SUN STORMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1720, 10 April 1913, Page 9

SUN STORMS.

AND WEATHER FORECASTS. MISS MARY PROCTOR AT THE N.Z. CLUB. For the first tinio in ills short history,, the New Zealand Club yesterday entertained a lady at its lunoheon board. The lady was Miss Mary Proctor, herself 11. well-known astronomer,. and daughter of tho lemons astronomer. who lectured in New Zealand Korno years ago. Mi-. C. M. ■ Luko, president, of the club, was in tho chair; and about 100 members were present.; , ■ ' Miss '.Proctor delivered a- brief address, mostly, on thu reasons why she w 011 a mission to Australia, and New Zealand. About eighteen months ago, sho explained" Sir Robert Ball, Proiessoi- of Astronomy. at Cambridge, was asked to conio to Australia, to lecture with. the object of having, a solar physics observatory established: in this part of tho world. It was necessary to have such an observatory to 1 fill in the gap between tho observatory in India, anil the one in California, .in order that the sun'might continually observed. At present there'was a gap of 150 degrees in which Tile Mui was not Observed •at all. Sir . Robert Ball had to decline the invitation owing to old ago and tho tics of his own ' work, and she had como. at 'Jii» request, tho very humble representative of a very great man. >~ Sho had lectured in Australia from ' July until about Octpber last. She.had expected to .receive more encouragement there than, sho, actually ''did., Dr. Geoffrey Duffield had been in England for some tiina collecting funds for tho building and the instrunieints for the observatory, but at the end of her tour she was informed that the Federal; Government would not accept either'the money or 'the'instruments. Just beforo Christmas it had been suggested 'to her' that she should try to interest the people of Neyr Zealand in the observatory, and' 'after , visiting the observatory ': in India she had- come to 'New Zealand, ind begun lecturing about two weeks-ago!- Generally sho had foiund that the people to •whom she ha<l spoken ; lind been very .much interested in .tho"wonders of tho heavens,; and. in'the project t0... have an observatory, established here. The reason, Miss Proctor want on to sa!yj why" it was necessary to study the, stin,.:was .becausa . thejte were a great maiiy magnetic storms in the sun, and- it was-believed that these; storms or. sun-spots had soine connection. with magnetic "storms on earth; If-this were' proved' to bo a correct theory, it would tjs possiblo to, foretell" changes in . tho weather on .our planet, and to forecast weather with a great deal more .accuracy than even - Mr. Bates did now. ,(Laughter.) She .had como out of Invercargill 'on -the- first train .that got through after'tho recent flood; and' sho had been impreswd "by the heavy ... losses tli©; country , siifi'ered through that floods Warning - had , been given, land thosQi who, heeded■ the ,w:arning had not suffered so I 'severely, but those, -who .were unprepared; hadlost a great deal. If tho. \ establishment of ,a'.no\v soliir/observatory ivould;'malto ,it; possible to: foretell tho great! ,'storms ; oh' the : Siln,. ,and the ' resultant storms on . earth were found to ; deperid upon ; them, tho .'science of moteorology .niijlit .bo .made, a .great deal mors "exact. The . cost of the observatory jnd equipment'wouhl btT,£lo,ooo, and the ■minimum annual oost ofmaintaining it "would,be .£1500.' The far-reaching. re-' -suits of a closer ■ 'observance of' the. sun ■would . not be; seen, ut once, but they would bo- exceedingly. . important,. ' aiid they would' bo felt later; If - thj ..obser-. vatory was to bo in. New Zealand, as : seemed: probable, .for' tho-people-in Australia,had -been talking . about 'it since 1907, and they were ..still talking/ : it ' should be in. Central-Otago or somewhere in that region. The exact location was not important, so long as' tho climatic : conditions -were such \as to permit of a TegulaT 'observance' of ; the sun- and . tho heavens.- • •• y: 1 . .: Interspersed .throughout' her ; - remarks as to.the'- objeOb of her .visit,-, Mis Proctor made many vlittley.'divergencea, .into thorealm of.-astronomy,'vvlijqh .were .not so • scientific as, to be unintelligible to tlio lay 'mind, but on. ,tho..contrary intensely interesting. y. i- ■ Miss PreotOr' Was 'accorded-'thenthanks Of the club for her address.' '■