XV. — Description of an Aurora Borealis, seen 

 at Biggins, near Kirkhy Lonsdale, November 

 1st, 1847. By William Sturgeon, Esq. 



(Read December 7th, 1847.) 



On Monday night, November 1st, I had a fine 

 view of the Aurora Borealis, from this village. It 

 consisted of an immense horizontal range, perhaps 

 extending 140°, of streamers which shot their soft 

 light slowly upwards, from a segment of fog, (it 

 could hardly be called a cloud,) which was illu- 

 minated on its upper edge, and occasionally, in 

 every part of it. The streamers were well defined, 

 broad, but not lofty. The light of which they 

 were composed was unusually soft and pleasing 

 to the eye. Above the streamers, and sometimes 

 amongst them, there appeared a crimson light, 

 hovering in the sky. It had no appearance of 

 being an original light, but looked more like the 

 red component from a decomposition of the natural 



