Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-09-04
MIGHTY MACHINE GUNS
POSSESSED BY OLD SOL
Whenever Magnetic Storm Occur,
Almost Certain That Sun Is
Cause.
RADIANT ENERGY TRANSMITTED
May BE Compared to GIobc-Shapcd
Caisson Battery, Rotating on lIori-
Zontal Axis, Pouring Streams OF
PrOjcctilcs.
BY GARRETT r.. SERVES.

Whenever magnetic Storm occurs
II is almost certain. that the sun IL
at the bottom Of the disturbance. 'Old
Sol has been too often detected be
having in "a suspicious manner on such
minds or astronomers that h. il the
mischief maker The only real uucs-
ton is Just how does he do it?
\ widely accepted view is that or
Maundcr. which assumes that streams
or shafts OF electro sue,iq energy.
in some form. go out from certain
within the limits Of the spot belts. and
rotate like spokes with the turning o:
the sun on its axis. la ;hes" shafts
speed comp2rahic with that OF light
and where they strike the earth they
give rise to magnetic storm
The sun might be compared TO Il
globe shaped cn:sson battery. rotating
on horizontal axis, with guns pro-
jec,ine around is central belt and
pouring streams OF projcctiics. as con q.
tinuous as shafts OF water from tire
nose. out into the space through which
the planets have TO travel in their
orbits. The streams swing round with
the suns rotation, and that is what
gives Il peculiarly sinister aspect TO
this strange bomDardnEnt.
NndiuS OF tho sun.
Let us look at this little The
diameter Of the sun Is about $50 900
miles. It's radius is. therefore. $4,000
miles and it's circumference about .
80. 900 miles. Its rate of rotation on
its axis Git turns in tn" same direction
a. the carth) is such that it makes
on turn In about tweuty-hve days. or
surface advances II a speed OF iS3s
miles per hour. That. then. - liz"
speed with which the shafts of .icctri,.
energy swing round At In. surface n,
the sun.
or We may say that tho pointing of
any one OF those tremendous solar guns.
pouring out an unccaSing str.pu OF
projccnl"s ia shifted at tho rate OF
i.553 miles per nOur. or ABOUT seventy
tNc and ono half micls per minute. Blu,
TINS - at the SUMS surface Al INC
distance of the earth which Is 20 uuO :
600 miles from tho sun. the space swcrl
OYER IN ono minute by the proJcc,ilc
mat IN hali minute IT would swccp
"'ross the entire diameter Of Inc
Now. curiously enough. some rcccr,
studies OF magnet storms ...in IA
/ snow that they 10 begin at on. cdEc
/ "i that SIDE OF tho .arIH wnich nap
nan a minute before they arc felt :,
the opposit" cdE.. The swinging sha;.
/ rom nc sun, moving Spok"-wis., til ~
/ strikes the earth at the eudgc or ill.,
/ western. or afternoon. side ana swccps
/ IN thirty seconds across It's face Ia
I IT,, edge Of It's eastern. or morning
Severe on Ser,om, People
rms living in the presence or m
INC sphere Of influence. or OF bonn
bar i!ncnt. %! So djspensiv, a Genre,
( OF mighty energies as The sun h,,s -.
u.sauI"hta ScS' "Si ccia!l, for nervousl
sfhsitiEc people, for. while the tech
me- definition o: magnetic storm
/ refers only TO disturbances OF the may
/ netic needle, and Of the e!cctro-rnnr.
ht'lct appaIat us.. yet. millions are
/ convinced by parse ma! ..Vpe TicnCc th.r,
/ Is some strange ,''.mcnt. probably. c.c,.-
/ lrlc, IN the weather changes that is
! not accounted for by meteorological
I tables. but which mauifcsts its CAPRI
. cious powers for mischief in exceed.
J ihSiy convincing tWinecS
! Possibly tho sufferers from sucr
I Nafari"s might ma degree OF com
I iortlnE .prtd- IN the reflection that
I thcS may have faced and survived
/ inihA a stream OF electric hIllcts sweI.
across The car.h ~ one ul ,nc sun !.
/ Hla|hi3c guns, when their less s.nsi ~.
hciS hborS were safe under the bomb
/ pr 20! OF res 'icn-c and ObtvS!tN
/ Many Of the collar shafts probabl y
& DO not Str'S" the Garth or any Other
I planet. some II them may hc ii,,cd
1 above or below ne plane Of the planc-
tarN orbits. aud even those which lie
exactly in the orbital lane OF 4 planet
/ may miss II, for during the time that
/ the shaft Is in IAN active state tho
/ piihet may no. h" at 'hc point whcr,
IN" stream Of electricity crosses It's
/ orhl'. How long u shaft remains 50.
Nv" ana whether they break forth
again ana again 1T the same point on
me sun *Grfac ere unanswered qucs-
tons.