STORMS AND SUNSPOTS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 73, 23 February 1938, Page 8

STORMS AND SUNSPOTS.

Tiie recent storm in Britain must have been of exceptional violence to drive the sea live miles into the country ; but it is not only England that has suffered, for exceptionally severe weather has been experienced throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere has also experienced bad weather, although not nearly of the same severity as in the north. These climatic disturbances are attributed to sunspots, which have been somewhat numerous recently. This explanation for the severe weather may be quite correct, for it is obvious that sunspots must have some disturbing influence. It is known that the spots on the sun exert an influence (or rather the influence of gigantic periodic convulsions of energy occurring in that body of which the spots are prominent indications) traceable to terrestrial changes. The visible surface or disc of the sun (named the photophere, or round of light) is intensely lustrous—consisting of matter in a gaseous or vaporous state —and furnishes the source of all the heat and light which the earth receives. At regular intervals the uniform level of this intensely brilliant and enveloping surface is partly rent by cyclonic storms, possibly of an electric nature, into cavities or hollows which have received the name of spots. These spots or perforations of the photosphere first appear on the eastern edge of the sun; are carried across by its revolutions (besides possessing proper motions of their own) in about fourteen days and disappear at the western limit; they are limited in situation to two zones, parallel to the solar equator. Sometimes the same spot reappears when a revolution is completed., and sometimes does not return, another taking its place —the average life of a spot being two or three months. They usually are present, not singly, but in groups, and each appears to possess an individual character of development and decay. There can be no doubt that they do not consist of clouds floating above the sun’s luminous surface, but are definitely attached to the surface itself, and hence, from this connection, they, are necessarily involved in the fiery tempests which periodically convulse that orb. The centre of each spot appears to be extremely dark compared with the brilliance of the photosphere, and surrounding each central portion is an edging of lighter shade. A settled law of uniformity has been discovered with a range of period between 10 and 11 years in the recurrence of the spots. Since we derive the heat and light imperative for terrestrial and human existence and activity from the luminous envelope of the sun, any diminution of this bright area, which the spots produce, will be attended by a reduced emission of energy. Hence a smaller quantity of light and' heat is received. This is the scientific explanation of sunspots. Recently Europe had a magnificent display of the Aurora Borealis, a phenomenon caused by electric discharges, in rare air, invariably becoming more frequent, resplendent and general when the spots are numerous and large. In years of maximum spots the rainfall in summer is above the average, and the winter rainfall below the average, while in the years of minimum spots the cases are reversed. It lias been held that the sunspots affect crops and to some extent account for the trade cycle. It seems beyond doubt that the sunspots have a direct influence on the weather, and crops of all kinds depend on weather conditions.