NOTICES OF THE APPEARANCES OF THE AURORA 



A T FOR T ENTERPRISE, 



EXTRACTED FROM CAPTAIN FRANKLIN'S JOURNAL. 



he following appearances of the Aurora Borealis were noted at the times when 

 the position of the horizontal needle was observed, and are intended to illus- 



trate, Table, No. II. They have been described as they appeared to the eye, 



without any regard to perspective. The bearings of the terminations of the 



arches or beams, are reckoned from the magnetic north towards the east round 

 the whole circle. 



January 12th, 1821, midnight, a very faint arch in the zenith, lying 324 

 and 1 44°. The sky cloudless. 



At 7h. 30' p. m., the Aurora first appeared in a patch, bearing 279° 



14th 



of the 



from which darted a slender faint beam, which passed about 4 

 zenith, and then instantly disappeared. A horizontal stream extended from 

 279° to 54°, elevated about 20°. At 8h. 20', a faint coruscation across the 

 zenith. At llh. 20', a brilliant irregular wreathed arch across the zenith, 

 from 279° to 99°, the interior motion passing rapidly from the horizon at 

 the former bearing, to the latter. 



latter. Soon afterwards this arch twisted round, so 



that its extremities were directed to 1 22° and 234°, the internal motion very 



pid 



At llh." 30', the coruscation had removed from the zenith, and ap 



peared in a line parallel to the horizon, extending from 99° to 234. At mid 

 night, horizontal streams from 99° to 234°, and from 279 to 234° : but the lat 



had the greater 



ward 



The needle drawn considerably to the west 



Just as I had left the instrument, a flash darted from a beam 1 13° to- 



wards the zenith, and instantly a different Aurora appeared tinged with the 



prismatic colours, having 



gitated circular motion. A few seconds after 



wards, a beam flashed from 279°, and united with that which shot from bear- 

 ing 113°; and then a continuous, though irregular arch, was formed from the one 

 horizon to the other, and the interior motion passed rapidly from both these 

 extremities towards the zenith. As long as the arch continued in that direc- 



