Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



391 



K 



At 11 p.m. I noticed the sky, and also five minutes afterwards, but 

 nothing uncommon appeared. Few cirri of a very electric nature con- 

 verged towards S., and a colourless lunar halo of about 28° in dia- 

 meter and a lunar burr were visible. 



At 11^ lO"" I again looked at the sky, which was cloudless, with 

 the exception of a portion from S.E. to S.W., extending to the ze- 

 nith, which had cirri dispersed thinly over it ; and on a lower level 

 were a few cumulostrati clouds, all converging towards S. ; these 

 clouds were very high. At this hour a most beautiful and rare phae- 

 nomenon took place. A brilliant 

 mock-moon, a, of a silvery colour, 

 shone out of the lunar halo b on 

 the W. side, and a little below the 

 level of the moon. Also three arcs 

 of inverted rainbows, c, d and e, ap- 

 peared ; the first, c, within the 

 lunar halo b, and nearly at the 

 highest part of it, whichcut off up- 

 wards of 27° from the halo. The 

 second, d, rested on the summit of 

 the halo b, the circumference of 

 the arc of which was about 28°, and 

 the third, <?, about 10° higher, the 

 circumference of which was about 

 27°. All these arcs of inverted 

 rainbows, or segments of circles, 

 opened in a direction to the N. 



ll'' 13™. — At the points where 

 the inverted rainbow c cut the halo b were two exceedingly bright 

 oval lights or flames, evidently paraselense ; and about 10° higher 

 than the inverted rainbow e was a complete circle h, the diameter of 

 which was nearly 8° (this extended to the zenith), having Cor Caroli 

 nearly in the centre of the circle. 



11^ 15m — j'jjg mock-moon a, and also inverted rainbow c, had va- 

 nished. The circles b and h and inverted rainbows d and e, together 

 with the mock- moons /and g, still remained bright. 



1 1^ 20™. — This phsenomenon had vanished, except the lunar halo 

 and burr, which disappeared at half-past eleven o'clock. 



[On the lunar halo b, opposite to the mock-moon a, some cumulo- 

 strati clouds rested, which, had there been a mock-moon there, 

 would have been quite sufficient to have hidden it from our sight.] 

 This phsenomenon did not reappear. 



No prismatic colours were exhibited during these very rare parase- 

 lenae, which I think is usual with these remarkable appearances. 



It may be as well to add, the weather for the last fortnight has 

 been very fine and hot, and the sky nearly cloudless, but for the last 

 few evenings the distant prospect has been remarkably clear. 



High Field House, Lenton, Nottinghamshire, E. J. Lowe. 



May 6, 1844. 



Horizon. 



Horizon. 



