250 BARNARD— SELF-LUMINOUS NIGHT HAZE. [April 21, 



The stars were visible through it where it passed over them. The 

 motion was slowly to the northwest among the stars. Its width 

 was 5°. At I2h om a similar band passed over the " dipper " parallel 

 to the first one, evidently moving in the same direction. The first 

 one at this time had either disappeared or was too near the horizon 

 to be seen. At midnight I could read the time by my watch with 

 only the illumination from the sky, which was milky and whitish 

 or luminous. 



June lod loh 45m. A long strip passed through Polaris and 5° 

 below the bowl of the " dipper." Its motion was towards the north 

 by east horizon, iih om a great number of luminous masses were 

 scattered over the western sky (and extending to the south) to 

 nearly as high as the zenith. These were mostly parallel strips 

 with some irregular masses. They extended from the horizon and 

 seen:ed to diverge upwards. 



September 29. The sky was irregularly covered everywhere 

 with a kind of luminous haze which occurred in great areas and in 

 strips, with a few clear spaces between which were relatively dark. 

 They were more or less conspicuous. At 8h 25m a difl:'used lumi- 

 nous band stretched from Corona Borealis to the southwest horizon 

 — nearly north and south. This continued northerly nearly to the 

 pole and was difl:'used to the west. In the south and southeast for 

 20° above Fomalhaut to a Ceti was the upper edge of a luminous 

 mass of haze covering the southeast sky to the horizon. Other 

 diffused areas of this matter were visible at difi^erent points over 

 the sky. The wdiole sky was more or less luminous, but less notice- 

 able than the regions described above. By 8h 50m the broad lumi- 

 nous strip at Corona Borealis had drifted a little east among the 

 stars, but it seemed to go westward with them. At iih lom a watch 

 could be read by the light of the sky. This was one of the bright- 

 est of the luminous nights that I have seen. The matter seemed to 

 be only ordinary haze but luminous for some reason. There was 

 no trace of aurora. The sky on which the luminous haze was seen 

 was, at this time, brightened with a pale uniform illumination cover- 

 ing the entire heavens and nearly blotting out the Milkv Way. These 

 masses had very little motion. The sky was too luminous for long 

 exposures with a portrait lens. 



