IOWA ACADEMY OP SCIENCE 
19 
1903. 
The principal characteristics of the record for this year are: 
1. The decided increase in the number of groups, spots and faculae. 
2. The marked decrease in the total number of spotless days. 
3. The frequency of spots in the southern hemisphere, and, 
4. The remarkable outburst of a spot group of the first magnitude in Oc- 
tober, which was followed by greater solar activity until the close of the year. 
The year 1903 marked a distinct revival of solar activity, during the first 
three months the sun-spots were few and rather short lived, but in April fairly 
large disturbances were noted and evidences of the beginning of the cycle of 
greater activity were in progress, but as is frequently the case when great dis- 
turbances break out suddenly a period of quiescence supervenes, and with the 
exception of July the spots were principally small and transitory and in Sep* 
tember reached a minimum, when eleven spotless days were noted. 
In October solar observers were greeted with some outbursts of gigantic pro- 
portions, a superb sun-spot measuring over 135,000 miles long by 39,000 miles 
wide and embracing an area of over 5,000,000,000 square miles made the transit 
of the visible disk from the 4th to the 17th, this spot received much attention 
by the press and public and the coincident terrestrial electrical and magnetic 
effects were marked and widespread — bright auroras and remarkable eleotro- 
magnetic earth currents occurred throughout the earth’s northern hemisphere.' A 
detailed illustrated account of the author’s observations of this sun-spot was pub- 
lished in Popular Astronomy for December, 1903. The spots completed several 
rotations of the sun and the year closed with decreasing activity. 
1904. 
The present year was noted for: 
1. The continued steady increase in the number of groups, spots and faculae. 
2. The entire absence of days without spots. 
3. The greater frequency of spots in the northern hemisphere, and, 
4. The absence of any groups of the first magnitude. 
While the numerical results of the year were nearly .doubled over the pre- 
ceding year, indicating the steady approach of the maximum period, the increas- 
ing activity was not marked by any giant spots or even spots large enough to be 
rated as of the first magnitude. 
Some large and interesting spots were noted in April, May, July, August, Oc- 
tober and December, the year closing with the disk well covered with numerous 
spots. 
1905. 
The principal features of the record for 1905 are: 
1. The maintained steady increase in number and size of groups, spots and 
faculae. 
2. The greater frequency of spots in the northern hemisphere, which was 
more marked in the latter half of the year, and, 
3. The appearance of many large spots during the year, one of which during 
Its transit from January 28th to February 10th, was of giant magnitude. 
The year opened with much solar activity, which culminated in the greatest 
solar spot of the present cycle and probably the largest single sun-spot of the 
last thirty years, visible in the closing days of January and the first decade of 
