AURORA POSSIBLE

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1929, Page 5

AURORA POSSIBLE

SPOTS ON THE SUN. MAY CAUSE MAGNETIC STORM. CHRISTCHURCH, June 27. There are at present on the sun two great outbursts of activity. One in the northern hemisphere of the sun consists of only one regular sunspot, which has a diameter of over 45,000 miles and covers an area of something like 1610 million square miles. The second seat of disturbance is in the southern hemisphere of the sun and consists of a large spot having dimensions similar to the former and a long train of 35 spots stretching over a length of 393,500 miles trailing after it. Observations with the Wellington City Telescope showed huge solar prominences in the latitude in which these spots appear, revealing that the sun is in a very disturbed condition. The sunspots are visible to the naked eye, when protected with smoked glass. A local astronomer was of the opinion yesterday that it was unlikely that the weather would be affected by the sun spots. If there was any effect it would be world-wide. When the spots on the sun were numerous, the temperature was a little higher than when it was quiescent. The magnetic storm, which they caused, was a purely magnetic phenomenon, and frequently happened after big spots passed across the central meridian. In addition to a magnetic storm the spots frequently caused an aurora. If the outbreak of the storm did not occur in two or three days after tho spots crossed tho central meridion its occurrence was not likely. Tho occurrence of an aurora was, under the circumstances possible; but not certain. The magnetic storm caused an excessive deviation in the magnitude of tho magnetic vibration. Sometimes a had storm threw all the magnetic instruments of a locality out of gear, but it had no effect on wireless communication.