Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-10
SUN OBSERVATIONS
BECOME FACTOR IN
WEATHER FORECASTS
Modern Observers Will Make
Use of Institutions
Research.

Washington, = Correspondence of
the Associated Press. )-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 fo%reeasters.
when solar observations being con-
Quoted by the Smithsonian Institution
are completed, it is indicated.
DR.. c. G. Abbot. assistant secretary
of the institution, describing the insti-
tution's worldwide studies OF the vari-
alton of the heat of the sun. in the
annual report lately made public. de-
clayes that such compilations are al
ready being used by two South Ameri-
can countries as an aid to weather
.forecasting. The institutions re-
searches. which are considered of great
scientific Importance. are being closely
followed by scientists all over the
world. and may make long time prog
nostications a usual and simple part of
weather mapping.
After many years close ohserva-
ton and measurement of the heat
radiation from the SUM-. scientists be-
lieve they are now nea the goal. 1t
has been finally determined that the
sun does not throw off a continuous
amount of heat. from year TO year,
from month to month and even from
day to day: that neither does the earth
receive q constant amount of solar
heat: that these variations are peri
odic and regular according to several
factors. primarily the suns rotation:
and that there is a direct connection
with the solar variation and the earth's
climate.
The institution. Or. 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 variations
have been checked and proved.
While this work is still going on
with the view of co-ordinating the
measurements with earthly weather
conditions. daily observations of the
solar constant" or radiation are be-
ing furnished from the institutions
station on Mount Montezuma. Chile. to
the government bureaus of Argentine
and Brazil. where they are used regu-
larry IN forecasts. VIr own weather
bureau. DR.. Abbot added, is ~investi-
eating the relations of the more COM
plicated weather conditions of the
United States to the radiation of the
sun. and with results which tend to
raise the hope that here. too, the
solar radiation values will be OF In
terest and Importance in weather fore
casting.
The interesting question has often
been brought up. according TO the ar
ticle. as to whether the sun may be
gradually losing its heat ands declin-
ing toward a cold. dead condition.
However. he said. : is impossible to
answer the question other than TO re-
fer to the fact that crops raised IN
the most ancient of historic 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 in
stitution's studies. which fix the meas
urements within an error of only one
per cent. scientists 1000 years from
now may be able to answer the ques-
ton without doubt.
When the hypothesis of the suns
variations was first being worked out.
it is said, a very interesting method
was used to check the observations.
Using a photo electric cell, DR.. Guth-
nick. of the Berlin observatory. meas