22 RECORD OF AURORAL PHENOMENA. 



rose highest at a point about 27° west of the astronomical, 38° west of the magnetical, north ; 

 the greatest elevation being about 6° above the horizon ; and from that point an irregular arch 

 of light extended downwards on both sides of the horizon. Extremely vivid bands of light, 

 from half to three quarters of a degree in breadth, shot up frequently from different points of 

 the arch. I could not perceive, however, that these radiations converged towards the zenith : 

 on the contrary, those from the eastern side of the arch seemed decidedly to tend towards 

 points east of the zenith ; those from the western side, in like manner, to lean westwards, just 

 as if they had all diverged from a point below the horizon and within the arch. 

 These phenomena continued, without any change of character, the whole night, till near sunrise, 

 when the sky became clouded. In every part of the fixed arch, the light was in unceasingly 

 tremulous motion; its brightness increased from time to time, and at those moments the radiated 

 pillars of light also rose higher and brighter than usual. The color of the light was yellow-red, 

 and underwent but little change. About twenty-five minutes past ten, the apparent width of 

 the region of the heavens filled with light was measured, and was ascertained to lie within the 



vertical circles of N. 15° E., and N. 30° W. 



***** * 



The fact that, in the present instance, neither the middle of the coruscating area, nor the point of 

 the heavens from which proceeded the attraction for the south end of the needle, lay in the 

 vertical plane of the magnetic meridian ; but that while the polar light inclined to the west of 

 that plane, the attracting point was distant about 25°.3 from it towards the east, acquires im- 

 portance from the unanimous and distinct assurance of the people of Beresov, that they are 

 accustomed here to distinguish between two kinds of Polar Light. The one, like that seen 

 to-day, which appears on the western side of the sky, is always fainter and lower than that 

 which shows itself east of the meridian. The latter, which is sometimes observable for months 

 together throughout the night, begins regularly about the time of the greatest cold, and is often 

 so elevated and so bright, as to frighten the animals in the sledges. 



December 2. — The people of Beresov all maintained that the Polar Light of yesterday announced 

 the return of the regular cold, and this prediction was confirmed to-day in a remarkable manner." 

 — Erman, I, 351-353. 



Good Hope (Greenland).— Lat. 64° 10' N. Long. 51° 42' W. August 1, 1161— August 21, 

 1765. Crantz. 



"And even if the moon does not shine in the winter, the northern lights, with their sportive streams of 

 variegated colors, often supply its place still better. I will not enter into the illustration of the 

 origin of this wonderful phenomenon, but only observe so much, that neither I nor those that 

 have lived many years in this country, have ever seen the true Aurora Borealis, or Northern 

 Lights, make their appearance in the north or northwest (except a faint blue glance over the 

 horizon, which might arise from the reflection of the sun), but they have always sprung up in 

 the east and southeast ; from whence they have often, if not always, extended over the whole 

 horizon as far as the northwest; and sometimes they may be seen in all the four quarters of the 

 sky at once. Consequently, they have a quite different situation to those that are observed in 

 Norway, Lapland, Russia, and all the other countries of Europe." — Crantz, I, 48. 



N. B. — 1. Aurora never makes its appearance in N. or N. W. 

 2. It always springs up in E. or S. E. 



Reykiavik (Iceland).— Lat. 64° 10' N. Long. 21° 25' "W. Winter of 1814-15. Henderson. 



" The most striking aerial phenomenon exhibited by an Icelandic winter, is doubtless the Aurora 

 Borealis, or northern lights, which are here seen in all their brilliancy and grandeur. I had an 

 opportunity of contemplating them almost every clear night the whole winter, sometimes shoot- 

 ing across the hemisphere in a straight line, and presenting to the view, for a whole evening, one 



