and frequency in liz
year periods corresponding to the
maximum cycles of magnetic storms
and sun spots, and every large aurora
comedies with storms on the suns !
surface in which the latter is torn by
huge sun spots. which spots are be- |
lieved to be tremendous upheavals in
the incandescent film surrounding the /
sun.