Show ENERGY FROM SUN VARIES GREA GREATLY TL Y I I DIFFERENCE IN LIGHT AFFECTS WEATHER w t 4 r r rd d how lIow small the world Is with n a sun spot can be seen n from the above 01 photograph The Thc round ball In the 10 lower or center represents the tho earth In sIZe on a scale Calc with the sun spots which were CC photographed at Mt It Il Wilson oon laboratory By DAVID DVID D VID DIETL SN i e Writer MT lilT WILSON Calif April 10 10 A discovery Just made mado mad at the tho th Mt Wilson observatory here her may prove to 10 be ono one on of ot the th most Im- Im Important important Im Important facts so tar far brought to light In helping scientists dentists solve the puzzle puzzi of oC the connection b bo teen t een tho th sun and the th weather eather r It had been previously pointed out through the work ork ot of o Dr C C CG G Abbot that the amount of en- en energy cn ergy sent tent out by the th sun eun un Mi from Crom day to day And It has hos ha been assumed that the ultimate caU cause ot of fluctuations In the th weather must lie llo In these fluctuations The Th problem however Is I to dis- dis discover discover I dis-I cover just jut what the tho th connection Is and how It works work TRACKS TR FLUCTUATIONS Now Dr Edison Pettit of ot the lit Mt Wilson observatory hero horo her has Jas made an Important advance ance In Inthe inthe Inthe the attack on this problem by showIng that the tho th chief fluctuation In the th energy radiated by the tho th sun Ilea 1103 In the th Invisible but hIghly active violet ultra rays ros Two observing stations one on In California and one on In Chile op- op operated operated op operated by the tho Smithsonian Ins Ins- ln z under the gene general rill direction ot of Dr Abbot measure the tho th total amount of ot energy radiated by the sun heat or red Infra rays light rays and violet ultra rays rn's ray Dr Abbot Is I now In Asia Ada to find a site for tor a 0 third station to do sImilar work ork Dr Pettit arranged his apparatus apparatus atus however so that It v measure only certain parts of the suns sun's energy THROUGH GOLD rIL FILM 1 lie H covered the tho th telescopic lens with a thin gold cold film As a result only the tho green light of or the tho th sun came camo through It Then he ho to- to focused fo focused this light on II a a thermo thermo- thermocouple thermocouple couple a 0 device devic for Cor measuring en orgy ergy and md connected that to a 0 re- re recording recording re recording cording Instrument Next ho ar ar- ar arranged ar ranged a quarts Quartz lens covered witha with a thin silver sll liver film This has hIlS the th property of ot allowing only the violet ultra light to get through This was measured and recorded In the tho same way The Th records show that the green gren light from the sun Is practically practically practically constant from Cram day to day Dr Pettit told me On the tho th other hand they show how violent fluctuations fluctuations In the violet ultra light ILY D CH From June 1924 to t Novem No November ber bar 1926 the th amount of ot ultra ultra- ultraviolet ultraviolet violet ultra violet light given oft off by the sun Increased 83 13 per per- percent per cent Then from November to December It fell oft 20 per cent It has re- re re- re remained re remained In the th neIghborhood ot of tho December figure fleur since But thero are arc constant dally daily fluctuations fluctuations In tho the amount of or ultra ultra- ultraviolet violet ultra vIolet light Now Dr Abbot b las has round that the total amount of or energy y gw- gw gwen given Riv Riven en oft off by the tho sun un varies from day to day It must no o therefore that this variation Is due clue du to the fluctuations In the th ultra violet ultra light EFFECT ON WE T WEATHER ER This discovery of ot Dr Is an Important cle clew for meteor meteor- meteorologists meteorologists meteorologists who hope to learn the the connection between the tho th sun un and the want weather her It IL means mean 06 ot course that it Is highly Important work bo be b done don to find out just what effect the tho th violet ultra-violet radi radl- radiation radiation alion of the tho sun un has on the earth and Its atmosphere Dr Pettits Pettit's work Is part of a general program to for for studying thun the sun at Mt Wilson This pro pro- program pro cram Gram Is the th most extensive In the world WORK FOR THEORY The Mt Wilson astronomers feel that before the the connection be- be between be between tween the sun un and the tho th weather can be worked out out wo we w must mu t know about Consequently the he sun Bun un Itself Consequent Consequent- ly Iy they are centering their allen atten attention tion on the sun un Dr George E Hale honorary dIrector of the observatory Dr Charles Clarles E St SI John president ot of the solar section of ot Inc tn Inter Inter- International International national Astronomical Union and other members of ot tho th staff ore are devoting de their chief energies to thIs task There are ar many problems to tobe tobe tob be solved et ct For example the corona or silvery livery halo about the sun which becomes becom's become visible at the time of ot a total eclipse la Is mm still a mystery to r Connections Connections Lions between the shape of tile the spots spots corona and the tho number of or on the sun Bun un have been noted but the exact cause and nature ot of the corona Is I still un unknown known |