I916. No. I. ARE THE SOLAR CORPUSCLE RAYS NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE? 1 7 



If we here suppose i = lo'' amperes, as \ve_have actually found it 

 during 'cery strong polar magnetic storms, we get: 



W = J X 10"-^ ergs per second 

 or [f^ 2 X 10^^ horse-power. 



If the formula for ni in this extreme case gives too high a value tor 

 the longitudinal mass of an electron, the amount of energj' in the cor- 

 puscular precipitation may also be too high. 



During very strong magnetic storms such a tremendous quantity of 

 energy is sweeping past the earth, but at a height of 500 km. while the 

 stiffness of the rays is as great as it is at the present time. 



From this result it can be deduced that a great sunspot ma}- send 

 out for short periods probably more energy as corpuscular rays than the 

 whole sun is radiating in the same time as light and heat. And from the 

 intensity of »the average polar storms- (See ^A. P.» p. 5381 which gives 

 the average storminess for my four stations in 1902 — 1903) we may con- 

 clude : t/iaf the sun alivays on an average sends out more energy as cor- 

 puscular rays than as heat and light radiation. 



The permanent ray-disc round the sun. which manifests itself as 

 zodiacal light, included the rays which give polar storms, and it is thus 

 obvious that this disc represents even at the present time a puzzling 

 amount of energy. 



Let us now for the sake of comparison calculate the total insolation / 

 towards the earth, taking the solar constant equal to 2 • per minute ^. 



We get / = 4,3 X 10^''' gram cal. per sec. 



corresponding to: 2.4 X 10^^ horse-power. 



We see from this that the energy of a corpuscular precipitation during 

 a polar storm may easily be of the same magnitude as the total inso- 

 lation on the earth — and even much greater. 



If it were possible for this corpuscular energy to penetrate deeply 

 enough into our atmosphere in an »auroral zone«, we should not only 

 get a sub-tropical temperature in the polar region of the earth, but there 

 would also probably be a very much increased and abundant production 

 of nitro-compounds in the atmosphere which is an excellent condition tor 

 rich vegetation. 



• Abbot gives 1,93a cal. per minute as mean result of 696 determinations. Annals of 

 the Astrophysical Obser\'atorj- of the Smithsonian Institution 1913. Vol III. 



Vid.-Selsk, Skrifter. I. M.-N. Ki. iai6 No. i. 2 



