IÇIÔ. No. I. ARE THE SOLAR CORPUSCLE RAYS NEGATIVE OR POSrrî\-E? 7 



manner of formation. It might be expected that the rotation of this im- 

 mense disc would easily be detected by obserxations. because it it not 

 conceivable that the disc can be homogeneous all round the sun in the 

 plane at the equator. Indeed, there are phenomena obser\ed everj' month 

 which seem to harmonize perfectly with the above h\-pothesis. At the 

 Haldde Observatory by the continual registration of the magnetic elements 

 a very clear and remarkable nearly monthly period in these elements has 

 been obser\-ed, but sometimes discontinuances have manifested themselves. 



Fig. 2. Lamina of corpuscle rav^ in the plane of the magnetic equator of a rcagneuc 



sphere serving as cathode. 



The Director of the Observatory, Mr. Krog.ness, informs me that the period 

 for 1913 is about 27.3 days. 



This period is observed regularly whether there are sunspots or not, 

 very marked at sunspot minimum as well as at maximum, but a great sun- 

 spot may make the period still more marked. This tact considered 

 together with my theorv' of polar magnetic storms gives good support to 

 the idea that the immense raj'-disc round the sun is always rotating with 

 the central body. With regard to the power of radiant matter to absorb 

 and diffuse solar light I have mentioned some known facts in my work 

 >A. P« p. 623. 



It is conceivable that the helio cathode rays by collisions with ions 

 in cosmic space produce a large number of dispersion electrons, which can 

 take up and be in resonance with light waves from the sun. 



