The Properties of Sunpots

100. How the earth-aether is generated around the Sun and the stars

Sunspots are made up of the earth-aether particles.

• These particles adhere somewhat to each other.
• They form a large mass, very decompressed like the physical air surrounding the Earth.

This extends around the Sun, perhaps up to the orbit of Mercury or even beyond.

However, this earth-aether cannot grow indefinitely even if new particles constantly add to it from the dissolution of spots.

This is because the continuous agitation of the air-aether globules through and around them can easily dissolve them and reconvert them into the fire-aether.

We call all the spots of the Sun and other stars, as well as the physical air surrounding them, as the earth-aether*.

• This is because their parts are less suited for motion than the air-aether globules.

101. The production and dissolution of spots depend on highly uncertain causes

Sometimes none appear on the Sun. In other times, there are so many that they obscure its entire light.

The rudiment of one spot is formed from a few fragments of the fire-aether sticking together.

Many others easily join later. These would not be able to adhere to each other unless they lost part of their agitation by hitting the previous ones.

102. How the same spot can cover an entire star

When these spots are first generated, they are very soft and decompressed bodies.

Therefore, they easily break the impact of the fragments of the fire-aether that strike them and attach them to themselves.

The inner surface of these spots are in continuous motion by the solar substance to which it is contiguous.

Gradually, however, it gets abraded and polished but also compressed and hardened, while the other surface facing the sky remains soft and decompressed.

Therefore, they are not easily dissolved by the Sun’s matter licking their inner surface unless it also flows around and over their edges.

But instead, they continually grow as long as those edges, protruding above the Sun’s surface, are not compressed by encountering its matter.

Thus, it can happen that the same spot can extend over the entire surface of a star and remains there for a long time before it can be dissolved.*

103. Why the sun sometimes appears darker and why the apparent sizes of some stars change

Some historians report that the Sun sometimes appeared paler than usual for several consecutive days, sometimes even for an entire year, providing a sad light like the Moon without rays.

Many stars now appear smaller or larger than they were described by astronomers in the past, which seems to be due to their light being obscured by more or fewer spots.

104. Why some fixed stars disappear or suddenly appear

A star can be covered by so many and so dense spots* that it entirely escapes our vision.

Thus, the Pleiades were once counted as seven, but now only six are visible.

Likewise, a star that was previously unseen by us may shine with great light unexpectedly in a very short time.

If its entire body was previously covered by a large and thick spot, and it happens that the fire-aether, flowing towards it more abundantly than usual, spreads over the outer surface of that spot, it will cover it completely in a very short time.

Then that star will emit no less light than if it were not covered by any spot at all.

It can remain equally bright for a long time or gradually become obscured again.

This is what happened at the end of 1572, when a star, not seen before, appeared in the sign of Cassiopeia. Initially, it had a great light and gradually dimming, disappearing at the beginning of 1574.

Other stars that now shine in the sky were not visible before.