SOLAR SPOTS OBSERVED AT TORONTO. 293 



SOLAR SPOTS OBSERVED AT TORONTO, IN JANUARY, 

 FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 1858. 



BY COLONEL BARON DE ROTTENBURG, C. B., F. R. A. S. 



"Read before the Canadian Institute, loth March, 1858. 



The following remarks may not possess any novelty — the forms of 

 tl^e Solar Spots recorded in this paper and its accompanying drawings 

 having, in all probability, been often seen by others. But the subject 

 is one of the greatest interest, and the observations of amateur astron- 

 omers, on the Solar Spots, may possibly be of essential service to those 

 laborious men who make the nature and constitution of the Solar 

 Atmosphere the business of their lives. Thus, for example, observa- 

 tions made here on any particular day, may supply a link in a series 

 of observations which the systematic observer was unable, from un- 

 favourable atmospheric conditions, to ascertain ; and tend possibly to 

 elucidate some general law or conclusion. At any rate, I believe this 

 is the first attempt made to record the daily changes in the Spots on 

 the Sun, by any member of the Institute, for the purpose of commu- 

 nicating them at its meetings, and I offer the following abstract of the 

 phenomena, taken from my Register of Observations, with the accom- 

 panying drawings, — ^which furnish very feeble and inadequate repre- 

 sentations of the original, — in the hope that others will be induced to 

 join me in this attempt to give a more prominent place in the records 

 of the Journal of the Institute to familiar natural phenomena. 

 Extract from Register. 



January/ 21st, 12 hours 15 minutes, apparent time. A large spot 

 seen near the Sun's north-eastern limb, with a well defined Nucleus 

 and Penumbra — two small spots on each side of the Penumbra, the 

 small spot towards the Sun's centre being darker than the one towards 

 the limb — the smallest part of the Nucleus being towards the limb. 

 The definition excellent — air calm — prominent faculse seen between 

 the spot and the north-eastern limb. 



January 22nd. Spot observed again about the same hour as yes- 

 terday. Nucleus had materially changed its form — having become 

 much more elongated — shewing a probability of its breaking up into 

 several spots — definition indifferent — Sun's limb tremulous — strong 

 wind blowing from east — the two small spots could not be seen, nor 



