214 



EECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



viously there were none. These changes can 

 be detected with a very small telescope. 

 Another phenomenon on the sun's disc is 

 the occasional appearance of certain branch- 

 ing streaks of lights on its luminous surface, 

 curved in shape, and distinguished by their 

 superior brightness. These are caHedfaculce, 

 and are often observed in the neighbourhood 

 of great spots, or on parts of the solar disc, 

 where spots shortly afterwards break out. 

 These have been supposed to be ridges of 

 immense waves in the luminous regions of 

 the sun's atmosphere, indicative of violent 

 agitation in their vicinity. 



"With powerful instruments the whole 

 surface of the sun may be seen to be finely 

 mottled with minute dark dots or pores, which 

 fluctuate in their appearance like the rest of 

 the markings. 



" The solar disc can be exhibited in a very 

 agreeable manner by holding a screen or 

 sheet of paper at a proper distance from the 

 eye-piece of the telescope, and slightly alter- 

 ing the focus of the instrument, when the 

 bright image of the sun will be shown, with 

 all the spots distinctly appearing. The effect 

 will be heightened by darkening the room, 

 as, for instance, by having a hole made in the 

 window-shutter for the telescope, and closing 

 every other aperture. The faculce show par- 

 ticidarly well in this way, and their presence 

 may often be thus detected when the fatigued 

 eye has failed to observe them by a direct 

 scrutiny. With this contrivance, however, 

 the spots will be reversed, as in a camera 

 obscura; but they may be noted down on 

 paper, and afterwards traced on the other 

 side, when thev will appear in their true 

 positions. 



"A persevering observer in Germany 

 (Schwabe) examined the sun's disc for twenty- 

 four years. He found a great variety, in dif- 

 ferent years, in the number of days in which 

 the spots were to be seen. There were'but 

 two days in 1850 that he failed to see them 

 out of three hundred and eight days in 



which he looked at the sun ; in 1843 there 

 were one hundred and forty-nine days with- 

 out them, out of three hundred and twelve. 

 He did not think that the spots have (as has 

 often been imagined) any influence on the 

 temperature of the year. 



" The changes in these spots are truly 

 surprising when we consider the size of the 

 sun; and its size is known with consider- 

 able exactness, having been calculated by 

 comparing its apparent diameter with its 

 known distance." 



METEOEOLOGY OE JANUAEY. 



FKOM OBSERVATIONS AT HIGHFIELD HOUSE OBSEKVATOEY. 



The greatest heat in shade reached 560° in 1844, 

 and only 46-5° in 1847, giving a range of 9'5° in greatest 

 heat for December during the past seventeen years. 

 In fourteen years the temperature reached 53°. 



The greatest cold was as low as 4° below zero in 

 1854, and never below 29'5° in 1846, giving a range of 

 33'5'' in greatest cold for January during the past 

 eighteen years. The coldest years being 1842, 1843, 



1845, 1848, 1854, 1856, and 1857; and the warmest, 



1846, 1847, 1851, 1853, and 1859. In 1854 the tempe- 

 rature fell 16"5° below any other year. 



Only 0-2 inch of rain fell in January, 1858, and as 

 much as 3'5 inches in 1852, giving a range of three and 

 a quarter inches forJanuary, during the past seventeen 

 years. 



During this month the lowest temperature of the 

 year is usually attained. 



E. J. Lowe. 



