The sun’s light “exceeds in intensity any that can be produced by
artificial means, the electric light between charcoal points being the
only one that does not look absolutely black against the unclouded sun.”
“The heat thrown out from every square yard of the sun’s surface is
greater than that which would be produced by burning six tons of coal
on it each hour. Now, we may take the surface of the sun roughly at
2,284,000,000,000 square miles, and there are 3,097,600 square yards in
each square mile.” A little calculation will show how many tons of coal
must be burnt in an hour to represent the sun’s heat.
There comes also from the sun chemical force, which separates carbon
from oxygen, and turns the gas, which, were it to accumulate, would kill
all men and animals, into the life of plants, thus preserving the animal
and building up the vegetable world. Whether it can keep up this amount
of light and heat throughout the “endless ages,” we have no means of
knowing. We have, however, no evidence even during centuries of any loss
of either, so that we may safely say that there will be an abundance of
both for all the time in which we are interested.
On the 25th of this month there will be a partial eclipse, beginning at
1:00 p. m., Washington mean time, in longitude 82° 3.5′ west, latitude
59° 12.3′ south. The greatest obscuration (about .75) will occur at
2:46.4 p. m. in longitude 4° 26.7′ east, latitude 70° 48.2′ south; will
end at 4:32.4 p. m. in longitude 12° 20.6′ east, latitude 33° 6.7′ south.
As it will be visible only in the extreme southern part of the western
continent and in the south Atlantic Ocean, no importance is attached to
its occurrence.
The most careless must have observed the increase in the amount of
daylight in the northern hemisphere since the 21st of last December. On
the first of the present month the sun rises at 5:43 a. m. and sets at
6:25 p. m.; on the 30th it rises at 4:59 a. m. and sets at 6:55 p. m.,
so that the increase in “day’s length,” as we are accustomed to call it,
will be one hour and seven minutes. To set our time pieces, we must,
when the sun is on the meridian, on the 1st, make them indicate 12:37 p.
m.; on the 15th, 11:59.8 a. m.; on the 30th, 11:57 a. m. On the 1st day
breaks at 4:04; on the 30th at 3:09. In latitude 41° 30′ north the sun
will, on the 30th, reach an altitude of 63° 33′ above the horizon, the
highest for the month.