77//-; m-t;o]!.\ .\rsT]:.\Lfs. 21 



THE AURORA AUSTEALIS, AS OBSERVED FROM THE 



'BELGICA.' 



Ky Dr. FliKDKKKK A. COOK. 



IN the literature of the still unknown phenomena of polar auroras, 

 deductions have been based almost entirely upon observations 

 of the aurora borealis. So little has been known of the south pole and 

 of its terrestrial and celestial surroundings that the aurora australis has 

 been omitted in the upbuilding of auroral science. From the observa- 

 tions of the Belgian expedition and from the reports of forgotten pre- 

 vious explorers, it would seem that the auroras of the south are not so 

 brilliant or so varied in foi'm and character as those reported from the 

 north. Auroras in brilliant colors and in fantastic heavenly drapery 

 are indeed rare in the regions invaded by the 'Belgica.' It should, 

 however, be reiuembered that the austral phenomenon is but vaguely 

 known. The 'Belgica's' drift covers but a small space in the great 

 unknown area about the south pole. Nearly eight million square miles, 

 a region as large as all North America, is still a blank under the South- 

 ern Ci'oss. At other points within this area the aurora may appear 

 differently. Such a condition obtains in the arctic. Nordenskiold, 

 viewing the northern lights from the sea north of Siberia, saw displays 

 almost exactly like those seen from the 'Belgica' south of the Pacific, 

 but Pearv and all the explorers who wintered on the Greenland side of 

 the geographical pole have described auroras in vivid colors and fan- 

 tastic forms. 



The antarctic continent, which is just the region from which the 

 southern lights can best be studied, is still imexplored, and most of 

 it is inaccessible. If we can judge from similar latitudes in the north, 

 the edge of this gTcat continent of ice is an ideal latitude for effective 

 observatories, and no doubt future explorers will seek favorable loca- 

 tions from wliicli to observe this curious phenomenon. 



The inhabited parts of Australasia, southern South America and 

 Africa are too far north to offer a good station to study these phe- 

 nomena. There are no convenient land projections in the antarctic, 

 like Siberia, Norway and Greenland in the arctic, where comfortable 

 stations could be established. From this it results that few careful 

 studies of the austral aurora have been made. The great restless, ice- 

 encumbered sea which sweeps around the south polar area is not favor- 

 able for such observations. Captain Cook, who, during three years, 

 circumnavigated the globe in high latitudes, barely mentions the aurora. 

 Ross, "Wilkes and d'Urville were in the ice regions only during the 

 days of summer, when auroras were seldom visible. 



