Sun Spots And Magnetic Storms

Professor Schuster, th English atronomer, in a recent locturc at Manchester thus spoke of sim spots: "Sun spots were seklom seen at the poles, and. seldom near the equator, thongh sometimes seen at both. We were now aïter a long protracted absence of sun spots rapidly approaching their maximum, which would probably be reached in a few months, when there would be more than duriñg the next eleven years. They would then slowly Increase in number, until in live, six, or seven years there would hardly be a sun spot 'seen for some months, and then they wonld begin to appear again, and eleven ycars henee they '.vould probably be as numerous as now. These changes were not absolulely regular, the ntunber oí years having varied from eight and one-half to tlürty, but they oseillated round the period of eleven years. The protuberanees on the sun's surface occurred in the same way. Magnetic storms took place much more frequcntly vvhen there were niany sun spots than when thcre were few, and the aurora borealis was very nearly related to thera. For somo years we have seen of the latter few, and thcre were few sun spots then, whilo now hardly a day passed without an aurora being obseryed somewhere, and this was always acoompanied by magnetic storms. There was a striking and regular connection between them. When a sun spot broke out it was verj probable we should see an aurora, and were almost certain to have a magnetic storm. A few weeks ago there was a verv big spot on the sun's surfaoe, and vvhcre the sky was elcar. ïhis connection between the sun aud the earth v:is one of the greatest scientific mysteries of the age, and wewere absolute'ly without any explanation of it.'