TABULAH CONSPECTUS OF OBSERVATIONS ON THE AURORA BOREALIS 



OF THE 17th OF SEPTEMBER, 1833, REDUCED TO GREENWICH MEAN TIME. 



YORK. 



J. PhiUipi. 



Lat. 53" 58' 



Long. W. ] « 4/ 



8. 0. — Auroral arches and beams in the N. N. W. 



8. 9. — Arch 3" or 4-" broad, including in its middle and 

 vertex jS Ursae Majori?. It gradually and constantly increased 

 in breadth and rose in position. 



8. 14.— Arch includes, nearly in the middle of its breadth, 

 Dubhe, Arcturus, and Capulla. Frum this time it grew fainter 

 and rose hij;her. 



8. 34. — Beams or streamers in great number and brilliancy, 

 shooting upwards in narrow distinct lines athwart the whole 

 northern sky, in front of the archf from the horizon to about 

 60" alt. 



fl, 44, — The arch (which after passing Polaris in its upward 

 movement shewed itself double) was now in two distinct parts; 

 the upper rose most rapidly to within 15* of the zenith, when 

 it vanished. The lower arch became indistmct, and the beams 

 rose higher and more frequently, directing themselves to a point 

 S. of the zenith. Many of these beams were at one time joined 

 at their bases into a singular reversed arch, of which the centre 

 was near the Pole star. These streamers shewed momentary 

 traces of colour; in the line of the magnetic meridian, they 

 were vertical, towards the horizon H. and W. their tops were 

 inclined probably 20" to the South. They appeared wholly un- 

 connected with the arch. 



9. 4. — No arch visible. 

 10. 49. ^ A low faint arch stationary, its upper edge nearly 

 to > reaching to i and y Ursae Majoris ; its vertex under 

 n. 19. ) Mizar(alt. about 16" in the middle.) 



MANCHESTER. 



P. Clare, W. Jfudleir/h, and R. Potter. 

 Lat. 53" 29' Long. W. 2" 13' 



8. 9. — Arch at its s 



t 32" high, very brilliant. 



Im.W.N.W.ofGOSPORT. 

 Hon. C. Harris. 



Lat. 50" 48' Long. W. about 1" 9' 

 Cirro-strati clouds ob- 

 scured the auroral arch, which ap- 

 peared soon after sun-set. 



8. IH — Arch almost exactly includes a and & and y and S 

 Ursa Majuris. iH. P.J ^ / 



8. 24.— The arch 7" broad, includes Dubhe, Arcturus, and 

 Capella, so that Capella is on the extreme upper edge ; Dubhe 

 rather above the middle of the breadth, and Arcturus rather 

 below the middle. Centre of the arch a little E. of 5 Ursa 

 Majoris, Hxtent of the arch 130«. (P. C.J 



8. 27 — The upper edge of the arch coincides with n and t 

 Ursffi Majoris ; the lower edge with S Ursge M.-ijoris. 



8. 40^ — Arch 38" or 39° high, and extending about 160» 

 on the hoiizfin. ( R. P.) 



8. 44 — Many streamers in the N. directed towards the 

 magnetic zenith. 



8. 44 — Arch passed over Arcturus, S. of Polaris, 3" or 4" 

 north of Algol, ending obscurely near the Pleiades (alt. about 

 GO", vertex in the magnetic meridian.) f \V. H.J 



8.49. — Half the hemisphere illuminated; many bright 

 streamers and flashes of light rose from the ma-netic N. 



8. 54— Coruscations frequently ending in an arch 30« or 33'» 

 S. of the zenith ; the southern edge of the arch passing 1" N. 

 of the Pleiades. 1" N. of Scheat, g" N. of the highest star in 

 Dtlphinus, and just touching y Aquila, and .j Serpentis. {W.H.) 

 From this time the streams and light diminished, and were 

 subject to slight changes till 



II. 0., when the sky became cloudy. 



9. 52^.— A beam in the \V. be- 

 tween /S and y Ophinchi. It seemed 

 to swerve oft' gradually to the west- 



10. 4> It had faded away. 



10. 494. j) Arch from N. W. to N. 

 to > N. E.- its vertex under 



11. 4i. K Ursae Majoris, and the 

 edge of its base half-way between 

 that star and the horizon. 



CAMBUIDGE. 



Professor Airy. 



Long. li. 0" (»' 



8. 8S— The aurora appeared in the form of a large bright eloml, bounded on 

 the lower side by the horizon, and on the upper side by an arch of a small circle 



(not differing much from a great circle). The exiremilics of the arch were in 

 the N. L. and W. N. W. or ""rlj^W.^^ '■'J"M"'.P" ^'""^"'^ «"» lower than ;8 

 "'"'^ris to |S Ursa; Majoris- Several 



-cloud, and above it were several 



family Illuminated, whose light appeared to originate simply in the illumination 



UrsiE Majoris by J X distance from a UrsK Maji 

 small black clouds were scattered over the aurora 



8. 58 — The form and brightness of the arch had not sensibly altered ; but a 

 long black cloud on its face attracted particular attentiim. The western ex- 

 treinity of this cloud was below y Urso! Majoris, its horizontal length fully three 

 times the distance from ;3 Ursa; Majoris to y Urso; Majoris, its vertical breadth 

 less than one-fourlh of its length, the eastern end being somewhat broader than 

 the western. The aurora-cloud suddenly formed itself into streamers, (or 

 streamers were formed in front of it) some perhaps 30° or M» high, but lasting in 

 tins state only for an inslanl, and two streamers of sensible breadth shot up either 

 in front of the black cloud or through it, so as to illuminate it, near its western 

 extremity in two nearly vertical lines, corresponding to the course of the 

 streamers, whose upper and lower parts were visible above and below the cloud. 

 A remarkable change in the constitution of the cloud followed immediately j the 

 western half became curdly, the upper edge of its small portions being luminous ; 

 the western half began to disappear ; at 9. IS. no trace of the cloud discoverable. 



9. 10 — A shooting star from E. to W. very nearly through J Ursie Majoris. 

 The light of the aurora-cloud gradually diminished ; the pan which remained 

 longest was a little E. of N. where some light was still visible at 10. 30. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



This aurora was seen in many parts of Ireland from 9 to 11, and at later hours of the night of the I7th ; as at Adare, Limerick, Arm 

 seen at Brussels by M. yuctelet, who in a letter to Professor Airy gives the following descri|ition of il. Towaids 10 p. m. (Hrussels 

 about 3 in the morning. There were no streamers, (jets lu7nincud,j and the light of a yellowish white colour, did not rise above the hot 

 meridian to the north. 



State of the atmosphere — Vork. Temp. 40. Baroni. 89.682 rising. On the ISth and 16th of September, auroral beams had been seen 

 "y., its upper edge very near * and x of that constellation. At Durham, about 8. 0., two distinct arches were seen, the upper 



arch was well defined, and i" above the horizon. Auroral phenomena tvcre also : 



I thi! 



vcaing at Lymington, and a low arch was noticed by Lord Adare, near Limerick. 



gh, and Dublin. Professor Lloyd found the dipjmig-Jicallc to be unaffected by this aurora at Armagh. It was 



ime) an aurora boreulis was visible ■ the dark segment was formed at about 12^ h. ; the phenomena ceased 



ion more than 20 to 30 degrees. The greatest intensity of the aurora was in the direction of the magnetic 



It York and Greta Bridge j on the I8th, at 8. 34- a low arch was seen there passing below the feet of U. 

 nd the lower and brighter one 7" (in the middle) above the horizon j at 8. 50. the lower edge of the lower 



