University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE REDWOOD 19 ously, this period can never be longer than twenty-six days. The life of a sun spot is about three months and it is therefore apparent that a particular sun spot will exert its influence upon the earth three or possibly four times at periods of twenty-seven days before it disappears. By working out the many intricate formulae involved in these problems, Father Kicard is able to calculate the month, day, hour, minute and fraction of a second when the effect of a sun spot will be felt by the earth, before the spot is even formed, and hence, long, long before a change in atmospheric pressure has been reg- istered by the barometer, he is able to foretell it. Consequently the weather of an ensuing period of not only a month, but even of years, is an open book to him. If a sun spot is formed above the sun ' s equator, it is a Northern Sun Spot, and if below the sun ' s equator, it is a Southern Sun Spot, their effect upon the earth being just the opposite of each other. A Northern Spot causes a low terrestrial barometric pressure and hence that region affected, usually not very extensive, experiences storms. A Southern Spot causes a high terrestrial atmospheric pressure and hence any storms that are then raging in that partic- ular section of the world are brought to an end by this high pressure rushing into the low pressure areas, driving out the storms and bringing about a nor- mal pressure. Naturally when a high pressure follows immediately upon a low barometric pressure, or vice versa, there is a good deal of wind caused by the high pressure rushing into the low pressure areas. Just as Father Ricard ' s theory regarding the origin of Sun Spots is no longer a mere theory but is now a fact proved by observation, so too has his theory concerning the influence of sun spots upon the terrestrial atmosphere and upon our weather attained the dignity of a law. A comparison of the six thousand six hundred and thirty-two daily weather predictions, made by Father Ricard during the eighteen years of his observations, with the daily weather reports of the United States Weather Bureau over the same period presents a startling similarity, for it shows that Father Ricard ' s predictions have been 99.7% correct. The differences, unbelievably few in number, were due entirely to the peculiar geography of this region, which makes it extremely difficult to forecast the weather for this locality and which makes the accur- acy of Father Ricard ' s predictions all the more amazing. The Sun Spot theory has taken a place with the greatest scientific dis- coveries of the age.