a 
March 9, 1894. 
What has gone before has been the progress of 
astronomy in the year just past. 
In closing we cannot omit to offer our tribute to those 
that have past from the field, and to mention the honors 
that have been received by the living. 
The death last May of the Rev. Charles Pritchard, 
D.D., F.R.S., late Savilian Professor of Astronomy and 
Director of the Observatory at Oxford, removed one 
who left a deep impression, if notin astronomical in- 
vestigations, in his students that are taking up the work 
as he had taught them. Dr. Pritchard was a broad-minded 
man, honest in his purpose, upright in his character, 
sensitive to the feelings of his students and active in his in- 
vestigations. Mr. W. E. Plummer has givenin Odservatory 
for July, 1893, a sketch of Dr. Pritchard’s life, a pure, 
noble one. 
In the death of Dr. Adolp Steinheil the astronomical 
world has lost one who was an authority upon the con- 
struction and grinding of object glasses. His death took 
place at Munich on Nov. 4 last. 
On Dec. 6, death once more entered the flock and 
took from us that eminent astronomer, mathematician 
and historian of science, Dr. Rudolf Wolf, of the Zurich 
Observatory. Since 1855 he had been the Director of 
that observatory,as well as Professor in the Polytechnicum. 
Dr. Wolt’s pen was well handled, as may be seen in his 
writings, embracing as they do researches in pure mathe- 
matics, astronomy, physics and the history of science. 
In 1852 appeared the first edition of ‘‘Taschenbuch of 
Mathematics, Physics, Geodesy and Astronomy’; in 
1858-61 the four yolumes of biographies of Swiss men 
of science; in 1869-72 his ‘‘ Handbuch der Mathematik, 
etc.,” in two volumes. Probably his most extensive work, 
the ‘‘ Handbuch der Astronomie, ihrer Geschichte - und 
Litteratur,” has just been completed. - All astronomers 
have at times turned with interest to his ‘‘ Astronomische 
Mittheilaugen,”’ commenced in 1856 and continued to the 
present time. -In 1877 he published his ‘‘ History of 
Recent Astronomy, Especially in Germany.” Dr. Wolf 
won his reputation in his important discoveries and re- 
searches relative to the solar spots. In Astronomical 
Journal No. 309 will be found avery interesting sketch of 
his life, and from which we have drawn many of our 
statements as to his work in astronomy. 
The December number of JL’ Astronomie conveys 
the information that the Academy of Sciences of 
France had decided to confer the Arogo gold medal 
upon Professor Asaph Hall for his discovery of the 
satellites of Mars, and upon Professor E. E. Barnard 
for his discovery of the fifth satellite of Jupiter. 
The Arogo medal has been conferred only once before, 
to the illustrious Leverrier, in recognition of his discussion 
that lead to the discovery of Neptune. 
SUNSPOTS AND METEOROLOGY. 
BY H. A. HAZEN, WASHINGTON, D. C. 
THE spots on the sunare disturbances or storms largely 
of electric origin. ‘They have a drift or motion along the 
surface at the equator of 867’ per day, and at lat. 14°,851’. 
It is known that these spots have a definite period of 
about eleven years. They have an intimate relation to 
the fluctuations of magnetic declination, and to the ap- 
pearance of auroras. An interesting discussion of the 
question as to the immediate transmission to the earth of 
an influence from a solar outburst will be found in recent 
numbers of Watwre. From time to time serious efforts 
have been made to show that there is a close connection 
between sunspots and terrestrial disturbances. It should 
be noted that mere coincidences between phenomena, no 
matter how often they are observed, can have little weight 
SCIENCE. 131 
in establishing a relationship, unless it can be shown, a przorz, 
how or why there is a connection. On the strength 
of mere coincidences, the ancients were justified in hold- 
ing the view that the earth was stationary, and all the 
universe rolled about it, producing the ‘‘ music of the 
spheres.” 
In studies of coincidences, it is very easy to ignore the 
cases which disagree with a preconceived relation, and to 
magnify those that doagree. For example: it is believed 
by some that sunspots have an influence at the earth only 
as they first appear by rotation on the eastern limb of the 
sun, and this, too, in face of the fact that some of our 
most brilliant auroras have appeared with large spots near 
the centre of the sun’s disc. In Nov., 1882, a spot at the 
centre of the sun could be seen with the unaided eye, and 
yet it was assumed that the aurora then seen, one of the 
finest, was due to a few small facule just appearing on the 
sun. No theory of this kind will hold unless it can be 
shown why the spot loses its influence after it is a few 
days old. The present writer is well aware that those 
who adopt this view, that the sunspot has influence only 
at the time of its first appearance by solar rotation, will 
not submit to the following crucial test, which is equally 
applicable to all discussions of this kind: Decide upon the 
three daysin each rotation when the influence should have 
been the greatest, and also the three when it was weakest, 
then determine independently the actual meteorologic 
conditions over any definite portion of the earth, say, for 
the lake region, or the Ohio valley, or even the whole 
United States, as regards storms, cold waves, or any other 
definite phenomenon. A comparison of the data would at 
once show the value of this supposed influence and a 
relationship, if there is one. 
Attempt has been made also to determine a periodic 
effect from these spots, or from the source of energy 
behind them, at specific solar meridians. At first sight, 
since, as we have already seen, the spots have a different 
rotation period at different solar latitudes, it would seem 
as though such a period could not possibly be established. 
If, however, there are certain influences at specific solar 
meridians tending to increase spots independently of their 
drift, such influences may be felt at the earth and would 
also show themselves by an increase or diminution in the 
spots whenever that meridian of the sun was at the centre, 
though it should be noted that this influence can hardly 
concentrate itself at any one meridian, but must be felt 
over many days, unless we consider that the sun’s influence 
has tides or blazes up at certain definite times in each 
rotation. Spots might drift at any velocity, but when 
they approached such a meridian they would show it in 
their appearance all the way from the sun’s equator to 
their limits on either side. Various periods have been set 
for these meridians of maximum influence; some of these 
are as follows: 25, 25.5, 26, 27, 27 1/4 days, etc. In 
order to test this question, it has been customary to ar- 
range spot areas according to the selected or determined 
period for roo rotations or so, and then to average each 
day by itself. There is nothing so easy as to arrange 
figures in this way, but the procedure is fraught with grave 
danger, as we are liable to cover up just the most im- 
portant fluctuations by an indiscriminate mean, and our 
final result shows such microscopic fluctuations that we 
are tempted to magnify them by an easy multiplication. 
A commonargument among advocates of such methods, 
to account for failures in obtaining a period in the past, 
is that the exact period has not been discovered. One 
investigator has developed a period of 27.27778 or 27d. 
6 h. 40 m.; another, in studying shorter periods, has 
made two, one of 7.26917 days (7d. 6.46 h.), and another 
of 6.16417 days (6 d. 3.94 h.) andsoon. ‘This point is 
not well taken, however, for a little experience with 
