New Britain herald., 1926-02-18
Mariners Belief That These Cause Storms at Sea Also Is Denied by Observers Who Explain Solar Mysteries.

Washington, Feb, IS R,-Scien- lists assert that immense cosmic forces 9S,00o,o0o miles away are mohilizins to bring their influence 10 bear upon the affairs of man.
 The sun has been mysteriously stirred up. As a result Of some in- iiuence unknown to astronomers, the sun apparently Is entering upon the maximum phase of its II year cycle of activity ahead Of schedule . and its incandescent atmosphere is developing more Of the huge whirs anu eddys known as sun spots.
 storms Not Caused By It
 Mariners are blaming the large sLnspotS fer the terrific storms that have been sWamping ocean vessels his the experts deny or if there is any direct connection between ,ho spots and the storms, they at least ar" not aware of it.
 \ single spot l1o,00Q miles by &j,uuO miles recently was photo- graphod hy the L. E, Naval Ob- sorVatory. qs well as a group Of spots extending 175,o0o miles. or almost 22 times the diameter of the earth Astronomers say the number Of spots will increase for at Last another year, possibly two, un- til the maEimum of activity is reached sometime between late 1926 and 1928.
 What will be their effect on earth? Will they cause great dis turbanccs in the weather, earth quaScs. electrical storms? Several scientists have given corroborotiyo but reassuring answers. None eX- presses any anxiety,
 Cooler Weather
 Dr William J. Humphreys of tho weather bureau here says that sun- spots will have some effect upon the weather probably slightly cooler-whon the spots reach their maximum activity. But as to an eltoct on day 10 day or week to week weather the bureau was skep- tical. The opinion was that no gen. eral law would apply.
 Dr. Louis A. Bauer, director of the terrestial magnetism laboratory of Carnegie Institution, declares that while sunspots and magnetic storms are closely associated, if fairly long periods we're taken for comparison inc correspondonco is flaais of prediction from day to day.
 ":Sunspots may not he the direct Cyus" of magnetic stomns,' he adds. "i' seems moro probable that both @fo caused by stirring ID of tho solar activity from cause, prob ably electrical in it's nature, of WhiCn ". really know nothing. IL + observed that i'll tines "hcn there are the most spots that ther" Gro many other signs of increased solar activity. II is this increased actiNity that probably causes both .'G. 2un5pots and the magnetic storms"
 Another Version
 solar activity m"ans heat and when there are the most spots tha Nun usually is hotter. &ssc .@s Dr, r r.. FoWlp. Jr., of the astru- -physi- C1I observatory Of tho Smithsonian Institution. This does not moan q hotter earth, h" explains, recalling .l T" Humphrey statement. Reasons for this paradox are long and com lNica'rd. but Dr. Fowle gives a hint "a 10 how this might happen:
 "If the sun got hot enough to rsM~. more evaporation from the r...us there would ho moro cloudi- u.se "rl mctr rain on land anu r-.',r weather"
 Smithsonian officials believe th@t anull rhan@"5 in solar heat have 2 fairly clos. relation to CNSN!nS 4,uthor on 1amr. but do not think i. ,oa,ilI, for ad>aHc" wcutltrr prc- th.ions.
 That tNcrn Is definite, al 'huH&h as vt No' clearly defined '.'atjonship latw'.u sunspots and v gthnr is thought likely hy Dr. Robert De C, Ward, professor Of ,h1atolory al Harvard university
 The discovery ot an II year snu>pot neriodioi,y in the magnetic rG~nom"na Of the eart}.,' he says, "narurally has l"d 10 Investigations ot similar periods in weather. Nu- fn"ous studies have been made 5."N even into Inc Seventeenth cen 'arE, but 'hc problem is difficult hnu obscur" hncauSr weatker itself is o compl"N.N
 Predicting snnspots is something IiI. predicting snowstorms on e.."lh, declares Prof. Charles c. WN'ie, as'ronom'r at the University "f Iowa. who adds;