330 Remarkable Atmospheric Appearances. 
ses are so self-evident as to have been considered unworthy 
the notice of the Newtons and Franklins and Rittenhouses 
that have gone before us. Halos or circles, around the sun 
rain (or snow in the winter season) and all are accustomed 
to predict the number of hours to elapse before falling weath- 
er, by the number of stars visible within a circle about the 
oon. 
The rainbow is formed by the reflection and refraction of 
the sun’s rays on the falling globular particles of rain. Ha- 
los about the sun or moon are formed by the refraction of 
the rays of light on a medium more dense than the atmos- 
phere, without any reflection as in the rainbow. 
For six or eight weeks previous to the appearance of the 
phenomenon just described, very little rain had fallen on any 
part of this continent ; as far as we have heard, the drought 
it. Let us also suppose a north-easter commencing, (whic 
db : \ 
‘south-west,) form 
of the atmosphere, carrying the dense vapor with it from 
the S. W.to the N. E. And let us suppose also the most 
dense part of the volume of vapor to extend from the S. E. 
tothe N. W. Then the rays of the sun, being refracted in 
thr 
would form the second circle on the surrounding vapor- 
The same cause would occasion a concentration of the rays 
and 
eastern limb of the primary halo; the rays of light thrown 
off from which would form the two Skeet the shird order, 
of double the diameter of the second, which circles crossing 
the secondary halo on the northeastern part, forming anoth- 
