136 Scientific Intelligence. 
64. Remarkable Paraselene witnessed on the night of the 19th April, 
1845; by Prof. Cuas. G. Pace, M. D., (in a letter to Prof. Srtuiman.) 
—Parhelia of varied forms are often seen in this region, and more 
particularly late in the autumn; but it has never been my good fortune 
to witness a distinct paraselene, until the above period. Being merely 
a casual observer of the heavens, I bear record of such phenomena 
with diffidence, and hoped to have seen ere this time, some faithful no- 
tices of this rare appearance by those who explore the heavens with 
a: 
= a8 
more than the unassisted eye. The above sketch agrees in several 
particulars with one given by Mr. R. W. Brrr in the Philosophical 
Magazine, No. 121, of a paraselene witnessed by him on the 6th May, 
1841. The halos and luminous portions were formed upon a light 
cloud of the class cirro-stratus, first making their appearance about 
half past 9 p.m, and lasting one hour. The moon was nearly full, and 
highin the heavens. There were three distinct concentric halos, of 
the general prismatic character of the large halo or circle so often 
seen around the moon, the outermost of which presented a diameter of 
about one half that of the large halos. The halos during the whole 
time extended only a very little beyond a semicircle. At their upper- 
most point (a) there appeared a diffused luminosity, too faint to define 
y representation, but at the points },b, (and what seemed to be 
extraordinary )—wwithout the circle of the halos, there were two brilliant 
oval spots, not appearing as defined images of the moon, but bearing 
about the same relation to the moon in intensity of light, as parhelia do 
to the sun. From these, there extended for some distance a nebulous 
pencil, as seen inthe figure. A belt of light curved somewhat as repre- 
sented in the figure, extending from the moon on either side, seemed to 
form the base of the arch made by the halos, but on close observation it 
was found that the halos appeared faintly for a short distance below the 
belt. In the paraselene described by Mr. Burt, the images of the moon 
were directly upon or coincident with the halos, but were represented as 
ogof alozenge shape. The circle of halos in the same case was also in- 
~ complete, and the belt of light subtending the semicircle of halos, was 
similar to that I have represented. 
“Washington, D. C., Sept. 18, 1845, 
ors 
