466 OBSERVATIONS ON THE ZODIACAL LIGHT. 



No. 233. 



OCTOBER 21t, 1854: MORNITC. 



Lat. at 4A., 25 58' N : Lon. 161 58' W. 



Sun rose >h. 7m. f 



Stronger Light at 4A , &c. : Diffuse at 4/(. 10m. 



Clouds last evening, and also this morning, till towards 4 h , when the sky became clear and was very brilliant. 

 When I went on deck, I was struck with the great brightness of the Zodiacal Light. I then had to change my 

 place from the poop-deck to the port-guard ; and though the time occupied by this was not more than two minutes, 

 I thought the brightness had very materially decreased. I watched, from that on, very carefully, to see whether 

 this was only a fancy, (though at that first observation I had not had any thought about pulsations,) or whether 

 there were really pulsations. Sometimes I thought there were, and I made the following records ; but I do not 

 offer them as reliable, it being exceedingly difficult to determine whether these apparent changes were true or not ; 

 and I had no one near, with whose judgment I could compare my own. 



h. m. 



At 3 52, very dim, and at a. 

 3 58, brightening. 



3 59, much brighter, and at t>. 



4 4, very bright, and at b. 



h. m. 



* * 



4 14^, very bright, and at b. 

 4 15, greatly dimmed, and at a. 



* 



4 24, extremely bright. 



The asterisks mean intervals when, although I thought it possible there were changes, I felt too uncertain to 

 make any record of them. 



From the zigzag line down, the Light was much stronger than above, especially as dawn approached. The 

 Stronger Light, all the while, was so bright as to produce quite a decided discoloration of the smooth sea, as the 

 Light was reflected from it. 



