SUNSPOTS AND THE WEATHER.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 19605, 10 January 1936, Page 2

SUNSPOTS AND THE WEATHER.

New light has been thrown on the relationship of Avet weather and sunspots by the eminent astronomer, Sir James Jeans. He says that the spots are really bubbles of gas rising from the boiling centre of the sun, each large enough to engulf the earth. When these bubbles reach the surface of the sun they burst and shoot off in jets at speeds of 300 miles a second, or over one million miles an hour. From the earth, they appear as dark spots against the sun. Sir James Jeans states that 30 hours after a sunspot was seen to be directly facing the earth, there was a severe magnetic storm, with streams of electrically-charged particles coming out of the sun like shots from a gun and hitting the earth. Although these sunspots vary in number from year to year, it has been established that they have a definite periodicity of 11 years. Now the interesting fact is that this 11-year cycle coincides also with the periodic waves of magnetic storms. Since they are responsible for all our magnetic weather, it seems likely that the sunspots also influence meteorological weather. The only astronomical phenomenon wliicU# influences our weather is the number of sunspots and the size of then?. Further light on this matter has been thrown by the observations carried out in Lake Victoria, which show that the height of the water in the lake rose in almost exact correspondence with the 11-ycar peak periods of the sunspots, indicating an increased rainfall. In the University of Arizona, Professor Douglas has examined an innumerable number of tree trunks, with special reference to their agerings. At regular intervals, especially thick rings arc found, indicating a wet and hot year. By this means, it is claimed that it is possible to reconstruct a country’s climate over a period of years. Another mode of investigation is connected with an examination of the regular intervals of certain geological deposits resulting from increased rain. By this combination of circumstances it is hoped to gather more (Jata regarding the effect of the sunspot cycle on the earth’s weather. Although the sunspots are at their maximum at 11year peak periods, they are always present, and are easily seen through a piece of dark glass.