130 Mr. W. Sturgeon's Account of an Aurora Borealis. 



quivering blaze of a transient aurora ; in another, the sparkling 

 light and steady march of a transcendent starry host : in the 

 north, a splendid exhibition for the contemplation of the Elec- 

 trician ; in the south, those glorious orbs which are the objects 

 of the Astronomer's research. 



About half-past ten the eastern limb of the aurora again shot 

 forth immensely broad streaks of light, with intervening dense 

 shades. These streamers soon expanded, and mixing with each 

 other presented a steady uniform field of light. Other similar 

 streamers darted upwards from the western limb, and expand- 

 ing like the former heightened the illumination, which now 

 extended to nearly half the concave of the heavens. The light 

 vanished gradually, and was succeeded by faint streamers of 

 much less magnitude. The dark space below the inner arch 

 was now, for a short time, well defined by the bright glow 

 round its upper edge ; but it soon became confused and irregu- 

 lar. At eleven a streak of bright light, like a yellowish cloud, 

 stretched horizontally towards the east. In one moment after a 

 streamer kindled at its eastern extremity, and shot gradually 

 upwards; passed the meridian, and terminated in a very faint 

 light between Aldebaran and the Pleiades. About this time 

 the undulatory streamers became beautiful and grand, playing 

 in every part of the northern heavens to nearly the zenith, and 

 on each side of the meridian to about the north-east and north- 

 west points. Some bright coruscations occasionally flashed 

 in this part of the display, and gave to it an exceedingly inter- 

 esting appearance. A few moments dispersed these corus- 

 cations, which were succeeded by a diffused faint light. The 

 dense central darkness now suddenly disappeared, and a bright 

 light illuminated the northern horizon, for the first time since 

 the setting of the sun. A dark broad streak soon stretched 

 obliquely downwards, from east to west, nearly through the 

 centre of the aurora, and bright coruscations flashed in rapid 

 succession from its upper edge. 



About a quarter-past eleven the dark central speck again ap- 

 peared, and some very bright streamers ascended from various 

 parts of its upper or convex edge, which, as before, was now 

 bordered by a bright steady light. Coruscations frequently 

 about this time reached to between the pointers in Ursa 

 Major ; they soon became very faint, and were succeeded by 

 a dull steady light. 



At half-past eleven the streamers became less frequent, the 

 dense nucleus was ill defined, and the whole display began to 

 languish. A bright curved light however, with occasional 

 ascending lambent streams, continued to direct to the general 

 Centre of the aurora, which now appeared to approximate 



closer 



