The Star. SOMETHING ABOUT SUNSPOTS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue 9308, 5 March 1907, Page 4

The Star.

SOMETHING ABOUT SUNSPOTS.

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Manilla, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangato>i t Kaponga, Awatnna, Oponake, Otakeho, M&nntahi, Alton, Hnrleyvifle, Patea, and Wavetley.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5; 1907.

A recent cable message conveyed the news that astronomers reported tihe appearance of an enormous sunspot, estimated to be 118,000 long and 30,000 miles broad,. The sun is a long -way from the earth, and as tne "spots," although unfohinkably big, ■are invisible to the naked eye, it is improbable that the people of this earth would bother nvuch about tihem were it not far the remarkable effects some astronomers say the spots have upon terrestrial affairs. AM students of astronomy do not hold with the sun-spot 'tiheory as applied to changes said to be wirougiht upon conditions down here, although it will .be remembered' that Mr Clement Wiagge was a very persistent exponent of ' the same. That theory may be all "moonshine," but it 'has nevertheless impelled we people heme below to take a livelier interest in the dark patches which from time to time appear upon Old Sole countenance. With regain! to ifhe -last blotch a Melbourne paper had an interesting interview with Mr Baracchi, the Victorian meteorologist. Mr Baraochi said' tiiktt sun spots may be called manifestations of solar activity. They indicate disitusruainces in the atmosphere or gaseous 1 envelope of the .sun — sun-istoxms, in short.. The physical theory of these sun-storms is veary complexi amd has not yet been, fully lestablished. We know, he said, that storms occur in the sun's emvelope of superheated gases, and it is fairly well established tlhat they occur, in cycles. The causes of their periodicity, howeveir, are hidden and elusive. The duration of solar 6pots is often prolonged fox many days. The length of the cycle, that is the time between two periods of maxima, is about 11 years. The last period of maxima was the year 1905, consequently we are now about half-way betweein a irdximuim and a minimum year. There may be an outburst in a yiear of minimum, and » violent sum-storm may occur at any time. With regard to dimensions, Mr BaKiecbi said the size of the spot mentioned in the caule is unusual, but by no meams unparalleled. There are plenty of records extant of solar spots extending over j 100,000 miles. About October, 1903, a spot of this magntawle was observed. In 1905, a maximum year, there was observed a tremendous, group of spots extending over 120,000 miles. Coming to conditions which more closely affect us Mr Bawrachi -was asked

what was the effect of sun-spots on terrestrial weather. He replied: "So far as we have been able to ascertain, the only appreciable effects of solar spots upon terrestrial conditions axe that they cause the appearance of the Atinom, and that they are followed by terrestrial magnetic distniruances. The magnetic disturbances recorded here have been very moderate. I am not prepared to deny absolutely that magnetic storms may be din some way connected with dhamiges of weather, but any tneory of this sort could only be founded on conjecture. These magnetic storms may have a practical" effect on the man in the ' street. On one occasion the Parisians found themselves electrically isolated ; that is to say, their electric telephones and telegraph instrumenits became useless for the greater part of a day, and they were so long cut off from the world. Perhaps some of the misfortunes of the Windsor Exchange have been due to solan* spots? The cool summer canmot be eaid to be the result of spots on the sun. It may be that the spots affect the amount of heat radiated' from the sun, but the shsute taken by this little spec ■ca-lledi the eaubh is so small that the loss is not appreciable. The most diertioate of our thermometers record no variation in temperature." As to earthquakes, the weather expert suggested that since the ichange im temperature could not b» felt in humans it was unlikely to affect inanimate stone. So far as the scientific world was able to ascertain. t<hexe was no connection between the sun-spots and earthquakes or terrestrial weather. "I am mot going to say," said Mr Baracoul in conclusion, "that this great solar spot portends eaithquakes or violent wea-

ther changes. I set dowm the people, wiho advance theories of that kind, as being on a level with the old astronomer, -who would tell you nmder what conjunction of planets your undertakings would be successful. The only differemce is that the astrologer gob yovar money, and t-here W36 his reason for telling you these things. Wnat reason moves the theorist of to-day is more than I can tell."