ON December 17 An unusual grouping of planets occurs in the heavens. On this much all astronomer agree—that there will be an unusual and over-balanced collection of powerful planetary bodies grouped on one side of the sun.
    Professor Albert F. Porta asserts with great conviction that this unusual planetary situation will pull forth from the sun the mightiest sun-spot or explosion of gases ever known to man, and that our unfortunate planet, the earth, as an innocent bystander, will receive the full force of this solar cataclysm. Staggering under this blow, Professor Porta predicts a disturbance on the earth without precedent or parallel, with hurricanes, lightning, colossal rains, gigantic lava eruptions, great earthquakes, floods, and fearful cold.
    Professor Ports’s predictions have attracted a good deal of attention and have brought many anxious inquiries to the Government astronomers in Washington and to the scientists in various State and college observatories. While all astronomers agree with Professor Porta as to the unusual planetary situation in the heavens next month, they do not admit that the consequences will be as he predicts. On this page Isabel M. Lewis, of the staff of the U.S. Naval Observatory at Washington, discusses Professors Porta’s assertions.     OWING to a strange grouping of six mighty planets such as has not been seen a score of centuries, the United States next December will be swept by the most terrific weather cataclysm experienced since human history began. It will be caused by the hugest sun-spot on record—a sun-spot that will be visible to the naked eye. Since men first began to make record of events, no sun-spot has been large enough to be seen without the aid of instruments. This one will be.
    The sun-spot that will appear December 17, 1919, will be a vast wound in the side of the sun.
    It will be a gigantic explosition of flaming gases, leaping hundreds of thousands of miles out into space. It will have a crater large enough to engulf the earth, much as Vesuvius might engulf a football.
    Such a sun-spot will be rich enough in electro-magnetic energy to fling the atmosphere of our planet into a disturbance without precedence or parallel.
    There will be hurricanes, lightning, colossal rains.
    It will be weeks before the earth will regain its normal conditions. There will also be gigantic lava eruptions, great earthquakes, to say nothing of floods and fearful cold.
    I make this startling prophecy with no desire to be merely sensational or alarming. It is simply because my study of the planets has revealed certain results with mathematical certainty.
    On December 17, 1919—no less than seven planets will pull jointly on the sun. These will include all the mightiest planets, those with the most powerful pull.
    Six of them—Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune—will be in conjunction; grouped together in the greatest “league of planets” ever known in the annals of astronomy.
    They will be massed in the narrow limit of 36 degrees on the same side of the sun! Directly opposite, coming into opposition with this gigantic league will be the huge planet Uranus. The magnetic currents between Uranus and the six planets will pierce the sun like a mighty spear.
    Our earth is outside the league, at an angle of nearly 90 degrees—in perfect position to receive almost the full force of the monster electrical disturbance as it leaps into activity on what, to us, will be the eastern horizon of the sun’s disc. Be warned in advance. Tremendous things are going to happen from December 17 to 20, 1919, and afterward!

From—Richmond Times-Dispatch. (Richmond, Va.), 09 Nov. 1919 Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.