158 Stiles^s Auroral Observations. 



Small Aurora Borealis. 



Small Aurora Borealis. 



Aurora Borealis. 



Very small Aurora Borealis. 



Considerable Aurora Borealis. 



Very splendid A.B. From a permanent sheet of 

 Avhite light, reaching half Avay from the horizon up to the 

 pole, and extending one-third round the horizon, there as- 

 cended streams or coruscations of red aurora near three- 

 quarters of the way up to the zenith. At 9'' there was an 

 intensely red sheet in the N.E. which gradually moved west- 

 ward over the Great Bear and the pole star into the N.W., 

 where it wore away and disappeared. The ascending red 

 coruscations also moved gently along from E. to W., play- 

 ing very beautifully. The luminous held began in the even- 

 ing, the coruscations and red movable lield came on a little 

 before 9*", were at their height when the clock struck nine, and 

 the whole of the playing scene might have continued about a 

 quarter of an hour. The columns Avere so movable and va- 

 riable, and the heavens put on so many different appearances 

 every few minutes, that it is impossible to describe them. 

 The summits of tlie highest coruscations in their motion 

 westward passed perhaps 15° off of Gemini, and crossed the 

 northern meridian within 30° of the zenith ; that is, reached 

 55° or 60° above the horizon. The eastern azimuth limit 

 might be nearest east, or less than half a point north ; the 

 western azimuth between N.W. and W., nearest to N.W, 

 At 9^*^ there remained a strong permanent field of whiteness, 

 or steady luminous aurora, 20° or 30° wide along under the 

 pole. The eastern limb passed and touched Cor Leonis, and 

 so the azimuth would be due east, or more exactly E. 2° S. 

 The easternmost sheet overspread the mane of Leo, reaching 

 toward Leo Minor. 



Small Aurora Borealis. 



Aurora Borealis, 10° high. 



A.B. dim and small, perhaps 8° or 10° under pole. 



A great Aurora Borealis this evening. I first saw it 

 about a quarter before nine, Avhen it was only luminous from 

 the horizon u]) about one-third of the way to the pole star. 

 No dark cloud subjacent as usual. Afterward there seemed 

 at times an intermixture of dark cloud. At 9'" or a little 

 aftei", coruscations arose and played in l^eautiful profusion, 

 rising as high as the pole star. An arch 5° wide formed from 

 the east horizon across over to the western horizon, perhaps 

 5 or 6 minutes before 10'\ At lO'' it passed over the pole 

 star and Ursa Minor. The coruscation ceased from the lu- 

 minous field under the pole. At 10'' 20'" coming over south, 

 or the summit of the arch moving further above the pole 

 star, and on toward the zenith, so as to touch the stars in the 

 tail of Ursa Major. The breadth of the arch or auroral zone 

 was equal to the distance of the two pointers or more, that 

 is, five degrees broad. The arch is complete nearly from hor- 

 izon to horizon, though at the eastern extremity a little du- 

 bious. All this Avhile, light one hour high, under the pole 

 star, but no coi'uscations. By 10'' 20"^ the arch had risen so 



