Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-12
SUNS HEAT VARIES,
|DR. ABBOTT SHOWS
Experiments by Smithsonian
Scientist Removes Doubt
81 Theories.

rank high IN WeAthor xOrc091tngs ~
announced n the latest issue Of the
United States Weather Bureau by DR..
Charles q. Abbot eof the Smithsonian
institution. That Development IL the
discovery Of q new and simple proof
by DR.. Abbot that the amount Of
heat given or by the sun day to day.
and from year TO year varies. IL
the proof ii final and Il II declared Il
seems irrefutab le--there can be no
further question that the sun b q
real factor In the daily and yearly
weather changes. Exact appraisal
Of its value Tor long-rang0 weather
forcasting awaits only the further
variation and world weather. At all
events, an essential element new TO
weather forcasting has bean dis.
covered and proved. It's application
Is held only matter Of research ana
time.
Thirty Years Of Investigation.
For 80 years, DR.. Abbot has been
investigating the sun ana measuring
the heat It sends to the earth. In
1908 he surmised from his results for
previous years that the amount Of
that heat varied. Urged on by that
clue and its great Significance to man
kind IL true, he has spent the inter
yening years In elaborate measure
ments Of solar radiation In many
parts Of the world-at Mount Wilson
and Mount Whitney, California: ct
Bassour, Algeria; ct Mount HarQua
Ia the nitrate desert Of Chile. He
developed instruments capable Of
measuring millionth Of degree
change In temperature, and other in
sfrumentg Of the greatest complexity
and usefulness TO be used In con-
nection with his measuring instru-
ments for standardizing and for COM
putting results.
The outcome OF all this work was
to justify his belief in the truth OF
his theory. But some Of the most
prominent weathermen in the world
disagreed with DR.. Abbot. They
didn't doubt that weather would
change II the SUMS heat varied, but
they were not convinced by DR..
Abbot's work that the suns heat
they based their criticism on the
dfficulty OF measuring the sums heat
accurately through the atmosphere
which intervenes between the earths
and the sun. This atmosphere y 70
variable In transparency and In 1T
content Of water vapor and dust thar
these scientiests feared DR.. Abbot was
ulisled. They believed that the
variations he found were due TO at
mospherIc and not TO solar changes.
The proof which DR.. Abbot now
announces appears to refute these
criticisms.
The essence Of this proof lies, in q
comparison or measurement OF solar
radiation made at times when the at
riosphere II practically identically
the same. It II obvious that Il the
atmosphere IL the same and the in
struments are correct, any changes
must mean differences In the amount
Of heat given Of by the sun.
Assisted by 4. b. Aldrich.
DR.. Abbot selected measurements
made in the month OF July for the
years 1910 to 1920, emitting the years
1912 and 1918, because the volcano
OF Mount Katnlai In Alaaka filled the
atmosphere OF the whole Northern
Hemisphere with dust in those years.
During all these years DR.. Abbot and
his assistant, u. b. Aldrich, had
measured the sun from the same
observatory on Mount Wilson, Cali
fornia. They used the same instru-
ments throughout and these instru.s
Ste,Ss "a ~ SonnH ,,ncianeaS .-,-,.
Trnm the mea n. n,ade n,
these month";. he, eeIected TIE DAYS
when fhe atrnosnheric tr,ansnarency
and its content 81 water yapor were
nractically the same. diyidinr these
into comparable groups. All days In
any year in which atmospheric con-
ditions were not practically Identical
to those in other years, he descarded.
He then plotted the measurements
OF the total quantity Of heat received
ct the earth's surface. On the same
paper he plotted the solar constant
values 9or these years aS previously
published. These solar values are
the result OF the measurements oI the
total quantity @ heak received as
the eaxtns surface. correcte0 py
measuremsnfs % the losS @ neaL
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