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Nores to THe Exrra OBSERVATIONS OF MAGNETOMETERS, JANUARY 9—24, 1845. 
NOTES ON THE AURORZ BOREALES SEEN AT MAKERSTOUN. 
h. 
™. 
d. . 
am. 911 7. Streamers and pulsations from an amorphous mass to N. 8™. Rapid pulsations ; aurora in patches 
12 
13 
27. 
52. 
10. 
10. 
10. 
34. 
46. 
10. 
10. 
forming broken arches ; altitude of highest about 32°. 12™. Bright patch, with rapid pulsations, 
to NNE., since last observation. 13™. Rows of streamers to N. 15™. Mass of faintish 
streamers, with pulsations to NNE. A mass of cirro-stratus due N., altitude 10°, apparently sta- 
tionary. 17™. Large amorphous masses pulsating, especially to NE. 23™. Nearly as at 17™, 
but not bright, occasionally brushes near horizon. 24™. Pencils to NNE, and NE. 
Large mass, about 60° in length from NE., pointing to 10° S. of zenith; pencils occasionally to 
NE. 32™, Aurora diffuse, faint pulsations nearly to zenith. 35™. Pulsations like waves revolv- 
ing from NNE. 38™. A digitate mass to NE. 41™. The mass of cirro-stratus to N., like a 
black island lying in a sea of light, seems nearly stationary, its middle is about due N., and has 
an altitude of 10°; thin cirri to NW. 
Aurora rather diffuse, stretching from NNE. to W.; a faint, variable belt from W. to NE., altitude 
50°, with lateral pulsations ; few pulsations in the body of the aurora. 
Aurora on the whole brighter ; patches to NE.; the mass of cirro-stratus still exists, but is more 
spread out towards the NW. 
A belt of nebulous patches stretches from W. to NE. through Polaris ; many patches in NW. quarter 
of the sky, to altitude 55°; the principal part of the aurora is to N., very bright ; one streamer 
seen in the brightest portion of it; bright patches to NE. 
Obscured to NNW. by cirro-stratus ; pulsations among the patches of aurora. 
Patches appearing and disappearing with great rapidity all over the N. portion of the sky as high 
as the zenith ; they seem to spread from the NNE., where there are still many bright patches. 
Aurora fainter ; many bands stretching from NE. to W by S., appearing and disappearing in a 
second or two, also many patches; the bands seem to have their origin in the NE., they seldom 
attain nearer than 30° of the W. point of the horizon. 
As before, the bands rather more persistant. 
Much as before ; lateral pulsations to NE. among bright patches ; brushes. 
A series of broken bands from NE. to altitude of 70°—90° above N.; not many pulsations. 
A faint belt can be traced from WSW. to NE., altitude 60° above NNW. ; aurora generally fainter. 
An arch of very faint light stretching from NE by N. to W by S., altitude 75°: streamers and 
bright patches to N. near the horizon ; most of the aurora is now obscured by the cirro-stratus. 
Cirro-stratus and cirri over the aurora, and in no other part of the sky. 
No pulsations can be perceived; aurora fainter. 
Bands from NE by N. through 10° SSE. of zenith to SSW., composed principally of patches. 31™. 
The same; some of the streaks seen to 60° above SSE. The aurora seen through clouds to N. 
Faint streaks and patches over N. sky, and to 15° S. of zenith. 
Scarcely any of the aurora can now be seen for clouds ; no patches are seen near the zenith. 
Patches and bands of light ; a thin haze seems spreading over the sky, which probably diminishes 
the intensity of the auroral light ; the clouds to N. obscure the aurora there. 
Sky nearly covered with woolly cirri or cirrous haze; an indistinct lunar halo seen ; conceived there 
was an auroral light to N., but was not certain, on account of the moonlight (B.) When the ob- 
server (H.) went to the Observatory at 135, he found the magnets considerably disturbed. 
Curi rising in tufts from NNW., and radiating from that point, with the curls of the tufts on all sides 
turned towards the magnetic meridian ; very dense on the horizon, like a mass of auroral light, 
and in single tufts higher. 
Large corona when the moon is covered by thin watery cloud, and small bluish corona in the appa- 
rently pure sky. Auroral light to N.; doubtful, from moonlight. Aurora seen in Orkney. 
(See Meteorological Notes on growing cloud.) 
Large lunar corona. Auroral light to N.; doubtful, from moonlight. 
A break in the clouds, to N., shews auroral light. 
Cannot detect any appearance of aurora, probably on account of the bright moonlight. 
Cirri in thin bands, much like those described previously (Observations for 1844, Nov. 23, page 325), 
as apparently connected with aurora. 
There is a great similarity in the appearance of the filmy cirri with that of aurora; the cirri shoot 
up from about NW by N., (a few degrees from the magnetic north ;) bands of nearly stationary 
black clouds are lying on the NNW. horizon in a white light, just as in appearances of aurore. 
There seems little doubt that the light on the NNW. horizon is a combination of this cirrous cloud 
and the aurora. The bands, which reach as far as the zenith, move very slowly; at some times it 
was imagined that they were pulsating; this, however, was doubtful, a slight change of the direction 
of vision being sufficient, with the moonlight, to give an unsteady appearance to the filmy bands. 
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