Opinions Respecting The Sun

In the first place, from a varieiy of observaron, it is nt)v pretty well (Jetermined, tlial ?he solar spots are drpicssions and nol elevalions, and (hnt the black nncleus of every eput in the oíiquu bidy óf lliesuniá sen lluoiig! the himmons almospIuTe uilli wbieh t U tiivironcd. TUïs was first a: rjrtaineJ by nmiierous ub.-ervitiops made ly the late Dr. Wilson, prelWor óf astronomy in the universiíy üf GíaBgmv. 'I'liiá coiïclusiön is founded on t.'ie fulluwing f;icts. Wlien any spot is obout lo disuj.pear behind thv s-uns western limb,tlie eastern port ion of the utnbru fiitt cnni.rac:s and then v)n'is!ies. 'l'lie nu.lens llien contracis imd yaniohes, while llic western portion of '!ie umhra stiil remains visible. Wlien a spot comes into v ew on the un'3 oasleri. limb, tlie eastern portion of the timbra fir?t becomes visible, then the dark nucleu?, nnd then the western paft of the imibra makes its appearance. - When two spots ure near eucli oller, the umbra of thé ühe spot is dcficiem in the side next the other; and when one of the spots is mach largertl.un ihe other, the ui;i n of il.e argest wil! becomplelely vyantfiig on the t'üe next the stinll onc. From various mieronititicul estímales ■ and calcularon wilh regard to tne bruadth ofj tlie umbra and ihe munncr of theirappearance nntl díünupearánce. tlie doctor was led to the conclu.siiiii ihat l'hfe drplh of the nucleus or dark spots was, in several insiancos, frofln -2,000 to nearly 4,000 rrides. - In order to coniinn histbeory, he consirueted a globe respecting the eun, with certaiu hollows cut out ;o lepresent Ih? spots or cxcavations. which w ere }aintcd black with India ink, ad the slope or shelvmg sidoi of the excavuiions weie dijiinguislied from tlio brightness of the c. ternal t-uiface by a èhade ot ihe peucil, which nercused toward tho external border. Wiien llus artificial sun 'vas tixed íñ a pioper frame, and exumined ftt a grcat distance with a telescope, the umbra and the nucleus, exhibited tlie same jilienomcna which aie obtened in the real sun. Sir William Ilerschell, with his powerlul teleocopes,made numerons obsorvations on the subir i?pots, and arrived at tlie conclusión, as Dr. WiL-ion had dne, ihat tlie dark nucleus of the spots is ihe opaque body of the sun appearing tliruugli the openings of its a:mosphere, and ihat the inrninous surface of the sun is neitlier a üquid substance nor an eiastic fluid; but luininouá or phosplioric clouds iloutintr in the atinospiiere. He conceiVes from the uniformity of color in the penumbra or shadows, that bclow these self-iuniinous clouds there is another stratum of cloudd ol inferior brightnoss, ivhioh is intended as a curtain to prolect the soliil and op:iqe body of the sun Oom the intens: !. Sri and i;:ii'iancy of thI lumínous clouds, and tliat, "the lumitious ta tire sustained far above tlie Jevel of the solid body, by a transparent elastic medium, carrying on its upper surface, or at some considerable lower level with its depth, a cloudy stratu-n, which being strongly illuminated from above reflecta a considerable portion of tlie light of our eyes, nnd forms a penumba, wliile the solid body, shaded by the clouds, reflecta little or none."