Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles* 75 



Zinc Spectrum* 

 lhalen \. Corrected \. .Remarks. 



6362-5 



5893-5 

 4809-7 

 4721-4 



6362-566 

 6204-708 

 5894-454 

 4810-671 

 4722-306 



Eeversed in sun. 



Faint but very sharp. Eeversed in suiu 



Very bright. Eeversed in sun. 

 Very bright. Eeversed in sun» 



Results of comparison luith Solar Spectrum.— -It will be seen by 

 inspection of the tabulated results that nine out of the eleven lines 

 of copper are reversed in the sun, and four out of the five of zinc. 

 The conclusion reached in each of these cases was after repeated 

 examination, when the conditions were such as to show a clear 

 space between the compouents of the E line. The latest available 

 authority* gives copper among the doubtful elements in a list of 

 those found in the sun, and on the same list zinc does not appear 

 at all. The present investigation makes it quite probable that zinc, 

 and almost completely demonstrates that copper, exists in the solar 

 atmosphere* — Silliman's American Journal of Science, June 1889, 



ON THE INFLUENCE OF SOLAR RADIATION ON THE ELECTRICAL 

 PHENOMENA IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE EARTH. BY SV. 

 ARRHENIUS. 



In earlier researches (Wied. Ann. vol. xxxii. p. 546, and xxxiii. 

 p. 638) the author has concluded from a series of investigations that 

 the air, when irradiated by ultra-violet light, conducts like an elec- 

 trolyte. Starting from Peltier's hypothesis of a negative charge of 

 the earth, the author makes use of this point of view to represent 

 the electrical phenomena of the atmosphere as consequences of 

 solar radiation. The earth's charge, according to the author, is 

 neither imparted to the molecules of the air as shown by the expe- 

 riments of Nahrwold, nor does the aqueous vapour ascending from 

 the earth carry electricity with it, for which the experiments of 

 Kalischer, Magrini, and Blake speak. The carriers of the elec- 

 tricity in the atmosphere are the solid and liquid particles suspended 

 in it (dust, fog-vesicles) ; and they obtain their charge from the 

 earth by conduction, when the air becomes a conductor in conse- 

 quence of the influence of the sun's rays. There is then a very 

 feeble electrical current in the air. The author considers that a 

 proof of this is met with in the formation of ozone in the atmo- 

 sphere, for which, according to "Wurster, sunshine and liquid 

 deposits are necessary. 



It is in accordance with the assumption of a negative charge of 

 the suspended particles, that on cloudy days the fall of potential 

 is much lower than on bright ones ; that deposits, especially hail, 

 are for the most part negative, while snow is occasionally positive, 

 because it occurs at the time at which the sun's action is weakest ; 

 in like manner he considers that the positive fall of potential observed 



* Young's ' General Astronomy.' 



