Auroras and Sunset. 151 
10m. past 10. Scattering broad sheaves of light, like fragments 
of thin white clouds, convergence of the pencils perceptible, but 
the focus disappeaped 
Half past 10. All disappeared except the light of an ordinary 
Aurora in the north. 
Ill. Sunset at the West; by Prof. C. Dewey. 
Toa native of New England, few objects appear more beauti- 
ful than the setting of the sun as it appears from the hills and 
| valleys of her mountains. The clearness of the atmosphere, and 
i the brilliancy of the colors, fasten his gaze upon the west as the 
sun has just sunk behind the mountains. As he passes, however, 
' to the middle and western part of the State of New York, the 
sunsets become still more beautiful, and often absolutely splen- 
did. The atmosphere does not appear more transparent and 
clear, but the variety of colors is greater, and they have a greater 
Strength ; the clouds show a more deep and brilliant reflection 
of red and yellow rays, and often the most splendid radiations 
F of light soon after the sun has disappeared below the horizon, 
Those radiations have considerable uniformity, and yet they have 
much variety. They were well depicted in this Journal, Vol. 
xxxi, p. 338-340, Between the broad radiating beams of red 
or yellow light, there is often the most beautiful and intense blue. 
If it is merely the common color of a clear sky, the intensity of 
_ the blue is greatly angmented by the contrast of the red or yel- 
low light. Those radiations do not very often appear, although 
they occur many times in the course of several months. They 
- begin sometimes so early as July, and do not cease till late in 
October. When the radiations do not appear, there is also an 
unusnal splendor in the sunsets, transcending all I have ever wit- 
essed in New England, or on the east side of the Allegany 
__ Midge. Ihave not been able to ascertain the peculiarity of the 
_ _ atmosphere when the splendid radiations are shown. ‘They oc- 
Cur just after sunset, and last only for a few minutes. In the 
article referred to, it is suggested that the appearance may de- 
pend upon the reflection of the sun’s light from the surface of 
the great lakes at the west of us. The supposition is very in- 
genious and interesting, but seems not to be true in fact, as is 
, Proved by the same appearances at the west of the akin In 
*, a 
a : e 
