ae ee - a 
Observations upon Auroral and Optical Phenomena. 225 
graduate of Yale College, and at Meriden by Mr. William Allen, an 
intelligent young man, and a member of my own engineer corps on 
the Hartford and New Haven Rail Road. 1 adduce these different 
observations, not to show the exact height of the object at any spe- 
cific moment, (that height may indeed have been continually chang- 
ing,) but in support of the main idea that it was elevated throughout 
far above the region of the ordinary clouds. With this purpose in 
view, I give in order the different observations, beginning with those 
of Prof. Olmsted. 
By Prof. Olmsted the phenomenon was not seen until 9h. 55m. 
P.M. At that time the southern margin of the bow was seen rest- 
ing upon the southern stars of the Northern Crown, while its northern 
margin lay along the tail of the Great Bear. It advanced southward 
- until its south edge reached Arcturus, where it became stationary, 
and vanished at 10A. 10m. : 
Mr. Wm. Allen, being at Meriden, the half way point between 
New Haven and Hartford, saw the arch at its first formation. He 
was then riding slowly west, and witnessed the entire phenomena. 
Very soon after the formation of the bow the star Benetnasch, in the 
tail of the Great Bear, was in its southern margin; while Venus in 
the west was shining through it—and he thinks near its middle. The 
bow moved slowly south, and just before its disappearance separated 
into two parts,—one east and the other west of Arcturus, which then 
lay near the central line of the bow, while the star Mu Leonis was 
near its south edge. By the time he had ridden two miles the arch 
disappeared. This disappearance occurred a liule after ten o’clock. 
Mr. P. W. Ellsworth describes the arch as having begun to de- 
velope itself rapidly at half past nine, and soon afterwards passing 
from the east a little north of Corona, and-extending as far as Cas- 
tor; at 9h. 40m. the arch had advanced southward, passing through 
the Crown and south of Pollux, and at this period appeared most 
beautiful. In the east it terminated in an acute angle before reaching 
the horizon, resembling a column of white smoke. The arch had a 
milky appearance 3 it occasionally broke into waves, which advanced 
from the east with a rapid, regular motion, passing quite across to 
the west. These waves sometimes assumed a direction resembling 
the radii of a circle, but extended only a short distance from the 
arch itself. At 9h. 55m. the center of the luminous zone had reach- 
ed Arcturus and the Sickle, and passing half across the Sickle sud- 
_ denly disappeared at 10h.5m.P.M. The light in the north as- 
29 
Vou. XXXII.—No. 2. 
