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LVII. On the Luminous Zone observed in the Heavens on the 

 29th of September last. By Capt. H. Kater, V.P.R.S. 



To Mr. Taylor. 

 Sir, 

 THHE substance of the following communication was in- 

 * serted in the Times newspaper of the 4th of October ; but 

 as it seems desirable that phaenomena of this kind should be 

 permanently recorded, I shall feel obliged by your giving it a 

 place in the Philosophical Magazine. 



On the 29th of September last, Professor Moll and myself, 

 being at Chesfield Lodge near Stevenage, observed at 8 h 35 m 

 mean time, a zone or luminous belt extending itself in the 

 heavens from the eastern to the western horizon. The light 

 of the zone was white, uniform or nearly so, and surpassing 

 much in intensity that of the milky-way. Its breadth (nearly 

 equal throughout) was about three-fourths of the distance 

 from /3 to y Aquilae, or 3° 45'. The edges of the belt appeared 

 perfectly well defined and equally luminous with the middle, 

 and its transparency was such that the stars were distinctly 

 seen through it. 



The observations made at the moment were, that the belt 

 covered the Pleiades, and appeared to be equally distant from 

 a Arietis and y Andromedae. It passed between a Aquilae 

 and a Lyrae, at the distance from a Aquilae of one-third or 

 two- fifths of the interval between these stars. Professor Moll 

 observed that its edges were upon p and y Ophiuchi. Lower 

 down, near the western horizon, this luminou szone suffered 

 a very remarkable inflexion towards the north, and soon 

 after was lost in the clouds at a little distance above the hori- 

 zon. On tracing the course of this phaenomenon upon a ce- 

 lestial globe, its path appears to have been nearly that of a 

 great circle, meeting the horizon about the E.N.E. and W. 

 by S. points. The altitude of the centre of the most elevated 

 part appears to have been about 72°, so that it must have 

 been nearly in the plane of the dipping-needle, and nearly at 

 right angles to the magnetic meridian. 



At 8 h 42 m mean time, the belt began to fade slowly from 

 the east towards the west, and at 9 h 22 m no trace of it was 

 perceptible. Its light during the whole time appeared per- 

 fectly steady and without any coruscations. 



There was much wind from the S.E. The stars were un- 

 usually bright. The height of the barometer was 29*12 inches, 

 and the thermometer 59°. 



It may not be uninteresting to add, that a gentleman re- 

 Nexv Series. Vol. 4. No. 23. Nov. 1828. 2 X marked 



