Evening star., 1922-07-05
Variation Of Suns Heat
Weather Forecast Aid.
Scientist Clues Account of Researches Which Make
Long, Tine Representations Possible-Yens
J Of Observation Cited.

Joseph, the long-famed weather
| prophet of the Bible. who foretold the
| seven lean years and the following
| seven years Of plenty, may one day
| be shown up as a piker by modern
weather forecasters. when solar OBJ
servations being conducted by the
Smithsonian Institution are complet-
ed, 1t is indicated.
Dr. c. G. Abbot. assistant secretary
OF the institution, describing the in
stitution's worldwide studies of the
variation of the heat of the sun, in
the annual report lately made pub
lie, declares that such compilations
are already being used by two South
american countries as an aid to
weather forecasting. The institution's
researches, which are considered of
great scientific Importance, are being
closely followed by scientists all over
! the world. and may make long time
prognostications usual and simple
part of weather mapping.
Believed Near Goal.
| After many years close observation
ton from the sun, scientists believe
they are now near the goal. 1t has
been finally determined that the sun
does not throw off continuous
amount of heat, from year to year,
from month to month and even from
day to day: that neither does the
earth receive a constant amount of
solar heat; that these variations are
periodic and regular according to sew
eral factors, primarily the suns Tota-
tlon, and that there is a direct con-
nection with the solar variation and
the earths climate.
The institution, DR.. Abbot said. has
set up apparatus for heat measuring
at various stations around the world.
from which have been computed end
less tables of figures by which the
measurements showing solar varia-
tions have been checked and proved.
While this work is still going on
with the view of co-ordinating the
! conditions. daily observations of the
! solar constant" or radiation, are
being furn~hed from the institu-
tion's station on Mount Montezuma.
Chile. to the government bureaus of
Argentina and Brazil. where they
are used regularly in forecasts. Our
own weather bureau. DIR. Abbot add
ed. in investigating the relation of
| the more complicated weather con-
| ditions of the United States to the
radiation of the sun, and with re-
suits which tend to raise the hope
values will be of interest and i'm
portance in weather forecasting.
I Speculation on Sun Heat.
The interesting question has often
| been brought up, according to the
article, as to whether the sun may
| be gradually losing its heat and
| declining toward "a cold, dead con-
/ dition. However. he said, 1t is i'm
| possible to answer the question other
| than to refer to the fact that crops
| raised in the most ancient of his
| toric times were substantially the
| same as those grown at present, so
| that there has, at least, been little
! decline within the last 5000 years.
| With the aid OF the institution 8
| studies, which fix the measurements
, within an error Of only 1 per cent,
| scientists 1000 years from now may
! be able to answer the question with
| out doubt.
When the hypothesis of the suns
! variations was first being worked
[ out, it is said, very interesting
| method was used to check the OBJ
| servations. Using a photo-electrtc
| cell, DR.. Guthnick of the Berlin OBJ
! servatory measured the brtghtr ess
! of the planet Saturn, as compared
[ with the star Regulus. AS Saturn
| shines with the reflected light OF
! the sun, 1t was declared, it must
/ vary If the sun does.
| Companions Made.
| These observations were compared
! with the studies of the suns bright